Daily Kennebec journal., 1881-04-21
xLylI CONGRESS- EXTRA SESSION
WAsHIxGIOS, spril 20.
SENATE.

WAsHISGIOS, spril 20.
SENATE.
| The Vice President laid before the Senate
the resolution for the election Of officers.
Mr. Dawes, aluding to the statement by
him some days ago as TO the prosecution Of
| Massachusetts men in Mississippi, said the
story of that gentlemen was to-day printed
in Massachusetts, papers. That story corrob-
Grated his statement in every particular,
except as to locality. The incidents had
happened in the parish of Caldwell. La, and
not in Mississippi. as he had stated. He
! Dawes asked that the gentleman's state
ment as published in the papers should be
printed in the record.
Mr. Jonas demanded reading Of the ar
ticle, and it was read by the clerk. 1t relates
the persecution to which Heath states he
was submitted in Louisiana, because he was
Yankee, and gives accounts of various
murders committed there, to show the condl-
ton of society in that state.
| Mr. Jonas said the Senator from Massa-
chesetts had transferred his cock and bull
story from Mississippi to Louisiana, when it
was contradicted in that locality. 1t proba-
bly, would be transferred to Texas or Georgia.
| He heard of these alleged prosecutions now
| for the first time. There nothing in the
article which showed Heath had been perse-
| Cuttu on ACCOUNT VI Ills DOIitlCdl OIliIOu.
| He called attention to the fact that the out
years ago.
He would make some remarks upon the
subject when he could get some information
from the locality.
He sent to the clerks desk, and had read
for the purpose of showing that robberies
and murders were not confined to the South
ern States an account of the killing of one
of the Foster brothers in Massachusetts
while committing a burglary.
Mr.. Frye said that being the youngest
member of the Senate, perhaps reasonable
degree of modesty should have kept him
silent, and he had fully intended to keep the
silence and act as a - looker-on in Venice"
but he found Unexpectedly that he was
obliged to leave Saturday for protracted
absence, and there were many things which
vet remained to be said.
| He said the senator from Pennsylvania
| Cameron had exhorted the senators on the
other side to be 'brave men," He (Frye)
had been here looking on since he had been
a member OF the Senate and it seemed to
him that those words were .'mere idle words. )"
He had never seen in all his life, he had
never read in all his life of Drawer men than
were to-day on the other side Of the chamber
! He;c was the Senate in extra session with
the constitution over it. with its duties before
it. and the democratic party clearly in the
wrong, knowing itself to be wrong, knowing
the constitution to be against it the republi-
can party undertaking TO do the duty which
;he constitution prescribed, and instead Of
the senators on the other side putting them
selves on the defensive, they stood up and
''carried war into Africa" Day after day,
the republican senators were obliged to put
themselves on the defensive. Oh, there
was bravery enough on the other side of the
chamber; there was bravery enough in the SEN
stor from Georgia (Brown) when he rose in
his place and with great dignity, and with
the constitution in his hand, read day
after day lectures to republicans upon their
duties under the constitution. Confession
was sweet for the soul, and confession some
times required higher degree of bravery
than ANYTHING else, and it was brave act
on the part of the senator when he in open
| Senate admitted that he had been a republi-
can, in the State of Georgia that his life
had been in peril: that he had then become
a democrat and that from that day he had
en;oved perfect safety.
Mr.. Brown said no such thing.
Mr.. Frye-I understood the senator to say
that there was danger when he was a repub-
lican.
Mr.. Brown replied he had said that though
| at the close OF the war, Ills lie IlKUt at OHc
time have been in peril. that period had
ceased two wears before he had reunited
with the democracy. His return to dem oc-
racv had nothing to do with his safety.
] Mr.. Frve reioined that it was brave for
the senator to make an attack upon Massa-
cbusetts where he had said that there were
in that State ls9. 900 paupers, spendthrifts
and ddrupkard>-deprived by law of the right
to vote. and if they were allowed to vote,
thew would vote the democratic ticket The
senator might have gone further and de-
Glazed that in tho prisons and penetiniarie.
of the great commonwealth there were thou
sapJS cf men who. II they could yet out would
vote the democratic ticket. The senator
from Florida Cali needed courage to make
an attack mon the industries of Massachusetts.
The comnlaint was that in Massachu.ett. ed
ucationai qualifications were placed upon the
ballot. but he (Frye) asserted that where the
south raised one dollar for the education of
voters, the North raised from to Is dollars.