Omaha daily bee., 1888-09-28
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS
Another Exchange Of Personalities
by Members of the Senate.
THE SOUTHERN ELECTION RIOTS
Mr.. Coke, of Texas, Loses HIS Temper
and is Called to Order by
the Chair - The
House.
Senate.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27.-The house amend
mcnt to the senate bill appropriating 500, 900
in aid Of the yellow fever sufferers was laid
before the senate to-day. MIR. Edmunds said
that he had examined it, and was very much
afraid that it missed the point aimed at-that
was the capacity to use any Of the money in
aid of those who were sick and in distress
and in danger of starvation. In the hope,
therefore, that something better could be
done he moved that the senate non.concur in
the house amendment and asked for con fer
ence. So ordered.
Mr.. Call afforded a resolution instructng
the committee on epidemic diseases to con
slider and report before the adjournment of
TINS session of congress such additional legis-
lation as might be necessary and useful TO
prevent the Importation of contagious dis
eases from foreign countries on the coast or
boundaries of the United States, and prevent
and suppress it in Interstate commerce, and
for the subsistence of such persons as may
be detained by public authorities.
The matter went over till Monday.
1t was ordered that when the senate ad-
lourned to-day it will be until Monday.
Mr.. Sherman, from the committee on for.
eign relations, reported back, without any
recommendation, the resolution offered by
him for an Inquiry as to the state of relations
between the United States and Great Britain
and the Dominion of Canada, and it was
The conference report on the sundry civil
appropriation bill was presented and agreed
to.
The resolution offered by Mr. Chandler for
an inquiry into the last Louisiana election
Involving the choice of United States SEN
ator) was taken up
MIR. Gibson opened the debate. He made
the point that the senate had no jurisdiction
in investigating state elections except
when pettioned to do so by the citizens of
a at ~ Nyh oil 10 iptnn1
Mr.. Chandler, in his reply, charged Mr..
Gibson with dealing entirely in general
tiles, and accused him of failure
to face specific facts. Mr.. Chandler
went on to say that if he understood the tenn
per of the American people they were weary
of frauds, false countings, and murders of
legal voters i'll the south. which state OF af-
fairs existed to make that section solid and
enable it to govern the north and the country.
He quoted from private letters and from
newspaper publications in proof of frequent
occurrences of outrageS in Louisiana.
In the course of the discussion which en-
sued Mr. Butler asked Mr.. Edmunds if he
would hold that either house of congress
had the right to make an investigation of its
own motion in the absence of some protest or
memorial or complaint from somebody in the
state.
Mr.. Edmunds-I most decidedly do. 1t is
the business of congress TO interfere whether
silence or protest come from the state
affected, because it is not only the welfare of
the people of that state, but it is the welfare
Of the people of every part of the nation that
is involved.
The discussion drifted from outrages in
Louisiana to outrages in the state of Texas,
and in this discussion prominent parts were
taken by Messrs Chandler, Blair, Spooner,
Reagan and Coke. The most notable incident
in it was the fact OF the latter being called to
order for unparliamentary language directed
against Mr.. Chandler, Mr.. Mandcrson being
in the chair.
Mr. Coke denied in toto the charges made
by Mr. Chandler of outrages In Texas, char
acterlzing them as infamous ISLANDERS and
faisehoods.
Mr. Spooner in reply said that Mr. Coke
had told him that suppression was as bad as
falsehood. The day when 1.-The manner of
the niger driver' frightened men in the
United States senate had gone by, and gone
the gallery, which was instantly rebuked by
the chair. The senator from Texas had
recently said: Let us alone. Ali that we
want is to be let alone All that we want"
said Mr. Spooner, with much vehemence Of
manner, "is that which we are entitled
to have, and that is that every
man in the United States who
is entitled under the constitution of the
United States to exercise the right of Amer
lean citizenship-w he lives in Texas
undisturbed and undismayed. Bloody shirt!
We are not talking about war This is a
current matter. This is something which is
happening now. You (reterring to the
southern senators) filled the land with
graves That is all forgiven The country
is represented in almost every public office
abroad by men who served against our flag
during the war. We make no complaint of
it; we do not like it, and we will try to
prevent a recurrence of it. The only men
the results of the war are our friends of the
south 1t is not the people of the north. One
of the results of the war was that the negro
of proper age should have right to vote.
The south has deprived him of that right"
The discussion took another turn toward
personalities, when Mr.. Coke intimated that
he had letters in his possession, which he
would not use, connecting the senator from
Wisconsin with evictions in the state of Iowa
that would parallel in atrocity the worst
eiectments that had ever had ever taken
place in Ireland.
The explanation of the matter given by Mr..
Spooner was that he had argued in the SUI
preme court of the United States
case OF overlapping lands between
two railroad companies and had never
had anything to do with the matter after
wards. He knew nothing of the evictions
| alluded to, but he would say, and would en-
deavor to keep within parliamentary bounds
in saying it, that "the man, outside of this
chamber who states that l. as counsel or
| owner, directly or indirectly, in any way
whatever, was ever instrumental in turning
any man, woman or child, from his land or
from his cabin, whether quarter section or
quarter acre, is liar. / say that of any man
| who makes that charge outside of this senate
chamber"
Coming back to the same question, Mr..
| Spooner said; while / regard the sena-
tors (Mr. Coke's) attempt to bring
| mo personally into disrepute as
| of character which, outside of the senate,
would denominate differently from what do
| here, l want to say to him that he is part, as
| l have been informed-lafte pausel-I
| will not say it.n
Mr. Coke (defiantly) it.
Mr.. Spooner-I have discussed this case on
| its merits. will not go into personalities in
this senate chamber.
At this point Mr.. Butler interposed with a
| motion TO adjourn, which was carried.
ouse.
WASHINGTON, Sept 27.-The house, on mo-
| ton of MIR. Burns of Missouri, adopted the
| conference report on the sundry civil appro-
priation bill.