Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-02-12
"a PERSON"

Conk. Spreads Himself and Sits Do,cn o,
South Carolina--An Interesting Scene.
| Washington Cor. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. g..
The most stirring episode in the present
session of the Senate occurred shortly
after noon to-day. Mr.. Butler, of South
Carolina, obtained the floor and proceed
ed to read carefully prepared speech on
a resolution introduced by him some time
ago, calling for an investigation of the
alleged census frauds in his State. The
Senator is not an impressive speaker by
anv means, his voice being weak and his
delivery monotonous. The Senate dozed
and the galleries yawned through his
we'll turned periods and startling statistics
for nearly an hour; when suddenly his
voice grew clearer and his gestures more
emphatic as he turned the batteries OF his
elouuence on the senior Senator from
New York. During the late campaign
Mr.. Conkling took frequent occasion to
allude to the alleged census frauds OF
South Carolina, and some of his rasplng
remarks narrowed up the sensitive soul OF
the gentleman from the Palmetto State.
Mr.. Butler read an extract from one OF
Senator Conkling's speeches, and after
producing facts and figures to show that
the ALLEGATIONS it contained were un-
founded, he spoke rather severely OF the
failure of the gentleman from New York
to correct his is-statements after his at
tention had been called to them.
Apparently Mr. Conkling paid no at
tention to the remarks Of Butler He
went on opening and reading letters and
conversing with Senators in his imme-
diate vicinity, as he is wont to do when
there is nothing in particular in the pro-
ceedings of the Senate to engage his at
tention. 1t soon became evident that
this Indifference was assumed, for as
soon as Mr.. Butler closed Mr.. Conkling
claimed the floor. His face flushed and
and his eyes flashed but his delivery was
as slow and clear as if he were discussing
an ordinary point of order. He said
"Mr. President: From the little [
heard of the carefully concerted matter
read by the gentleman from South Caro-
lima, am led to understand that he has
undertaken to criticise speech delivered
by me last September. | do not know
lust what was read, for heard very lit
tie of t,tbeing otherwise engaged; and L
am not disposed to pay much attention
to the vaporings of the gentleman
from South Carolina. | will wait
until | see what portion of that
which he has read he may see fiji to publish
in the Record. and if there is anything
worthy of attention in it | will take
suitable occasion to reply to it. Now |
will only say that if have done I'M US
tice to South Carolina, or to any other
commonwealth, community or individual,
l am always ready to make proper amends
in proper form
perating enough, but the offense lay
mainly in the manner of its delivery,
Every tone was an insult, and every look
a breach of the peace. The moment Sen
ator Conkling began to speak the atten-
tion of every body in the chamber was
rivited upon him; and when he sat down,
amid silence that could be felt, every
eye instinctively turned upon Senator
Butler, whose seat is well up to the Pres
ident's right in the front row. Mr.. But
ler sprang to his feet as soon as Mr. Conk
ling ceased speaking, and said, with con
siderable vehemence:
"Mr. President, the gentleman from
New York may rest assured that every
word have uttered will appear in the
Record. He has said that he does not
care for the vaporings of the gentleman
from South Carolina can assure him
with equal force, that the staggering in
science of the gentleman from New York
cannot change my purpose in the least. d"
The excitement was now intense, and
when Mr.. Conkling arose, looking defiant
ly toward the gentleman from South Caro-
lima, many of the on-lookers seemed to
expect fistic encounter between the an
gry debaters Of course nothing of the
kind occurred. In his most magnificent
ly crushing manner Mr.. Conkling simply
said
"Mr. President, the remarks just ut
tered convince me that the gentleman
from South Carolina is person with
whom have no desire to handy epithets.
here or elsewhere, especially here
The emphasis thrown on the epithet
"a person. was fairly pulverizing, and
the gentleman from New Y York sat down,
apparently satisfied that he had left re-
joinder impossible Mr.. Butler said
never word in reply, but he looked as
if nothing less than bucketful of Ros-
GOES best blood would satisfy his wound
ed honor. A few seconds of profound ST.
lence succeeded the last echo of this brief
and bloodless war, and then the monoto-
nous debate over the 'SixtySurgeons Bill''
was resumed.