The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-04-16
SENATOR EpMuNps's CAREER.


SENATOR EDMUNDs's CAREER.
The resignation of Vermonts senior
Senator, as we took occasion to say last
week has called out an expression from
the press of the country that is not only
true, but must be highly pleasing to the
host of friends of the retiring Statesman.
He is one of the very few first men Of the
Nation. BY this we mean those of COM
manding presence and recognized leader
ship. This is shown in the almost unan-
imous voice of regret expressed not only
in Vermont but throughout the United
States, and even extending abroad. The
home organ of Mr.. Edmunds, the Bur
lington Free Press takes the occasion to
sum up the record of our Senator's
achievements, from which we copy, as
follows:
The retirement of Mr.. Edmunds from
the United States Senate, closes a record
of service as Legislator, which will give
his name place in history among the
leading Statesmen of the American re-
public. Having served five terms in the
Vermont House of Representatives and
two in our State Senate, from 1854 to
1862, during which period he was active
in the organization of the Republican
party, and in the enactment of the meas
ures which enabled Vermont to do its
prominent part in the support Of the war
for the Union-having been also thrice
chosen Speaker of the House, and twice
President pro tempOre of the Senate-Mr.
Edmunds was appointed United States
Senator by Governor Dillingham;, to fill
the vacancy Occasioned by the death of
the lamented Senator Solomon FOote. He
took his seat April 5, 1866. Twenty -five
years after, to a day, he wrote his letter
of resignation to the Governor of Yer
mont.
Mr.. Edmunds came first prominently
to the front, in Congress, by very able
speech made in April, 1865, on the bill to
admit Colorado as a State with a cOnsti-
tuition restricting the right Of suffrage to
the whites, This feature Mr.. Edmunds
opposed in a speech which won for him
the praise and thanks of Charles Sumner,
publicly expressed in the Senate.
About this time he was made Chair
man of the important Committee on Re-
trenchment, and made report ON the
various issues of Government bonds and
paper money which finally settled. the
question of the alleged frauds and over
issues of Government bonds during the
war of the Rebellion.
From this committee he eported, adj
vocated and sustained to its passage the
famous Tenure of Office law.
In 1867 he became q member of the
Committee on the Judiciary, and from
that time on lie was intimately and
prominently concerned in the framing
| and passage of the reconstruction acts.
In November, 1861 when the public
began to be questioned, and the right to
nav all Government debts in paper was
asserted, Mr.. Edmunds introduced the
Joint resolution pledging the public
faith to the payment of the public debt
in coin, supported it in speech and car
ried it. This resolution was in substance
and almost in form, enacted as a law,
and was the first bill signed by General
Grant as President of the United States
As part of the results of the work OF
the Committee on Retenchment, and
largely through Mr.. Edmunds's efforts,
about $10,000,000 were paid into the
United States treasury, as the proceeds
of captured and abandoned property
which was rapidly becoming returned to
rebel claimants, under the numerous par
dons granted by Andy johnson.
| He was member of the select com.
mittee of the Senate to arrange the pro.
ceedings on the impeachment of Presi
dent Johnson.
At the time General Grants first cleo
ton he took an active and successful
part in the very important exclusion of
| the electoral votes of late rebel States
not yet readmitted.
Mr.. Edmunds introduced and carried
| through the bill to stop the payments,
which were going on under an old stat
ute. to late owners of slaves which had
enlisted in the Union army or had been
drafted during the war.
Mr.. Edmunds was the first to propose
and urge that no more money be paid
from the treasury to the Pacific railroads
for transportation, ETC., until they repaid
what the treasury had paid out for inter
est on their bonds, and he persisted in
the effort to compel them to protect the
United States until the sinking fund act
was passed, which those powerful com
panies have been obliged TO obey, greatly
to the benefit of the public treasury.
He introduced and the Senate adopted
the resolution which stopped the further
issue of bonds or land certificates to the
Union Pacific Railroad in respect of
branches and connections with its main
line.
He reported and had charge of and
carried through the great civil and pOlit-
ical rights act of May 81, 1879, which now
forms the principal body of the law on
that subject. He did the same in respect
of the act to enforce the l4th amend
ment, of April, 1871. The importance OF
Mr.. Edmunds's services in regard Ia
these measures cannot be exaggerated.
He introduced and reported and man
aged the bill to distribute the British
Geneva award of SIS, 100000 among the
lproper claimants and to exclude the i'm
mense insurance companies which had
made profits on war premiums.
] He was active in causing the Senate II
declare, before the election of 1876, that
the Joint rules which gave each House q
right to reject the vote of any State, and
so, if in force, gave the Democratic
House of Representatives full negative
control of the election, were no longer in
force.
He reported from the select committee
of which he was chairman, the Electoral
Count bill, under which Mr.. Hayes was
peaceably installed as President. Mr..
Edmunds's wise and statesman-like and
able leadership at this time, perhaps
saved the country from another civil war.
1t certainly earned for him the cordial
luminosity of all INSCRIPTIONS and bigot-
ed Democratic partisans.
He introduced the resolution adopted
by the Senate providing for putting in
the appropriation bills effective means
for Fastening the disposition of pension
cases in the department, and again fol-
providing for expediting the disposition
of pension cases appealed from the de-
cision of the committee to the Secretary
of the Interior.
3 During the time when the Democrats
had control of both Houses of Congress,
Mr.. Edmunds vigorously resisted the
measures tackled by them on appropria.