The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-13
SENATE PROCEEDINGS.
NO Evening Sessions Ridiculous Tilt
Between Hoar and Butler.

WASHINGTON CITY, Dec. 12-In the Senate a
number OF important bills were reported from
committees and placed on the calendar, after
which Plumbs resolution fixing the hour of
daily meetings was taken up. 1t was agreed to,
after being amended by striking out the clause
for evening sessions and making it take effect
tomorrow.
The resolution offered yesterday By Dolph,
instructing the committee on privileges and
elections to inquire and report whether the
right to vote at any election for presidential
electors, members of congress or legislatures or
other ofhccrs Is denied to any male citizen OF
any state, or is abridged, except for participa-
ton In rebellion or other crime, was taken UP.
Dolph said he particularly wanted the COM
mittee to give attention as to whether some
states had not provided in their con-
stituttons and laws such voting quail
hcations as would not be permitted by
the fourteenth amendment to the constitution
without an abridgement of congressional repre-
sentation. He said the constitution recently
adopted in Mississippi did impose such qualif-
cations, and the representation OF that state
should be abridged. He sent to the clerks
desk and had read the recent inaugural address
OF Governor Tillman, of South Carolina, which
he said was an official declaration that the great
mass of the colored men of the South were not
fit to exercise the elective franchise; that the
white people OF the South were in control of the
state government, and proposed to maintain
control at all hazards. Those propositions
showed clearly, Dolph said, that the colored
people OF the South would not be permitted to
ticket, or when their voting would secure Re
publican control.
Vest moved an amendment instructing the
state legislation citizen Of the Gned saes
was denied the right to work on public
improvement by reason of his color. He
read .ba clause n1asen from pa,s., recent statute
authorizing the building of bridge, and
providing that only white laborers should be
employed on the work. 1t might be, Vest said,
hat sin inf To Ind
nese labor but the language of the statute ex-
claded Mongolians, Indians and negroes The
Democratic states never denied the negro the
right TO earn bis bread by his honest labor.
Dolph replied and in further discussion an allu-
sion to Iillman's message brought out deciara-
ton from Butler that he was personally willing
Dolph said he was informed the senator But
ler) himself had threatened colored men in his
employ that he would discharge them il they
voted the Republican ticket.
Butler replied that whoever made that state
ment was guilty of deliberate, wilful false
hood.
ment, having read within rwenty-four hours in
a public document the testimony of the senator
from South Carolina before committee, in
which he said he had told the colored people on
his plantation that he should dismiss them if
they voted the Republican ticket.
Butler-Then the remark made applies, of
course, to the senator from Massachusetts.
Hoar replied that he was not to be deferred
from saying what he had to say either by the
manner or behavior of Butler. The resolution
then went over until tomorrow.
The election bill was then taken up, and
Blodgett and Walthall spoke in opposition to it,
Hoar then referred TO the incident of the morn
ing, and had read the testimony in question,
which was from minority report made to the
House in 1876. In il Butler is represented as
saying he gave tickets to colored men and told
them they had the right to vote the Republican
ticket If they pleased; that they were free men,
but If they exercised that right and
imposed taxes upon him that would
destroy his property and prospects he should
throw himself back on the samei:rghts that he
had, and see that they left his plantation. He
intended to inform himself how they voted. The
question was asked: "With a view to turning
them off if they voted the Republicon ticket?"
and Butler replied: "Not Tor voting the Repnb-
ican ticket If they had an honest ticket, but for
voting for thieves and robbers"
Butler said this testimony was garbled. He
had never seen the report before, but said now
that he had never at any time attempted TO in
fiuence a single negro on his plantation in the
exercise of the franchise.
Messrs. Hoar and Butler then expressed great
respect for each other, and the matter was drop
ped. Jones of Arkansas took the floor ON the
election bill and the Senate odjourned.