Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-12-13
NATIONS CAPITAL.
Speech by Senator Walthrall
Against The Election Bill.
And Edmunds Asks Him a Few Ques.
tions Ab.ut Mississippi.
6eua uators Hoar and Butler Get q Little
Mixed Over Nsgroes.

evening" srssluu As AAfH Wy III tfic ochaic
today. The amendment by .Ar. Hoar
striking out the clause for the evening ses-
sions was agreed TO, and the resolution As
amended passed without debate. 1t will
take effect tomorrow.
AT o'clock, the election bill was taken
up, and Blodgets addressed the Senate in
opposition.
His first ersa, obi jection to il was. he said.
it would unsettle society, it threatened
peace. prosperity, and development of
considerable portion Of the country. 1t
was in dirSct sutsgonism to the democratic
spirit of popular government. Ii was the
principle of the American government that
all officers charged with the direction and
control Of public aft airs should be as far ss
practicable appointed by and responsible to
the people themselves. These and other
objections, he raid, were fundamental. not
special. Senators, he said. should reil 4ct
before they undertook to carry out party
pledges, and consider whether they were
not o. the same time sacrificing larger in
terests aud sndaugering governmental
sanctions of greater Importance to the
country and whole people than those they
are attempting to protect.
Mr.. Wslthall argued against the bill,
and replied to the speech of Wilson of
Iowa yesterday. In the course of his re-
marks be spoke of the improved condiion
in certain counties in Mississippi in re pet
to peace and order NEdmunds inquired
whether perpetrators of acts of violence
reierr,d to by him, was convicted or tried.
Walthali-I think the chief parties ac
cused in connection with that matter WAS
tried regularly by jury and before Judge
in high sfsuding, and acquitted.
Eimunds sarcasticslly) THAT is what II
supposed.
Walthall-Does the Senator accep. the
scqoirtal of the party as evidence Of guilt?
Edmunds-No, but he can readily un-
derstsnd Gas human history has taught
most intelligent people, that the state OF
peace and the absence of violence may fol-
low UNPUBLISHED violence when tyrants and
aristocrsts hss got power, therefore, l can
understand it is possible that all liberty
having been repressed in q particular cOun-
ty or Safe should be State of peace in
tie sense of nobody needing TO be killed
any more.
Wslthall-Does the Senator from Yer
mont understand anything about the mat
ter WAS referring to when he interrupted
met Does he know anything about the
country | was talking of?
Edmunds--I am not familiar with it any
more than | am with the State of Poland,
where there is peace.
Wal l'hsll--''I imagine that the Senator
from Vermont is entirely ignorant of the
matter about which he tiled to get into
colloquy with ne, and / shall proceed"
In the course of his remarks he referred to
the stere oty ped petitions in favor of the
election bill that come up from Mississippi,
ard said the largest number of names TO
such Pct tions came from the county OF
Bolivar. He said there were more negroes
holding Office in the county Of Bolivar than
in any other county in the South, or than
in any S,a,e in the Norrh. OF A eff e.
bolders in that county, Al we're negroes.
The same condition of ,hirgs existed in
Washington and other counties 10 Missi,-
sippi. He mentioned these facts in con-
trs.t to the treatment of colored men in
the Northern States in the matter of hold
ing office. Even in the Senate of the
United States where such interest is pro
fessed in colored men, there is not one
holding any Office higher than laborer. He
declared that there was no State where
colorei people were happier and more
prosperous than in Mississippi. The
average negro of that State is reasonably
content with his condition and has realized
that it is steadily improving.
When Walthall closed the speech, Hoar
rose ard called attention to the remarks
made today by Butler, stating that any one
who said he had threatened to dismiss the
colorei people from his employment if
they should vote the republican ticket. was
guilty of a deliberate and wilful falsehood
He read frem the minority report to the
House in 1876, signed by Lawrence of
Ohio, Banks of Massachusetts and Lspham
of New York. in which Butler was repre-
sen'ed to lave testified that be gave tickets
to the colored men on bis land. but said to
them that they bad a right to vote a Iepub-
licsn ticket if they pleased; that they were
free men but if they exercised that
righ: and imposed taxes on him it
would destroy his property ard prospects
and he should throw himself back
on some rights he had under the laws of
the country and would zee that they left
bis plantation; that he did not know how
He wss asked: "With view of iur ing
them off if they voted the republican
ticket
NOV lUr Nutiuk tue tiShti IA
thev had an honest ticket. but for
voting for those thieves and robbers -
II that language, Hear sail did not justify
the statement that the Senator from South
Carolina had threatened to discharge men
from his employment for voting the repuh
lican ticket, then he had done the Senator
an injustice.
Butler said he denounced as false the
statement that he had threatened to dis.
charge the colored men on bis plantation If
they voted the republican ;ickes. He had
no retraction to make. If the Senator
from Massachusetts, had said he gave the
information to the Senator from Ore gon,
Dolph, 7 OF Of his own knowledge bu- from
a public document, the remark
would of course apply to him
The testimony quoted was, he said,
garbled statement He had had never
seen report Of the testimony he had given
and did no. now recollect having appear d
before the committee in question. He
repested that he had never, at any time or
on auy occasion attempted to influence a
single negro on his plantation in the exer-
else of franchise.
Hosr, while justifging his own position.
expressed the great respect he entertained
for the Ssnst)r from South Carolina. But
Ter gave assurances that he reciprocsted
the sentiment and the subject was per-
mitted to drop, to the satisfaction of the
Senators concerned aud the Senators on
both sides of the chamber.
Jones of Arkansas took the floor on the
election bill, and the Senate at 5,l5 ad-
jsurned.
In the House.
| After the reading of the journal, the