The Portland daily press., 1881-10-11
THE SENATE.
The Special Session Opened Yes
terday.
THOMAS f. BAYARD ELECTED PRESI
DENT PRO TEMPORE.
The New York Senators Not Allowed to
Take Part.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10.-Both the Republi-
can and Democratic Senators met in caucus at
the capitol, at 10 O'Clock this morning. There
was full attendance at both, as early all OF
the absentees OF Saturday have since arrived.
The Republicans remained in session less than
half an hour and merely mapped out plan OF
action to govern through the day. The Demo
cratic caucus remained in session an hour or
more and discussed the question which occu-
pied so much time on neutrality-suspicious. or
not to admit the new Senators before electing
Secretary. No decision was reached, and
the caucus adjourned
The regular assembling of the special session
of the Senate was witnessed by large number
of persons who, as early as IL O'clock filled the
galleries TO their utmost capacity. The desk
formerly occupied by the late Senator Burn
side was fully draped with black, while sever
al boquetsornamented the desks OF prominent
Senators
Senators elect Aldrich, Lapham and Miller,
occupied seats upon the floor on the Repuoll-
can side.
The Senate was called to order by Senator
Harris who, after prayer by Chaplain Bullock,
alluded in feeling manner to the deaths of
the late President Garfield Senator Burnside
and Secretary Burch. He sad, - have been
requested by number of Senators on both
sides of the chamber to call the Senate to order
II there be no objection, / will call the Senate
to order, that we may proceed with its busi-
ness The Senate will please come to order,
| and the clerk will read to the Senate the
message of the President converting this ses-
| sion."
The Presidents proclamation having been
| read, Mr.. Pendlet moved the adoption of the
| following resolution:
That Thomas f. Bagard, Senator from Della
| ware, is hereby chosen President pro tenn OF
| the Senate
Mr. Edmunds said that Of course no did not
! object to the present consideration of the reso-
/ luton, but he thought that under existing CIR
cumstances, it was his duty to present che
| credentials of the Senators elect, which he
| thereupon did.
The credentials having been received, Mr..
| Edmunds moved that the oath be administered
TO those gentlemen by Senator Anthony, senior
| Senator.
! No reason, he continued, has been given for
( this attempt to exclude two States from any
voice in the organization Of the Senate so he
would like the liberty to state the reasons him
| self The Senate had met under extraordinary
circumstances. occasioned by events the conse'
| quence OF which might have put IL within the
/ legal technical power of a bare majority Of
States conditionally to provide for the presi-
! dental succession and to provide for it, when
| if their sister States were consulted different
/ provision might be made.
To provide for it now was to exclude the
| chosen representatives OF two States who stood
| here ready to do their duty. 1t has been stat
| ed by the newspapers that the law of Congress
required the oath OF office to Senators elect to be-
administered by the president of the Senate.
| He contended, however, that when just the
| exigency arose that exists to-day, the Senate
! was entitled to receive members in time to
| vote On the first question which might arise, as
| we'll as the last. Why should not the oath be
! administered now to Senators elect? Did the
| statutes forbid it? He denied IL. Was 1t con-
| trarv to precedent? He denied It, Hs bellev-
| ed If there was not some question Interior to
| this mere one of electing presiding officer.
there was not a single Senator who would
| vote mo- upon his proposition.
| Mr. Garland declined to make any reply to
| the intimation that the Democratic Senators
had some ulterior object in view. What was
| the Senate here for to-day? The only object
| was to place some one between the government
| and possible anarchy in case of the death or
| taking away by any means OF the present Pres-
| ident Of the United States Hence it was a
| high duty which preceded all others in import
ance to elect at once, President pro tenn. 1t
| ranked the question of swearing in Senator.
it ranked all other questions. The Democratic
/ side proposed decently and in order and ac-
eordiDg to law to fill possible gap at the eari-
| est possible mement.
