New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-06
NO LONGER OCCUPIES
CLAYTON'S SEAT.
DEMOCRATS AS USUAL, STAND BY FRAUD:
NORTHERN MIN WHO OBEY SOUTHERN
MAsrERs-A BITTER SPEECH By DE-
FENDANT-A UNITED STATES SEN:
AToR COACHES HIM-DAk
zELL's BRILLIANT AND
MASTERLY ARGUMENT.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE .BIBCNEl
MASTERLY ARGUMENT.

caused by death. Three Of the deaths were due
TO natural causes: two OF them were sudden /; hut
neither was so sudden as the unnatural death Of
Colonel Clayton, Whose srat in the House was
vacated to-day by Clifton r. Brcckinridge, who.
TO nsc the word employed by Mr.. Dalzell to de-
scribe him to-day, was a "usurpcr,' who for
many months had not only unlawfully occupied
n seat and enjoyed the salary and hono:s OF an
Office which did not belong to him, but had mis-
represented the opinions Of a majority Of the
people Of the lid Arkansas Dis rct by his speeches
and votes on many important questions and meas
urcs-especially the National Election BILL
The House, by vote of lO5 to SO, agreed TO
Mr.. Dalzcll's definition. adopted the report Of the
Elections Committee, and turned Mr.. Breckinridge
ont Of the scat which Democratic minority had
usurpcd by fraud and blo6dshed for his behoof
II was Il party vote. The Southern Democratic
who did not desert the field stood like rock
in defence of the beneficiary of political assassina.
ton and Of course. the Northern Democrats whs
were present initiated the example of their South
crn masters The frs: ono to do SO was John
F. Andrew, the son Of noble sire. John A.
Andrew the illustrious War Governor" Of Nassa-
chisetts. who has not lived 10 sec the decadenoe
of his family.
The proc ssiOn Of Northern Democratic dough-
faces which Andrew headed to-day was large
one. II included Brickner. of Wisconsin; Brown.
Of Indiana: Buckalew. of Pennsylvania; Chipman,
of Michigan; Clancy, Cummings, Dunphy. Flower
and Wiley, of Ncw-YOrk Foreman and Wike, Of
Illinois: Gcisscnhainer, of Ncw-Jersey; Holman.
Parrctt McCc Ccllan, Martin and Shivcly, Of 1ndi-
ana: Maish, Mutchler and Reilly. Of Penn
syivania: O'Ncill, Of Massachusetts,, and Outh-
wait. Of OEio-twenty-twO in oil, or only
eighteen less than the number Of Southern
and Border State Democrats who voted In the
negative Each Of these Northern Democrats cast
a vote which signiticd his approval OF Arkansas
election method, and post election methods, which,
as the testimony clearly shows include fraud.
theft and murder. Every Republican present
voted to turn out BrecISinrdge, rs also did Mr..
Fcathrrston, of Arkansas, who, by long personal
observation and experience MS n member OF the
Democratic party, and who has had lively ex-
pcricnce as a foe Of election frauds and thrfts, as
we'll as of violence and murder, knows all about
Democratic election methods.
There were threats by Democrats that
they would leave the hall in body, and compel
the attendance Of n quorum Of Republicans IN
order TO pass the resolution; but wiser counsel
prevailed. and the Democrats who carried ont their
foolish threat wore SO few in number-Only twenty.
one in all-that they did not aNe't tie result.
The speeclcs delivered before the vote was
taken both attracted and deserved attention.
Drferdont Breckenridge spoke nearly two hours.
and it was evident that lie had spent days and
weeks in preparing for the occasion. The spcecn'
for il could hardly b. called IN argument was
more than earnest: il was stepped in bitterness
throurhout. and it's conclusion might have re-
minded an auditor of some passages in Catiline's
defiance. if it had not so strongly reminded him
of ono of Captain Sim Tappcrtit's most fcroclous
and dangerous outbreaks. II WIS an unpardon-
able offence in Mr.. ErrcknridGe'S eyes That any
member of the House sholld have dared
10 express an opinion about his caSo
to prcjudcc it,, was his phrase. lte
seemed 10 haze forgotten that every Democrao
in the House had "prcJndGcd" every election
contest and decided in favor Of the Democratic
defendant AZ the very outset OF this session. anu
that many of them. notably Messrs. Carlisle and
t'rsp had publicly declared in advance that tho
sole purpos. of such contests was 10 unseat Demo-
crafts who were elected in order TO seat Repub-
licans who were not elected. Mr.. Breckinridge
= $50 recalled a good deal Of the ancient pohticas
history of Arkansas. which was utterly irrelevant,
unless brought forward tor the purpose OF
iusGr<ing present outra:rs by asserting thau
equally tlaclant outragcs were committed In the
reconstruction period.
During the delivery Of Brcckinridgr's harangne
United states senator Ferry sat im;neoila'ry Se-
hind him and arose several times TO whisper
SUGGESTIONS in his ear. This probably was inc
FIRST time that Senatorial dignity so unbcnt IL
self or Senatorial courtesy" brought Senator OF
the United States from his OWN place TO the
assistance of u Representative when the latter
was ENGAGED in addressing the House. senator
I,rr, evidently tclt that one OF his " pals was
in n sorry strait, ana that fellowship and chivairy
alike demanded that he should scorn proprie'|
and 20 10 thc assistance of his stricken Tend.
The argument OF Mr.. Dalzcl. who closed tho
debate was one of the ablcst and most con-
yiuclur. and at the same time one Of the most
brillnn, and eloquent. that has ever been do.
Iiycr,d in the House As an analyst Mr. Dalzeu
has no superior, and few equals in either branch
Of Congress. His keen and mcrciless exposure OF
tlr methods and motives OF the Democrats IN Tho
lid Arkansas District, as we'll as OF the methods
of the defence in the case before the House. was
suppcmcnt..d by such array of evidence drawn
from the record of the case that. when he had
,Ios.,d his spccch every argument OF the defence
had boon rcfutcd, every false pretcnce and sug'
,ston exposed every false issue and tcchnicality
smtten or brushed aside, bringing out the naked
facts of the ease in all their hdeOnsncss. % theS
nolmdy Gould mistake them. Once, and once
only. did Mr. Crisp. of Georgia. the abcst lawyer
on the Democratic side. venture TO interrupt NJ.
Dalzcll; and when the short colloquy ended tho
Georgian was sorry that lie began it,
The cass was taken up Immediately after tho
reading Of the journal. and Mr.. Breckinridge pro-
ccedcd to argue in his own behalf Tic chafged
the chairman Of the Committee on Elections 'Nr.
Rowc!p with improprirty in prejudgins the case.
That gentleman, in discussing another election
case had referred to the case from the lid Az.
kansas District. and had declared that In that
district five political murders had occurred. He
called upon the gentleman to name the murdered
men.
Mfr. Rowcll said that they were Benjamin.
Smith, Bentley and Clayton while an attempe
hal been made to assassinatc Wahl
Nr. Brecknriise denied the correctness OF
this statement, and called attention to the
fact that the gentleman himself cOncured
in n report which said that there was only
susnicion Of these th:nsS being trres