The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-21
A STIR OVER SAUNDERS.
THE SENATE BEGINS ITS DEBATE
ON THE CASE.

M0InOQ5 OF the republican Court
Officials in Florida-Senators Chand-
Ter and Call also Take Hand in the
Talking.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20.-The resolution
heretofore offered by Mr.. Chandler calling
on the attorney general for information as
to the assassination at Quincy, Fla, of W.
B. Saunders, a United States deputy mar
shal, was taken up in the senate this fore
noon and Mr.. Pasco resumed his remarks
in regard to it. He sent to the clerks desk
and had read various documents, news
paper articles and proceedings of public
meetings. denunciatory of the conduct and
character Of the United States court and
its officers in the northern district of Flor
ida.
MIGHT DISCLOSE THE CAUSE.
These representations. he said might tend
to throw some light on the causes leading up
to the sad affair at Quincy. He knew nothing
Of the matter himself. He did know that
Saunders had already exhibited his unfitness
for the Office which he held. If the killing of
Saunders was the result of the facts and
circumstances disclosed in the papers read.
then the Senate ought to have all the causes
which had led up to it. The responsibility
OF Judge Swayne, Marshal Mzeli and Clerk
Walters ought to be aScertained, as they
bad been shown to be connected with q
partisan prosecution.
COURT OFFICERS THE LAW BREAKERS.
The great trouble in the case was that the
principal law breakers were the officers of
the court. These officers would have to be
compelled to obey the law and to recognize
the statutes of the United States. They
would have to learn that the administration
of justice had to be based upon the law of
the land. Whenever the court in Florida
banished partisansbip and administered
justice fairly, there would be no
difficulty in having its writs and
summonses respected by the people of
Florida In conclusion he offered an
amendment directing the Attorney General
to inform the Senate also whether any
efforts have been made by the department
of Justice to correct the action of the officers
of the court which has resulted in partisan
Juries, made up mainly from one political
party, and if so, to report the same to the
Senate; and also directing the Attorney
General TO inform the Senate whether he
had any information of an official letter
written by Marshal Mizell directing the
names of ''true and tried republicans" to
be furnished for jurors of the United States
court; and what action the department of
justice had taken in reference to commune
cations Of that character.
CALLED AN APOLOGY FOR URDER.
Mr.. Hawley said that the remarks of the
senator from Florida, and the amendment
offered by him, seemed to him to be pre-
mature apology for murder. 1t was evil
dent that the amendment was intended to
mitigate, in the judgment Of the public
mind "a crime which even democratic paper
in Florida had stigmatized as the most
brutal, infamous and cowardly murder.
The senator (Mr. Pasco) had represented
Saunders as not having been always good
man, and a fair inference from his remarks
would be that there would not have been
much objection to Saunders being killed if
it could only have been done in a less objec-
tionable way. What, Mr.. Hawlsy asked
had the bad character of Saunders and of
the administration of justice to do with the
murder of Saunders?
HAwLEY GROWS EXCITED.
He (Mr Hawley) did not care what Saun-
ders had done last year or the year before.
He did not care how bad a politician he
was; he was shot by towards and scoun-
drels, for whom not shadow of apology
was to be made. He wished the senator
(Mr. Pasco) to understand distinctly that
his speech was regarded by the republican
senators as an attempt to make a sort of
N
evade investigation.
Mr.. Pasco remarked that there was no
necessity for the senator from Connecticut
working himself up to such a pitch of ex-
citement.
Mr.. Hawley-The senator himself worked
me up.
MERELY POINTED OUT FACT.
Mr.. Pasco said he had merely called atten-
ton to the grossly improper way with
which the duties of the United States Judge
and marshal in Florida had besn conducted.
He made no excuse for anybody. and had
expressly declined to discuss the question.
Mr.. Sherman here interposed to put q
stop to the discussion, and suggested that
the Senate should proceed to the business
on the calendar.
Mr.. Call said that he had no objection to
letting the matter go over till tomorrow.
Mr.. Sherman, however, yielding to what
appeared to be the will of the republican
senator's. withdrew his proposition, and the
discussion went on.
THE PRovoCATIoN STILL UNKNOWN.
Mr.. Call did not think tnat there should
be any opposition to the amendment offered
by his colleague. Who knew, he asked.
what provocation existed for the horrible
taking of human life in the case referred to?
Was the Senate to assume that that murder
came from public sentiment, without evil
dence or proof in regard to the character Of
the men concerned in the transaction7
SAUNDERS A DANGEROUS CHARACTER.
Mr. Call went on to intimate that Saun-
ders was an unsafe man to be left in charge
of prisoner, and that it was possible that
he was killed by some one who feared
assassination from him; and in this relation
he referred to the case Of man who had
been taken from his home by officers and
dropped into the midst of a lake, whose
waters closed forever the question Of his
guilt or innocence. He made no justi-
tication Of the killing of Saunders. He
condemned it, but he declared that
there we're fewer murders in Florida in the
last ten years than there were in Connecti-
cut or New Hampshire, or even in the
national capital. He alluded to the out
RACES committed by the federal officers in
Florida, and declared that it was such acts
which had led desperate, misguided men to
resort to lawless acts TO protect them
selves But the first consideration was to
purge judicial officers Of corruption and
impurity. The law could not be executed
by ministers Of crime, nor could the
natural and just sentiment of indignation.
which respected the purity, and virCue, and
public honor, be repressed. He
declared that the senator from
New Hampshire (dr. Jhand-
ler) was responsible for the murders in
Florida, and the destruction Of happiness
of households there by emissaries Of his. Hs
said that he would ION same early occasion)
demonstrate that tae imDutatlons cast