Daily Kennebec journal., 1881-04-27
xLyn c0neREss-ExTRA SESSION
WAsRUeroS, april 26.
SENATE,


MT. Edmunds asked leave for the commit
tee On judiciary to sit during rece s. Of the
Senate. if thar should ever occur, to pursue
some investigations upon the subject Of bank
ruptcv. Withou; objection leave was
granted
Ine Vice President laid before the Senate
the unfinished business, being the resolution
for the election of Senate officers.
The usual motion for an executive session
was lost; yeas "a, nays 81.
Mr.. Jones Of Florida. replied 10 Senator
Frye. He said the senator had character
lied the civilization of the North as that of
the school book and the Bible: that of the
South as the civilization of slavery and bar
barism- The time had come when that style
of utterance ought to end.
Were Southern people responsible for that
barbarism: or the people of New England
responsible for it? 1t was planted here BY
superior power, by the mother country, and
upheld for years under the imperial power Of
Great Britain. The State from which he
came was no more responsible for slavery or
tue evils growing out of it than the people OF
any Of the States OF the Union.
In this connection he read from Burke 5
speech in defezse of the colonies, in which
occurs the sentiment that the love of liberty
exists the strongest among masters of slaves.
MIR. Hoar-Does the senator endorse that
passage of Burke's and affirm its truth, or
does he believe that it contains as much
falsehood as was ever put together:
Mr.. Jones-I don't believe that there is
any falsehoOd in it.
Mr.. Hoar-Does the senator now affirm
that liberty exists in greater purity among
masters of slaves:
Mr.. Jones-I undertake to put the opinion
of a great political philosopher against that
of the senator from Maine, and the senator
has no right to call for any abstract opinion
of mine on this que stion of the past. | be-
lieve that the observations of Burke were
founded in true philosophy
MIR. Hoar-The senator has stated the pre-
else issue which divides the two parties in
this chamber and in the country. and we ac-
cept it,
Mr.. Jones-My opinion would be worth
| very little on the question which is no longer
| practicable, but when We can indulge in reas-
| onings it is legitimate to put the opinion OF
| Burke against the opinion of Frye.
Mr.. Jones continued Slavery had passed
away and there was not man south of the
Potomac who did not rejoice at it. 1t was
not the part Of decency or Of craftsmanship
| for any senator from any quarter of the Union
| to come forward here, even for party or poit-
ical purpose, to dig up the carcass Of slavery
| in order to inf1ame and excite the public
| mind. He criticized " hat he termed the unwise
manner in which the right of suffrage had
been conferred upon tine negro. The man.
hood and spirit of the South had resented the
domination of the negro. History would
write that chapter and justice would yet be
done. After the prejudices of this century
had passed away, and when some future
Macauley or Gibbon should come to write
| the history of reconstruction it would be
found that the people of the South would be
vndicated in the minds of mankind. lie had
read a good deal of oppression and tyranny,
and knowing the people of the South from his
earliest bOyhOOd, he had never expected tC
live to see the day when that proud and
naughty race would be compelled
as he had seen it to humiliate itself in con
nection with this question of negro suffrage
| He had never expected to see as he had seen
the day when ignorantand thoughtless men, in
spired by nothing but race feeling, would
take possession of the polls and offer every
to provoke a quarrel, and when those meI
would bear those tauents and humiliation.
for the sake of order. Referring to charges
made by Mr.. Frye, of fraud and violence ir
elections occurring in Florida, Mr.. Jone.
sent to the clerks desk and had read an eX
tract from Florida democratic paper, de
nouncing the crime which had been commit
ted, OF rescuing from the Marshals hands
four men charged with fraudulent voting HI
did this, he stated, to show that he had NJ
apology to make for any lawlessness, an(
that when any such act was committed, j
was promptly denounced by the democratic
press.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Jones speech al
hour was consumed with Intellectual rol
calls.
At the conclusion of roll call, upon motion
to lay resolution upon the table. it was dis
covered that the motion had prevailed.
| Thereupon, Mr.. Rollins, to whom informa
tiOn was impaired, started to hunt for the delin
quent republican senators, and only dis
covered that he himself was the senator VIII,
had not voted just in time to remedy tn,
mistake and defeat the motion by tie vote.
The vote upon the next motion to go int
executive session was announced
yeas 20, nays 81. This unexpected even
was explained by the fact that Lamar, WHIT
was paired with Sherman, had unwittingly
voted.
Mr.. Lamar asked and obtained leave I,
withdraw his vote. and the motion was lost
The Senate at 40 o'clock adjourned til
tomorrow.