The Portland daily press., 1881-05-03
XLVIIth CONGRESS.
oenate-Executive Session.

WASHINGTON, May 2.
The Vice President laid the resolution fer
election of officers before the Senate.
Mr.. Farley called attention to the large
number of nominations awaiting action, and
moved an executive session. The people of
his State of all parties were appealing to this
Senate to consider important matters in which
they were directly interested. Petitions were
daily coming from the public press of Californ-
ia, asking for the consideration of the Chinese
treaty. II one of these papers he had OBJ
served that he had been charged with retard-
ing the consideration of the Chinese treaty.
The record of the Senate Contradcted that
statement.
Mr.. Farley said eight hundred or a thousand
Cinnamon were arriving semi-monthly at San
Francisco. A ship full of Cinnamon with
small pox on board was to-day lying at quaran-
tine. San Francisco and the people of Cali
fornia were protesting against the me-
elect on the part of the Senate for which ne
elect the Republican party was responsible.
Mr.. Dawes said he was as anxious to go into
executive session as any man could be, but the
record of the past two months would disclose
the fact that Senator Farley and those who
acted with him had been solely responsible
for any delay in not going into executive ses-
sion.
Mr.. Farley replied that the Republican par
ty could not escape the responsibility for the
evils which had befallen the people of the Pa
cifc coast
Mr.. I'awes rejoined that the Senator stood
here ana told the people of California that
rather tan have a Democratic secretary of
the Senate displaced he would let the Chinese
come aid bring all the evils that they might.
NJ. Farley repeated the statement that the
people of California were protesting agai INST
the inaction of the Senate and declared the
Republican party of that State were protest.
ing against the election of Gorham.
Mr.. Farley continued. He believed the 9TH
or side of the chamber had at last come to its
senses. There was an opinion on the Pacific
coast that the Senator from Massachusetts,
Dawes and his colleagues were opposed to
placing any restriction upon immigration of
Chinese. Whether that were true or not time
would develop, but the present action of the
Senate would strengthen that opinion.
Mr.. Dawes inquired to what party were the
people of California indebted for any merits
the Chinese treaties might contain and to
whom were they indebted for the fact that
those treaties we not to-day the law of the
land.
Mr.. Beck tainted the Republicans with
cowardice in not going into executive session.
They had not dared to do SO because of divis-
ions in the party on important nominations.
The Senator from Minnesota (McMilian) had
declared himself responsible for the nominal
ton of Mr. johnson as chief clerk and the
Senator from Virginia (N1ahone) had declared
himself responsible for the nomination of Cor
ham. If the Senate went into executive session
and some important nominations came up, and
nominations no more patronage for them from
the administration. If they voted for it then
the stalwart Republicans would sec that none
of the men that they wanted would hold
places. Therefore a committee of seven,
committee of safety, an ecumenical council
had been appointed to dictate to the con-
science of the Senators. The Republican or
gan in this city had announced that Repub-
licans were going into executive session SO
carefully guarding their action that they
would allow no contrOverted nominations to
be considered at all. The Democrats were not
to be allowed to take any part in the executive
session, but were to sit with their arms folded
and let the Republicans settle matters to what
ever extent they dared.
Mr.. Dawes expressed his surprise at what
he termed the novel announcement that there
was great gulf yawning before the Republi-
can members OF the Senate 1t was all new to
him.
Mr.. Salisbury denied the charge made by
Mr.. Dawes that the Democratic Senators were
responsible for the delay in transacting public
business and asserted the contrary to be the
truth He argued in opposition to the right of
the Vice President to cast a vote upon a ques-
ton of election of officers and declared that
upon such question Democratic Senators
would not consent that the Republicans should
be placed in position in which the vote of
the Vice President might be used to give them
power which did not belong to them. He con-
tended that the Democrats were justified in
all that they had done in resisting the passage
of the pending resolution and cognate ques-
tions connected with it. He did not charge that
any bargain had been entered into, but he did
assert that the people of the country believe
it and would believe that the election of Rid
dleberger was consummation of that bargain.
That would tend to cast reproach upon the
Senate. The corruption and jobbery which
had existed for years in some Of tho executive
departments of the government had been we'll
calculated to lessen the estimation of the peo-
pie for the executive branch Of the govern
ment and he protested against any action of
the Senate which would still further lessen the
government in the estimation of the people.
Motion to go into executive session was lost;
yeas q, nays o.
An hour was consumed ia calling the roll
upon dilatory motions and then at 315 the
Senate adjourned till tomorrow.