, 1881-04-03
SENATORIAL JAW1NG-MATCHES.

| The United States Senate, speaking with
out prejudice, presents a spectacle that is as
disgusting as it is disgracefu1, and one that Is
calculated to bring blush upon the cheeks
| OF people who are decent, and to rouse the
! indignation Of those who have regard t01
| dignity. The object Of the present session
] seems to be not to: attend to the only bust.
ness which the Senate can legally perform,
but to crush out Senator Malone. of Vir-
ginia, because lie has dared to act upon lis
honest convictions of right These Bour-
bons, representing States, full Of Reputation,
have fallen, tooth and nail, upon more hon.
est debtpayer than they themselves. Like
the policemen in 1.-THE Pirates Of Penzance,' -
they profess that they aro going, but they
don't 90. They are going to pay the debts,
but they take no steps TO pay even the inter-
est. Whether: Senator Malone is strictly
correct i'll his position or not; it is not an
issue which the Senate is competent to
discuss. It has no more jurisdiction
over it than it has over the May
orally election In Chicago. And yet his
position III the local politics Of Virginia is
flung In his face and wrangled over III heated
harangnes day after day for purposes of ln-
tilnidation by bulldozing Bourbons whose
States are corrupt to tile core with willful re-
pudiation. To visit their vengeance upon
him. they are ripping up old and dead issues,
revivlng questions long ago settled, berating
each other like angry shrews, and occupying
time that should be devoted to public bnsi
ness in personal jawing-matches. The
responsibility for this rests with the fire-eat-
ing Bourbons. It was, commenced by Hill,
of Georgia. and has been followed up BY
Lamar. Butler, Voorhees,, and George, aud
gradually the whole. pack have fallen upon
Senator Malone, and every Republican has
come to his assistance.
Such disgraceful spectacle as this is cal
culated to disgust every decent Democrat
and drive him out Of the party. It is an
other instance Of the old Southern bully
ing and plantation manners. No one In the
North wanted these old issues revived In the
interim between the two Congresses. Why
are Senators lettering in Washington to
argue such stuff? ? : Why do they not finish
up their combinations ard go home? While
they sit there Quarreling and wrangling with
each other like so many fshwives, the busi-
AC'79 VI LILO NOAAL44 hA4tos AAN A3ApAN'lkN
Court is without quorum and can decide
nothing. Why do they not act upon Stanley
Matthew'S nomination and confirm or reject
him? The nomination is an unfit one, but 1t
is none the less their duty to act upon it.
The only legitimate business which this
Senate can perform is to art upon
the nominations sent to it. 1t can't
pass bills, make laws, originate issues
nor beat out old straw. It has but one
mission it can perform, and yet these Bour-
bons are taking MP the time day after day in
these disgusting personal controversies with
as much GOODNESS and ilnpudence as il they
had carried the elections. and the people of
the country expected them to rake up their
old dead issues and bulldoze every one who
opposed them. The people of the country
are getting tired Of these jawing-matches,
which have neither w.t. sense, nor dignity !
in them. There was time in the United |
States Senate when controversies were car !
ried on with some dignity, and they inspired |
some respect, but they were controversies be-
tween giants. These latter-day brawls have |
no aspect that is not disgusting, and the |
sooner they are stopped and the participants !
attend to their proper business, finish it up, |
and 60 home the sooner will the country be
satisfied.