Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-05-04

Tho Wires Burdened With Dawes s3a

"MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING"
Tho Wires Burdened with Dawes OAR
WASHINGTON, May 4.-In the Senate
to-day the vice president laid before the
Senate the unfinished business, being the
resolution for the reelection of Senate
officers.
Mr.. Dawes then took the floor and re-
ques.ed the clerk to read the pending res
olution. This having been done, Mr..
Dawes proceeded to give brief history
of the action of both sides of the Senate
upon the resolution. He had offered it,
he said, to the Senate on the 23d of
March. On the 24th it had come up under
the rules for consideration. Up to that
time it had been supposed that every
senator in this body who desired to invoke
the voice of the Senate had secured to him
right under the rules not only to invoke.
that voice but to obtain it. Under that
impression he Mr.. Dawes) had introduced
this resolution. He had not asked any
senator to support it to whose judge
mcnt it did not commend itself. He had
merely asked senators to consider it.
and pass upon it. 1t had encountered
opposition and that opposition had held
the United States Senate here for more
than six weeks. The opposition had not
been directed against the merits Of the
resolution, but it had been distinctly
stated on this floor by senators that the
Senate should never pass upon it. He
had but to state what had been the Op-
position that the Senate had encountered
under its rules !: to state in other words 4
question Of graver import and importance
and scope and consequence to the institu
tiOns of the country than any other which
had come up for consideration in this hall.
1t mattered very little what should be
the fate of this resolution. II it should be
extinguished in half hour, provided it
were extinguished by the methods pointed
out by the constitution which sustained
the whole fabric of this government, not u
ripple would be discovered and the govern
ment would move Oh as if the resolution
had never had any existence. But if it
were extinguished in the fulfilment of an
avOwed threat from senators that this body
should not be permitted to pass its own
judgment on any matter lesiti-
mate for it to pass upon it
would be extinguished by q blow
that would be felt when it fell and where
it fell in this body, paralyzing it, changing
it, crppling it, destroying it and further
and beyond it demonstrate to dissatis
faction and to faction and to rebellion
q method and an instrument 1T ty
and $ power beyond any which,
in open field aud in open war
fare, could shake the institutions
of this country. If a senator could
declare to the Senate of the United States,
"YOu shall never pass the measure"
and had power to carry out that
threat, it could be SO done ut
the other end of this capitol at the
other end of the avenue, here, elsewhere,
everywhere, in a government whose vital
breath and power was the rule of the ma
jority.
At this point a message was received
from the president and placed upon the
vice presidents desk.
"Of what avail" continued Mr.. Dawes,
lis message in writing from the presi-
dent of the United States to this body If
any senator can get up in his place and
with impunity, and with power to
enforce his threat, say to the
Senate, You shall never consider
that message Of what avail is it
that We come together to deliberate and
debate if there is a power greater than the
Senate itself that shall dictate the subject
matter upon which we shall deliberate and
debate? This resolution has come to assume
such importance that it can never be given
over. 1t can have NO other resting place
than settlement, aud determination
whether this be a government and this
branch Of it be SO constituted that
it can control itself. There has
devolved upon the Republican party anew
and in new form, but not in a less i'm
portant one, the question, whether the
essence. the vitality and the value of re-
publican institutions shall any longer con
tinue in this land. Not willingly. yet trust
not hes;tatingly, the Republican party
assumes again the responsibility, and here
and now. so far as speak for myself and
SO far as am authorized to speak for any
one else, l do declare, sir, that continue
this effort not for anything there
may be in this resolution which l offered
here in March, but because around it.
and with it, and on its fate hangs
the greatest living vital issue in
this country, "Shall the Senate of
the United States determine for itself
what it shall pass upon, or shall senators
in their place have power to say to this
Senate, You Lever shall pass upon this or
upon that or upon any other measure that
l shall specify
Nominations Confirmed.
WASHINGTON. May 4.-Tbe Senate in
executive session this afternoon confirmed