The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-03-08
Sharp Encounters of Words Be-
tween Boutelle, of Name, aud
O'Ferrell, of Virginia.
The Question of Bravery and
Cowardlce Dlscussed-The
Negro Vote.
FIFTIHrH CONGRESS.
SENATE.

the interior to investigate the practica
bility of constructing reservoirs for the
storage of water in the arid regions of the
United States.
Senator Sawyer reported back adversely
the bill for the construction of the bridge
across the Mississippi river at Mem phis.
Placed on the calendar. A minority re-
port was presented.
Senator Aidrich called up the report
made by him some weeks ago
from the committee on rules to
amend the rules. The rule as to executive
sessions was modified without DISCUSSION,
so as to read:
"When treaty shall be laid before the
senate for ratification it shall be
read the first time, and no mo-
tion in respect to it shall be
in order, except to refer to a commit
tee, to print it in confidence for use of the
senate, to remove the injunction of
secrecy, or to consider it in open execu-
tive session."
When the Alabama contested election
case was being discussed Mr.. O'Ferrell, of
Virginia, speaking concerning the negro
the emancipation proclamation, when the
following colloquy occurred:
Mr.. Boutelle, of Maine-"Does the gen.
tleman pretend to say that Lincoln, as
portrayed at that crucial period of his
career, when engaged in performing his
grandest duty, was hesitating? I tell the
gentleman that he was unfortunately
situated to know the history of his coun-
try at that time"
Mr.. O'Ferrell-"Such language as that,
coming from that gentleman, who never
loses an opportunity to use it, is not the
language of a brave man. l have al
ways been taught that it was cowardly
to kick and cuff fallen foe. They are
towards only that do it-not brave
men," [Applause on the democratic
side.
Mr.. Boutelle-"Allow me to say"
Mr.. O'Ferrell-"I do not yield. You
can take your own time"
Mr.. Boutelle-"I will take my own time"
Mr.. O'Farrell-"And will take my time
after you"
Mr.. Boutelle-"That is the bravery to
which you allude."
Mr.. OFerrell-"Well, sir, its the right
kind of bravery. You may bet your bot
tom dollar on that"
Mr.. Houck of Tennessee, said the gem
tlemen from Virginia had stated that all
! the oolored people who used to vote the
republican ticket now voted the demo
cratic ticket. Was that the reason
that the democratic majority in Virginia
had fallen from 50,000 and the democrats
had only fragment of only one or two
members of the house from Virginia,
while the republicans had six or seven?
What had the democratic party ever done
for the colored peoplef If it had con-
tributed any thing to the emancipation of
the colored people it was on the principle
of kicking gun, killing things behind
it instead of what it shot at.
Laughter. The democratic party
had plunged the country into war for
four years in order to keep the manacles
OF the colored men, and in order to have
the privilege of selling their wives and
children. The gentleman spoke of the
man at the other end of the avenue as a.
"child OF destiny" So was Pharoah
when he walked into the Red Sea, but
he and his army were drowned, all
the same. Ia November the democratic
party would encounter a Red sea, and
face of the earth. Applause on the
republican side In the south there was
no reason why the colered man should be
afraid to vote the democratic ticket,
except the ghosts of his murdered friends
and comrades might rise up and haunt
him.
Mr.. Boutelle said that the gentleman
from Virginia had gone out of the course
of his remarks in order to cast a reflection
upon the sincerity and earnestness of
Abraham Lincoln in the performance of
the most i'm portant act of his life. When
he (Boutelle) suggested that the gentle
man was not so situated as to be we'll in
formed on that point, the gentleman had
became much excited, and talked about
bravery and cowardice. He (Boutelle)
was not here to display either bravery or
cowardice. In his experience, he had
never heard the gentleman from Virginia
speak on any subject, without speaking
with particular pride of the fact that he
served in the war and fought against the
country. He (Bcutelle) had never indulged
in boasting of that character. He
was cordially willing to accord to the
gentleman the need of bravery in one
respect. It required a very peculiar
kind of bravery for any man to stand be-
fore American people and attempt to
pluck from the brow of the martyred
Lincoln SO much as single
withered laurel leaf placed there
by the common consent of the
civilized world for the performance
of IAN act which would live as long as
history should survive. In this respect
he conceded to the gentleman the full need
of that sort of bravery. He (Boutelle)
had frequently heard Hannibal Hamlin
say that Lincoln had confided to him his
purpose to issue the proclamation long
before it was made known to his cabinet.
That proclamation had been signed un-
hesitatingly and after careful consider
alton, and he was willing to leave the issue
raised by the gentleman from Virginia as
Lincoln left the issue of his proclamation,
to the considerate Judgment of mankind
and the gracious favor of Almighty God.
The discussion was closed by Mr.. Crisp,
of Georgia, who touched upon the ques
tion of the negro vote and declared that
in the south that vote was being cast for
the nominees of the democratic party.
But for the miserable carpetbsggers who