National Republican., 1884-06-18
A Senatorial Duel.

Mr. Ingalls, and Mr.. Brown concluded their
little passage at arms yesterday morning.
Mr.. Brown camo out of tho fight without
suffering any serious wound, although tho
odds were against him when the rapier prac-
tice was suspended tho day previous. Tho
real merits Of tho controversy were not fully
explained in the press report. In the debate
last Friday on the bill to reimburse the state
of Georgia for certain moneys advanced for
the common defense during the revolutionary
war there was tilt between Mr.. Ingalls
and Mr.. Brown, but no bad temper was dis
played, aud it did not appear that either
gentleman gained or lost anything by tho
encounter
In the report Of the debate which appeared
in tho Record Saturday Mr.. Brown is repre-
sonted as saying:
He tdr. Ingalls, rose, and in one of his charGc-
toristic speeches, his monopoly Of rbtch ! hare no
rfgLt 10 infringe, went al around, and talked about
everything else but that.
Further on the Record attributes this Ian
guagc to Mr.. Brown:
He (Mr Ingalls, did not come to that point and
he did not state that any debt existed between the
United states aud Georgia, or that the state of
Georgia owed the United States anything rs n
state, or That the right of set.of existed. Aud he
piP not state Il.
1t must be understood that Mr.. Ingalls, in
opposing the bill had argued that tho unpaid
war tax which had been apportioned to
Georgia under the act of Aug. ., 1861, was an
equitable set-off to this revolutionary claim.
There was nothing unparliamentGry or of
fensive in Mr.. Browns illusions TO Mr. In-
gals. If he had used tho identical language
attributed to him by tho Record, Mr.. ingalls,
would have had but little to complain of, and
it would scarcely have been necessary for him
to make any reply. A senator is not bound
to bristlo up and fall into a rage every time
the soundness of his argument or tho force Of
his logic is questioned. II Mr.. ingalls, him
self wore held responsible for all the infor-
ences that might DO drawn from his sharp
retorts, he would be obliged to fight every
day.
Rising to a question of personal privilege
ON Monday, Mr. Ingalls, directed Mr.. Browns
attention to the passages quoted above, aud
asked him to explain their purport, Mr.
Brown very courteously proceeded to
reiterate his argument against the admissi-
bility of the set-o1, Mr.. ingalls, led him
along until he got him to say what he meant
by the language used in the two passages
heretofore quoted, and then sprung the trap
in this fashion:
Mr.. Ingalls,. will now ask the senator from
Georgia whether, after having stated what his In
tSntisr, A, the plov lAs4
he is satisfied upon reflection tRat he used 1t ut
all?
Mr. Brown. That is my .reoolleotion-that I
used II.
Mr. Ingalls. will ask tho senator whether he
did not, after the debate over, aer the report
had been prepared for the printer, deliberately
nterpolale 1t into the report of the proceedings
thereby msiiying the record, and committing u
forgery upon the records OF the senateg
this point Mr.. ingalls, was called to order
When he was allowed to proceed he went on
to explain that after the report of the debate
on Friday appeared in the Record some o.
the passages seemed unfamiliar. lie went tt
the government printing Office and fount
that the phrase his monopoly of which ]
have no right to infringe" in the first quoted
paragraph. and the phrase, "and no will no
state it," in the second paragraph, had beer
interpolated in Mr.. Browns hand
writing. At this point the matte
was dropped on Monday but was taken vi
again yesterday. Mr. Brown said that he
had revised his remarks 80 as to make then
conform to his recollection of what he di,
actually say He insisted that the reporte
might have failed to hear tho phrases whicl
did not appear on his notes. In this he was sus
tanned by Mr.. Hampton, who was sittinj
near by. He says that Mr.. Brown did us
tho language which Mr. ingalls, says wa
interpolatod.
In the final winding up Mr. ingalls, CAV
Mr.. Brown severe castigation. The prove
cation was small, but Mr.. Ingalls, made tn
most of his opportunity. Ever since th
T debate on the Utah bill began Mr.. Brow
has kept rasping away at Massachusetts, in
most provoking fashion, and possibly Nj
T ingalls,, as n son Of Massachusetts,, felt calle
upon to undertake task which her ow
, senators avoided,
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