The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-04-26
S
SENATE,
AN EXCITING DEBATE IN H UNITED
STATED SENATE.
Hail Gses After MahOne.

Upon the charge Mr.. Dawes MADE tnat tne
democrats had approached Mahonesfor the
purpose of negotiating for his vote. the fol-
lowing debate took place on the 18Th inst:
Hill of Georgia, referred to the remarks
made by Dawes relative to the attempt made
j BY the democrats to capture Mahone's vote,
J. and entered all emphatic denial of the charge
] Malone rose to reply. He called the senate
to witness that he had not, in this discussion,
I transgressed the bounds of propriety, that he
had been courteous and respectful. He was
the custodian of his own democracy. (Audi-
BILE remarks on the democratic side on the
use of the word "democracy.') He did not
choose to deb.,e; that question was not de-
batable. Thu whole question was one be-
tween himself and those who sent him 10 the
senate. He could not become a partisan OF
either party. What debt did he owe to eth
er? He certainly owed nothing to the nation
al democracy as represented by Barnum and
his committee. He now came to the privi-
lege on which he had intended to seek the
floor o-day. He bad not been in the senate
chamber last Thursday, when a discussion
took place between Senators Rollins and Hill,
and he had only noticed it in the "Record."
He had an extract from the discussion read at
the clerks desk. At the point where, in re-
Spouse to a suggestion by Rollins that the
democrats had been seeking to make arrange
ments to secure Mahone's vote, Hill replied:
'But we would not have bought it," Now,
Mr.. President, continued Malone, waving
his arm to give greater force TO what he was
saving, that Language admits of one or more
interpretations, and l come to ask the senator
from Georgia, as bis language in one aspect
implies that my vote had been or could be
bought, whether he intended to convey any
such idea.
Hill lin his seat)-Go on and | will answer.
Mahone-I am ready for you to answer
now.
Hill prefer to wait till you get through.
Malone (with emphasis)-I have nothing
more to say, but to ask the simple question.
Hill (taking floor in his own right)-Now
| shat make to that senator the S which
] feel he or any other senator, ought to make
me under like circumstances, and tell exactly
the truth. | inferred from the remark made by
the senator from New Hampshire, (Rollins).
that he was charging that We had sought to
make an arrangement chat was his language)
by which we could control the vote of the
senator from Virginia, to get the organization
Of the senate; and in response to that l said
we would not have bought him. l meant
simply to negative what | understood 10 be
the charge of the senator from New Hamp-
shire: that is what l intended to negative.
The senator from New Hampshire seemed
to be going on the assumption that the other
side was charged with having bought the vote
from the senator from Virginia, and he
seemed to be implying that we had
wanted to buy it and could not do it. l
denied addressing himself directly to Ma
honey that we did buy your vote. l deny
shat we wanted to buy your vote; l denied
We would have bought your vote. We would
not haye given you a fig for your vote, that is
what | intended to say. l did not charge
that the senator had sold his vote. l do not
say now that the senator has sold his vote.
! would not charge, unless l knew it to be a
fact, that any enator had sold his vote. If
B0c SeIdJOF wants uc " ~ IdlluCl dhu 5hJ
what 1 believe, that is a different question.
/ wish to say to the senator now, that if he
proposes to call to account everybody in this
country who has a belief on that. subject, he
has a heavy task on his hands. l make no
charge against any senator, but let not any
senator invite my opinion or compel my
opinion by seeking to make that a charge,
which is not one, because he may get that
opinion, and get it very fully.
Mahone-I have nothing to do with the
senator's opinion. l have risen to ask the
senator from Georgia a plain and direct ques-
hon. He says | will have everybody to call
to account; that is not the question. The
senator from Georgia has used language
which has been read. He knows whether he
intended to convey the impression that l sold
my vote, or that my vote had been bought
He knows that and 1 respectfully ask whether
he so intended that.
Hill (not rising>-I answered you fully. l
will be on record.
Mahone-As the senator fails here to an
swer directly a direct question, | will Civ
him a problem to solve. He shall have a co
nundrum. l say to him that if he did meal
10 imply that my vote had been or could b
bought, he states or undertakes to convey tina
which is foul, untruthful, false, and that II
man less than a coward would make it. 9Th
reporter gives the sentence as delivered Nov
/ say to him that he can solve in his ow
mind whether he so intended it or not. Gao
dressing himself directly to Hill in a mena'
ing tone) You can solve that, sir, if 20
choose. That Is all l have to say'to you nov
resuming his seat.
Hill arose to reply, but Malone, contin,