The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-02-10
FORTY.SlXTA CONGRESS-.
A LIVELY DISCUSSION.
Senator Thurman Makes Things Unpleasant for
the Republicans In the Senate.

Senator Thurman Makes Things Unpleasant for
the Republicans In the Senate.
-
SENATE.
Washington, February 5-The Senate discussed
yesterday the resolution declaring that the Vice
President has no power 10 make the electoral
count. A discussion In the Senate always is
interesting when able parliamentary and legal
gladiators like Thurman, Edmunds, Conkling
and BayArd enter the arena. Senator Thurman
handled the debate with his usual mastery abil.
ity, and madv Edmunds squirm considerably by
pinning him down upon his previous record on
the electoral question. The willy Vermont sena'
tor endeavored to elude the sharp thrustS OF the
Ohio Senator, but not with very great success
or all men who will retire from the Senate on the
coming 4th Of March no man will be missed like
Senator Thurman, and no man ever left the SEN
ate with q clearer or more illustTious record To
the Democratic party his loss will be irrepsrable
There is no man left to take his place ss leader
and debater.
AT the beginning of the discussion Mr., Ed
munds took the floor and was proceeding to
ppSoA WAi0h nAAt AhuAnlhl lhlolpubou puAnb VI
order that, as the vote was being taken upon the
resolution before adjournment the previous even.
ing, and as the roll.call had not been finished,
the Senator from Vermont (Mr Edmunds) could
not proceed without unanimous consent.
MI Edmunds replied that in point Of fact the
roll had been concluded, and having shown the
absence Of quorum twas not now pending and
the call, when made, must begin anew.
The Chair (Mr. Hoar) submitted the question to
the Senate but at subsequent point cOinoided In
the view expressed by Mr.. Edmunds.
Meanwhile Mr.. Thurman withdrew his point
Of order to save time.
Mr.. Edmunds insisted upon proceeding, not
upon gutfrance but by right, and agreed to show
that the point OF order was untenable. In this
connection he quoted from an argument made by
Mr.. Thurman in the session Of 1871 to disprovs
the position Of that Senator on the previous even
ing, that Senators present and not responding to
The roll.call could be compelled to vote. He said
that on the former occasion Mr. Thurman had
held that each Senator was to be Judge for
himself o. to whether he should or should nCt
vote.
he would not vote either way upon the propo
sition, besides the resolution was Objectionable,
ss II had not come from committee, bat was the
midnight work Of q secret cOnClRVe Of that body
Of people who had been undertaking to govern
the country. He and his associates were rather
shy Of committing themselves upon resolution
which did not cover the whole subject, and did
not come from committee which could tell the
Senate what was meant, what implied, and pre-.
hat In Vnnk ha NNoyu
from saying another, when that other thing was
part and parcel Of the transaction referred to.
Mr. Thurman replied thatif 1t was only an edicf,
q mere brutem fulmen, the resolution could only
be an expression Of opinion OF the two Houses.
he did not understand the Senator (Mr. Ed
munds) to deny 1t was competent for the two
Houses to express their opinion upon great con.
stitutional question. He could not deny tbht q
foreatablished custom In Parliament and in
Congress had been to bring In declsratory resolu.
tiOns and then to frame measures In accordance
with theresolutons, Another thing that troubled
the Senator (Nr. Edmunds) was that the resolu.
ton had come from caucus, and though that
Senator's friends never held q caucus. Accord.
ing to newspapers that Senator's party had held
caucus upon the very resolution before the
Senate and had decided to defeat 1t In every way
they could That Senator ought to know that the
most important legislation had been the product
Of caucus. The resumption act OF 1875, for in.
stance, was brought in from Republican caucus,
and was forced through the Senate by the unwil.
ling chairman Of the Finance Committee. The
Senator complained that the majority Of the SEN
ate did not explain what was meant by the meas.
ure in 1875 which affected fortunes to the amount
Of millions, was passed through the Senate before
sunset on the day which It was brought in and
laid upon the desks Of the Senators, and upon the
absolute refusal Of the Senator in change Of It to
say what Il meant. MI. Thurman then replied to
Mr.. Edmunds' criticism upon his position on the
point Of order.
Mr. Edmunds said as to the matter Of caucus
he had heard OF none In connection with the
pending resolution, other than the Democratic
caucus, AS to the resumption act, the journals
showed 1t was reported from the committee in a
regular way, .s.f
Mr. Thurman interposed to say that he did not
deny It was reported, but his charge was that the
bill was not made in finance committee, but in
caucus and that the committee was merely
used as the means Of bringing 1t to the Senate
Mr.. Edmunds prepared an amendment declsr.
ing It to be the sense Of the Senate that neither
the Vice. President nor, the Houses should make
the count Mr. Thurman wanted TO know II Ed
munda would vote for the resolution SO amended,
but Edmunds declined to commit himself as to
whether he would or not. The amendment was
after some further discussion, rejected, and the
original resolution passed by party vote, except
that MesSrs. Allison, Blair, Booth, COnkllng'
Davis Of Illinois, Hoar and Jones, Of Nevada
voted with the Democrats.