Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-04-15
THE SENATE.
Report Of Proceedings Of the Sen
ate in Extraordinary Session.

President laid before tne 0enaCe lie
unfinished business, being the resolu-
ton for the election of officers of
the Senate.
Owing to the fact that there was
-evidently no quorum present, Mr..
Pendleton refrained from making
his usual motion to go into executive
session. After few moments, how>
ever, Mr.. Davis, of West Virginia,
said that with the consent of the
Senator from Massachusetts, (Mr.
Dawes) he would submit that mo-
ton.
Mr., Dawes replied that he would
prefer to take a vote On the resolu-
ton, to which Mr.. Davis rejoined by
stating that if he waited for that he
would wait until his hair was grayer
than it was now.
Mr.. Dawes expressed his regret at
hearing such an unpatriotic remark.
A motion to go into executive
session was lost-yeas 20, nays 81.
Mr. Morgan then took the floor.
He gave a brief resume of the
debate in which the Senate had been
engaged for the last twenty days.
At first the Democratic side, not
suspecting any intention to prosti.
tute the high powers of this Senate
to become a part of the machinery
of the great political organization,
had thought that the Senators on the
other side were greedy for the few
officers. That, as mere scramble for
off, ., would be bad enough, but the
nex5 step in the dabate lad developed
the fact that there was coalition Of
factions to degrade the patronage of
the Senate for the purpose of elect
ing q successor to a gentleman On
this floor (alluding to Mr.. Johnson).
That spirit had raised spirit of in
quiry and resentment throughout
the country. The United State Sen
ate using United States patronage
for the purpose of capturing in Vir-
ginia, and placing in this chamber, a
man who would become more the
slave Of the Republican party than
any man who had ever had the
privilege OF disgracing q seat on
this floor. He referred to GOrham
and Riddleberger as pot-house pol
iticians, brought here for the pur~
pose of destroying the Demo
cratic party and it's policy.
He therefore charged the other
side with the purpose, of
which the country was in no
way ignorant, TO o.L,.eu ,sr1d p1v,o,
titute the offices of the Senate
for the purpose of making
the campaign in Virginia, the
object of which was to put in
Senator Johnston S seat a man whom
the Republicans could handle at
their will and pleasure. He criti-
cised the speech made some days
ago by Mr.. Sherman. and alluded to
that Snator as taking the bit in his
mouth, and. under the guidance Of
Riddleberger and Gorham, march,
ing up and attempting to justify
the action of the Republican side.
That justification, according to the
Senator, was to break down
the Democratic party that the
Senate should he put into polit:
ical harness for the purpose of exc
cutting the plan, What could he
| (Morgan) call it but prostitution
of the Senate?
Continuing, Mr.. Morgan said, it
WAS perfectly apparent that the OBJ
ject Of the Republicans was to sup
plant the local governments of the
South with carpet-baggers-with
the party which the Senator from
Virginia claimed to lead. He re-
ferred to tie Senate as sitting here
like a great debating committee,
while the States were acting entirely
in harmony with each other.
He did not know State which had
any quarrel with another. These
facts were reproach to the United
States Senate to~day, and a deadly
reproach to those men who made it
their business to get up and under
take to create excitement against the
communities in the South which
were laboring to do their duty.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Morgan S
speech Mr.. Brown took the floor. At
the close of the war he
had, he said, taken a position
for absolute acquiescence in the re,
construction measures, and, after
the adoption of the 18th amendment,
he had favored free ballot and a
free count. To-day the Democrats
of Georgia stood fairly y and squarely
on that doctrine and praeticed it. He
proceeded to criticise the Republican
party for its injustice toward the
colored race. There were seven
Cabinet ministers, he said, and yet
not one of them represented the
race which composed one~fourth of
the Republican party. The Repub
llcans need not be astonished if.
when the Democrats met in
grand council again, they
should do right to the negro, as
Republicans had failed to do So
That was his opinion-that was his
advance line, and he was Democrat
right on that line. He would not
do it for party purpose. He would
advocate it because it was right.
Referring to remarks made by sew