Edmunds contended it was competent for a
/ Senator to do to-day what it had done in 1858,
/ when the oaths of Office were administered by
| a Senator and not by presiding of11cer. 10
| be sure then the prize lit that vacancy could
! be called prize which was won in the lottery
| of assassination) was not conditional power IN
| a contingency to administer the Office OF Presi-
| dent of the United States. 1t was merely the
| prize of honorable mention.
The Senator from Arkansas (Garland) had
| admitted it was competent for the Senate to
| admit Senators elect before the election OF the
| presiding officer, but the Senator also stated
| that the Democrats would not permit that
| course to be followed, because ii the Senators
| we're now sworn in question OF great import
| ance might be decided differently from what it
| might he il they WERE
/ Mr. EdmundS' motion was then rejected,
yeas 49, nays 81, Mr.. Malone and Mr.. Davis OF
| Illinois voting with the Republicans.
| Mr.. Edmunds then moved to amend Mr.
Pendeton's resolution so as to provide that
| the election of Mr.. Bayard as president pro
| tenn be for this day only. BY agreeing TO this
| amendment the Senate would come up to the
| statute and embrace it better in letter aud IN
| spirit. He quoted precedent for his reso-
| luton similar resolution adopted by the Sem
| ate in 1854
Mr.. Beck confessed his inability to see why
| president pro TEN should be elected for this
| day and another election held tomorrow. He
| wanted to stand by the law and have presl-
| dent pro TEN elected and leave the question
| hereafter in the power of the majority. Ii the
| recent Vice President had followed the pre-
| cedents and allowed the president pro tenn To-
| be elected at the last session of the Senate
| there would have been now no necessity 1or
| convening this special session. The Demo
| cratic side was now tainted with seeking to
| do indecent things because it did not give
| unanimous consent 10 the propositions m@ae
| in contravention of the law of the land.
Mr. Edmunds desired to know on what
grounds three Senators-elect whose creden-
tials were unassaiied should not be sworn m
He merely wished law and precedents to pc
followed The fruit which the Democratic
party might gain by their present course would
| turn to ssheS of the bitterest description. But
| that was for the future, for the present 1t was
| his mission to appeal to the Democrats Hby
precedents of their party by the spirit and let,
| ter of the constitution TO give New YORK ana
Rhode Island the right to raise their voices
with sister States in the choice OF presiding Oh
| ficer. There used to be saying "Oh! shame
| where is thy blushl'' but he believed that
| modern shame had lost her blush and 1t mad
| come to be the fixed purpose of any temporary
| or accidental power in this body to exclude
their fellows and their equals until they could
| grasp something which if their equals were ad-
mitted they could nosgrasp.
Mr. Morgan congratulated the Senate upon
this exhibition this morning of the fact that
the Senator from Vermont after having by his
vote frequently participated in excluding
| sovereign states from voice in the Senate
had at last come to the conclusion that
| Senators must be admitted whenever their
| credentials were read without an opportunity
being given for investigation or inquiry. lie
argued in favor of the right of the Democrats
to elect the presiding officer and said lt SEEM
ed to him intruding on the freedom OF the VIII
for Senators on the other side to demand that
the Dem ocrats should yield power which had
been placed in their hands. Besides the con-
stitutiona questions which have been urged IN
regard to the lawful election of Senators elect
to this body were the Democrats to be blamed
If they lent ear to complaints OF the Republican
party againstthe legislature of New York?
Mr. Beck referred to the fact that on the
Sth of July, 1850, President Taylor died and
Fillmore succeeded to his office and that on
the 18th of july VIM. r. King was elected
president pro tenn. by the Democratic Senators.
Mr. Edmunds inquired whether the party
which happened to have technical majority
had excluded three Senators in order to elect
King. -,
Mr.. Beck denied that the majority which
the Democrats had to-day was by accident. 1t
had been -brought about by the wrongful con-
dnct of the Vice President and the foolish con-
duct of the two Senators from New York in
throwing up their credentials, daughter and
applause in the galleries which was promptly
checked by the presiding officer) Mr.. Ed
,ounda ay messed himself as not surprised at