Daily Kennebec journal., 1881-04-06

a, burnside said he had not been eager
.. -, into this fight. He did not want the
sc.,n. Of the Senate officers, but precedent
had been made two years ago which must oe
followed. He insisted upon the right OF the
m.;or;tv To rule. When the committees nao q
been turned over to the republicans tney n.o
been turned over BY the consent OF the oe"-
ocrats and if there had been any frauo tney
1.-THE democrats) we're parties to Il; tnefe
was no getting behind that. -,
Mr.. Hill of Ga.-The senator will remem- !.
her that we submitted the appointment OF
committees because they we're lndlspensaoie
TO the transaction of business. but tue sp
nointmeut of officers is not necessary, ana II
we Weld that appointment we shaii Deco"e
party to whatever bargain exists.
Mr.. Burnside would sit here fof the re.
mainder of nv term before l would consent
TO any fraud, l will stay here TO the END OF my \;
term before consent that the majority shaii
be governed by the minority.
Mr.. Beck called attention to the fact that
a resolution offered in the Pennsylvania
legislature, endorsing the action OF the re-
pnblican in this chamber had been laid upon
the table.
Mr.. Cameron of Pa.-Before long 1t VIII
endorse every action of the republicans.
MT. Beck-lt ulu not uO IL to-u"v'
Mr.. Cameron-It will in the future.
Mr.. Beck-After you get there you may
make them do it Qaughter).
Mr.. Bayard thought it was in his power to
show TO an impartial tribunal that the demo-
Gratis were justified in every way IN standing
where they had stood. He would not detaln
the Senate now ; when he did speak he would
not speak to the prejudice of either side OF
II 60 .lonk m ia
case as though he were standing where the
republicans now stood. He would submit
nothing but reason. He would not seek to
raise passion, because this was public
business. and private ambition, personal en-
joyment, and party advantage ought to fade
away before the demands of the American
people; that their representatives should deal
with public questions in spirit worthy OF
such questions.
Mr.. Sherman said the American people
would look upon the contest which involved
nothing but a few ofYices with good deal OF
Indifference But back of this was the priu-
ciple, which was recognized in every deliber.
ative body in the world, that was that the
majority Of any body must decide every ques-
ton that came before it. The rights Of the
minority were not defined but prescribed.
Here the majority was in favor of change
of officers. 1t was so shown by many votes,
and it was more than constitutional majori.
ty of senators without respect to the vote OF
the vice president. Did anybody question
the right of the majority to elect officers
The minority said mo, you shall not dc
that. Perhaps the minority was wise and
right, that was matter of Indifference, the
question was who should determine the or.
der of business-any majority was q ma
jority. 1t was because southern republicans
had disregarded this law that they had never
been able to establish stable governments
He made strong argument in opposition
to the right of the minority to filibuster by
withholding their votes, and criticized thu
action of his own party associates in having
at various times resOrted to that method.
He was glad to cooperate with the senator
from Virginia (Mahone), and believed tht
movement originated by that gentleman
to be the dawning of a new day for the south
The solid south would be broken, and Amer
lean politics cease to be sectional and become
national. He welcomed The senator as al
avant courier of the men who would follow
and break down sectional and procure equa
rights and privileges to all men.
Mr.. Bayard was glad that one voice hat
been heard in reprobatiOn of custom pre-
venting by silence the decision of measure
which had been proposed and debated, ant
which only remained to be acted upon Blu
it was question of sound public discretion
whether the interpOsition of dilatOry motion.
was or was not within the spirit of law. The
Senator from Ohio was in error when he
stated that there was a numerical majority
in opposition to the transaction of the only
business for which the Senate had been con
Hl,a ,f -.
Davis had been steadily cast in favor OF
preparing for business. for which the Senate
had been called. that which had been die
tated by the action of party caucus. Thi.
was an arrangement to control the election O
Virginia next fall by patronage of the Senate
Mr.. Sherman said: The method of resort
ing to dilatory motions to stop the business
was as dangerous, unconstitutional and revo
lutionary as Withholding votes. 1t was more
revolutionary, because it could be carried or
successfully by smaller number than tn,
other could. So when the Senator from
Delaware condemned the custom of refusing
to vote, he condemned the whole proceeding
of his side of the chamber.
Mr.. Vance (interrupting) asked if tn,
motion to go into executive session wa
revolutionary.
Mr.. Sherman replied that in itself it was a,
innocent motion, but when made to preven
the majority proceeding with business, i
was revolutionary. The Senator from Del.
aware had spoken of 80 senators hayins
voted for Hancock. That was no reason
they should follow the democratic priv ir
all its sins of commission and commission
The brave example of the Senator from
Virginia (Mahone) would be extolled, as hat
been extolled the deeds of old heroes of tina
great commonwealth, who were led breakins
up sectional party lines, would do as much a
he who won battles. He believed that tn,
spectacle presented by the Senate was po
satisfactory to the people. They thought
that the Senate ought to 20 into executive
session, but at the will of a majority, not OF
a minority.
Mr.. Beck said the republicans had refuse,
TO go into executive session and had refused
to pay respect to their President; for what?-
In order to get the vote of Malone: in orde,
that all precedents should be overthrown
and IN order that the commonwealth of Vir
ginla should be turned over to Riddleberper
and we, he continued, are called revolution
lists because we say you shall not de-
that thing and we tell you now YOU shall NO,
DO II, whether you have made a bargain O,
no. You may call us revolutionists. but Won
shall not overthrow all the traditions of tbf
country; you shall not carry out anv such
arrangement as that whether made honestlv
or dishonesty. You may do so in Legislative
session. but we will, in every parliamentary
way, prevent the country from having .ucL