Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-04-19
NEWS BY TELEGRAPH.
THE SENATE.
Report Of Proceedings of the Sen
ate in Extraordinary Session.


officers.
Mr.. Harris referred to an article
recently quoted by Mr.. Malone from
the International Review to the eff
feet that the State of Tennessee had
repudiated S11,000,0O0 of her debt,
and asserted that there was no
truth in the statement. Tennessee
had at no time repudiated a single
penny of her debt. 1t had been stated
that Porter, of the census bureau
had been the author of the article,
thus giving it a semi official charac~
ter. Porter had indeed been the
author, but had, in a communl-
cation to him (Harris) denied
that it was the official statement
of the debt of Tennessee. He COR
rected various mis- statements ID
the article.
A motion to go into executive
session was made by Mr.. Harris, and
lost-yeas 20, nays 21.
By unanimous consent Mr.. john
ston was permitted to offer q resolu-
ton, which was adopted, calling on
the Attorney-General for GER LIN pas
pers in relation 10 the report OF O..
G. Laucaste-,. special agent of the
Treasury Department, touching the
western judicial district of Virginia.
Some time was then consumed in.
roll calls on various dilatory motions.
Mr.. Dawes said that he was con.
sciou5 that public business had been
mnch obstructed by the pendency Of
the resolution which he had offered,
but attributed that obstruction to
the action Of the minority in resort
ing to every motion known to par
liamentary law to defeat that resO~
luton. This was astruggle whether
it was the Senate or minority Of
the Senate which was to control the
public business. He did not care a
copper whether one officer or an
other vas in office, but he desired to
have it settled before the country
whether this was a government OF
the majority or not.
He wished to make a last appeal
to the judgment and patriotism of
the other side, not to overthrow the
fundamental principles Of the gov
ernment in fighting over matter of
no more Importance than the sslec-
ton of a couple of officers.
Mr., Salisbury expressed regret
that this. should be last appeal
He always enjoyed them. 1t would
be amusing, he said, to listen to the
solemni'y with which The Senator
from Massachusetts pre- scented his
views, if everybody did not know
that at the beginulng Of tie pre-
sent session the Republicans had re,
sorted to dllatory motions in order TO
prevent Il clear majority from organ
izing the Senate. Was it not singular
that the Senator, III view Of that fact,
should attempt to lecture the Demo>
Gratis? He qpoted from newspapers
the report of the Republican caucus at
the last session, where methods were
considered as to how the will of the
aiOrity could be defeated, and where
the timidity of the Democrats was
alluded to. If there had ever
been any timidity, that timidity
was now gone. The Democrats
had learned that it was
their duty to the country, as well as
to their party, to resist, with de-
termined purpose, methods SO wrong
and iniquitous as they believed this
to be.
Mr.. Beck argued against the right
of the majorityto elect officers at an
extra session, and in answer to g
question by Mr.. Morrill, declared
that in December next they would
be willing to consider the resolution.
But in his judgment Riddleberger
would not, in December, be made
sergeaut~at-arms. The Virginia elec-
ton would then be over, and il
the Republicans did not tender
somebody else, they would tender
for sergeantsat arms some one
who was a conservative Republican
who had fought through the war in
the Federal army, who would be here
with his wounds upon him, and then
Republicans could choose between
a confederate repudiating Riddle
berger and that man who would be
rendered to them, he thought, by
a Republican Senator, It might as
we'll be understood that in Decem-
Der next the Republicans would not
put Riddleberger in, and any promls
es which he might make in Virgins
would prove fallacious.
Mr.. Brown denied that the Demo-
Gratis, by their action, had violated
any rule OF the Constitution or Of
the government, and repelled the
charge that they were obstructine
Legislation by the unconstitutiona
use OF power. They were acting
in strict conformity to the Constitu-
ton and laws, and they proposed tc
continue to act thus as long as they
thought public interest required it
Mr.. Blair contended that the mi
nority should yield it's position
though he was not opposed to the
prolongation of this debate. He die
not want this deadlock to close une
til next December, unless this debate
was closed by that time. So far as he
VS. concerned, every nomination
n ght rest where it was until the viii