Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-04-23


question. He gave instances of states
men having changed their political
convictions and asserted that the
charges made against the Senator
from Virginia by those who were
willing to wound but afraid to strike
were as unfounded and calumnious
as those which had been made against
Henry Clay.
Mr.. Beck said that he liked the
statement which the Senator had
made that every Senator should be
allowed to vote as he pleased without
being called to account for it, and
that the Senate could not be bull
dozed. He liked that doctrine, hnt
in view of it, it i'll became the gen.
tleman on the other side to stand up
aud charge the Democratic Senators
with treason and rebellion because
they cast their votes, under the
rules of the Senate, for what they
thought was for the good of the
country.
Mr.. Sherman inquired whether it
was right or wrong to resort to dila-
tory motions.
Mr.. Beck, replying, said whether
it is right or wrong is for the Sena-
tor himself to determine, and if we
are acting within the rules it is
neither right nor courteous for
Senators to say that we are seeking
to revolutionize the Senate, and are
guilty of treason.
MIR. Sherman inquired whether it
was not within the power of fifteen
Senators to prevent the passage of
any bill.
Mr.. Beck replied that it was. The
Democrats had avowed, for good or
bad reasons, that they intended
to prevent the disorganization of the
Senate at this time. If they were
wrong, they were responsible for
that wrong. 1t was bee use they
knew that that he was amazed that the
gentlemen on the other side did not
go into executive session. Why,
when the Republicans could get all
the bread and butter, should they
behave like spoiled children and re-
fuse to take it without sugar. He
would be very careful of what
he said, Ia view of the declaration
of the Senator from Rhode Island
(Burnside) that this thing was false,
false, false, and must stop; because
if he should have to fight he might
shoot his man and thus break up the
constitutional MAJ jorlty. The coun-
try believed that there were eontro-
versies among the Republicans which
they did not like to axe the respOn>
sibility of, fearing the Democrats
would help them to do the public
work. Why did they not do what
the Democrats told them?
Mr.. Sherman-That is it, because
we represent the majority of the
Senate, which is tue Senate, the
question is, shall the minority Of ,he
Senate dictate to the majority the
order of business.
Mr.. Harris said that he knew OF
bu5 three things for which
Riddleberger Was distinguished
He. had been leader oi
a Confederate cavalry company he
was a Readjuster, and he had been q
Hancock elector. Which of these
things could have lead the Republi-
en- Senators to nominale Q him?
Mr.. Sherman replied that the
reason he would vote for Mr. Riddles
berger was that he (niddleberger,
had, in open discourse, proclaimed
} his purpose to stand by those il
Virginia who were determined to see
that there should be fair election
and fair count.
Mr.. Jonas took the floor. He
, wished, he said, to read some tele.
| grams relative to the case of the
perpatetic individual, Chas. Heath
He read a telegram from
Judge R. D. Bridges, of Caldwell
| parish, Louisiana, denying explicitly
, every statement contained in Heath
1 story. It denies that Charles HEATH
ever owned property in that parish
. the property being held in the nam.
3 of Edward Heath; that that proper
ty was appraised at $4,000 iusteac
: of $4,000, as stated by Heath, ant
l asserts that the cotton gin wal
burned to get the insurance. Thi
: telegram was endorsed by severa
, citizens of the parish. He also reac
3 a telegram from Judge Caldwell, o
that parish, Republican, denyins
3 that any man there had been perse
3 cuted on account of his pohtica
3 opinions. These were facts. Mr.
3 Jonas continued, obtained from tn
parish in which the Senator from
= Massachusetts, (Mr. Dawes) had pleas
. ed to locate the outrage. The grea
, fault which the Senator had mad
was in locating the Outrage at all
| The people of Louisiana would wei
) come imm grafton, and he did no
l believe that these malicious ant
l slanderous stories were indorsed b,
8 the people of the North, pr woult
2 deter them from going down to tina
Stale. He quo ed an extract from {
Boston journal pointing out man,
l apparent inconsistencies in Mr.
} Heath's story.
MIR. Dawes said that if the Senator
: believed in the kilograms which b,
hol xool l, j /