Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-01-14
PROFITLESS DEBATE.
Southern Members Of the United
States Senate
LEAD IN WIT AND ELoQUENcE,
A Very Large Attendance in the Session
of the Senate Yes
terday.
HAwLEY's RESOLUTION ADOPTED.
Special 10 hs Ryissz.

h,pectdi - L1e hfgtssH.
WASHINGTON, January l3.-The most
prO6tless discussion on both sides which the
United States Senate has been engaged in
during the prstent session was that of yes
terday on the resolution calling for 8 copy
of the Sherman Communication to the War
Department, with reference TO the alleged
conspiracy Of Jefersonian Days against
the Southern COniederacy. 1t is hard to
say what earthly difference it makes to the
citizens Of the United States whether Davis
did, or did not, try TO make himself die
tator. If he did, Northern historians will
hardly place the fact to his credit and if he
did not, the historians ofthe South will give
him only the credit OF negative patriotism
to the Confederscy on that account In
either case it is question which only the
historian viii be able to settle, and it par.
takes of folly to try to rake it over in the
Senate purely for political purposes. To
put the thou ght INTO the words Of Senator
Vests apt quotation.
The knight are dust,
Their good swords rust,
Their souls are With the saints, we trust"
And any tampering with the remains of
the late Confederacy can only spring from
ghouhsh bitterness or aimless curiosity.
One fact was emphasized, however, BY
this debate for the first time in the session.
The Democrats are very much stronger in
the Senate, than the Republicans. They
have more ready debaters and more skilled
parliamentarisns Ingalls,, of Kansas, and
Conger, of Michigan, are the only Repub-
icans, who are ready and forceful takers,
Edmunds, of Vermont, is an excellent par
liamentarian and makes good
speech, but he has to have it
pretty thoroughly in bis mind before he be-
gins. Nobody ever charged John Sherman
with either skill as debater or acuteness
as a parliamentary tsetician. Logan has
the sledge hammer style Of Oratory down
fine, but lacks readiness On the other
side Bayard, of Delaware, is Edmunds
equal in tactics. Vest, Of Missouri Is al
ways prepared to answer anything and
Lamar, of Mississippi, is the superior o! any
man on the floor, with the possible exception
of Ingalls,, at sharp retort or an of hand
speech. Add to the forces of these three
men the strength and readiness Of Wade
Hampton. Of South Carolina, Ex-Governor
Vance, of North Carolina, and Senate.
Brown, of Georgia, and it will he easily
recognized how the personal preponderance
eomes in.
The reason for it is not hard to seek
Northern Legislatures have either sent COM
promise candidates, like LsphEm and Mil.
ier. of New York, and MitcheI, Of Pennsyl-
vania or men of money, like Sewell, Of
New Jersey, Hale, of Maine, or men Of
social position, ike Hoar and Dawes, Of
Massachusetts, Southern Legislatures have
chosen the ablest living representative Of
the same families which were most promi-
nent in local and National politics before
the war. AS q consequence the average
ability Of Southern Senators is far greater
than that Of Northern ones.
1t would have been interesting, however,
| if Vance and Brown had shed some OF Thea
light on the. subject considered Yesterday
Both Of them wrote to Davis resenting the
reauisitions called for from those stated, and
Brown went so far as to refuse to hon
or one reauisition from the President Of the
Confederacy on the ground OF absolute
State rights. The fact is probably that Da-
Wis did see the need of greater centraliza-
ton Of power just as Washington did during
the progress of the Revolution, but that ne
never Tor & moment advocated such cen.
tralization except for the common good OF
| the Confederate States.
There is q great deal Of humor about
Ba.vs Lockwoods petition to have the In
diana electoral vete counted for her and 8
veiv serious charge conveyed in its assertion
that 1880 votes really cast for her were
counted for Mr.. Cleveland in New York
State. If that were the case, the electoral
vote Of the State would belong to NJ.
Blaine, and be would be the next President
de jurc. But this assertion is an absurdity,
because the discovery of such fraud would
have been certain if it had been perpetrated
The Republican National Committee was
not watching the routine work Of the cleo
ton in New York, and the Republican
State Committee was not made up Of idiots
Major Anderson and A z. RAIDER, OF
West Virginia, spent Sunday here, bat got
| of this morning.
Mr.. John Young, Of Wheeling, is at the
| National Hotel. J. L.