The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-16
1T WASA ONE-SIDED FIGHT.
The Repeal Men Had No Show Of
TiTin6 Out the Silver Men.

snow Loyalty to the Adm1n1stra-
ton.
Washington, Oct. 15.-The session
which was begun in the Senate Wednes-
day night could not have had any other
end than it did. 1t was called test Of
physical endurance, but strictly speaking
it was not that. 1t was simply ques-
tion of whether given number of men,
all of whom were obliged to be in the
Senate chamber all the time, could out
last another given number, of whom only
a small portion was obliged to be there all
the time. There had to be a quorum
The point of no quorum was made every
few minutes, or whenever one of the
anti-repealers choose to do so, or thought
a quorum was not present. The repealers
had to make that quorum. They could
not depend on their opponents to make it
for them, and thus give aid and
comfort to the enemy" Therefore, all the
repealers-or all who were not physical
ly unable to be present-had TO be there.
If one of them retired to the clOakroom to
sit in a chair and doze a few minutes, he
did so with the knowledge that he was
liable to be called at any time. If one of
them had the temerity to go off into his
committee room to get a quieU half hours
snooze, he knew that the duration of his
nap might be so short that he would not
realize that he had been asleep at all.
A oNE-sIDED FIGHT.
On the other hand, there was no neces-
sity for all the anti-repealers TO be on
hand few of them sufficed to perform
their task. One was needed to make
speech, and another was nee ed TO call
the attention of the presiding officer to
the fact that there was no quorum; and
there was no real necessity for any others
to be there A number of them were
there, for reasons of their own, but they
were not needed to carry out the pur-
poses of their side.
COULD BE BUT ONE END.
OF course, there could be but one end
ing to such procedure. Those who had
to stay all the time had to give out, ex-
hausted, in advance of those who could
from time TO time have relief. 1t is not
supposed that the repealers entered on
this contest with any hope Of succeeding.
There have been similar contests in the
Senate before this, and they have invari-
ably resulted in the defeat of those who
instituted them. 1t could not be other
wise, from the very nature of the case.
A present majority cannot wear out an
absent minority. The wearing must of
course be heaviest on those who have to
endure it, aud not on those who exempt
themselves from it by their absence.
sELF-INFLICTED TORTURE.
This continuous session contest was
necessary-or was considered SOTO con
vince the President and other friends Of
unconditional repeal that the repealers in
the Senate were willing to do everything
in their power to accomplish their end.
1t was, to a much greater extent than
most people suppose, a case Of devotion 10
the chief executive. There are some who
are disposed to criticise the President for
requiring such devotion on the part of his
followers in the Senate-a devotion which
entailed no small amount of suffering on
them, and in which none of them had any
hope of succeeding
The Evening Star of this city says on
this point: 1t was like the self-inflicted
torture of a religious fanatic TO appease
the imagined anger of his God, and during
the closing hours of the ordeal the evil
dence of the suffering endured became
painful to the audience assembled to wit
ness the sacrifice. Men with long
years of service, capable of en-
tual battle, but past that age where brute
force and physical power are weapons at
their command, became pitiaDle objects
of physical suffering before the second
nights session was over. Their forms
bent, their legs trembling and their Steps
unsteady, heavy lines drawn across their
features as pale almost as death, with
dark rings around their eyes, which were
almost closed with sleep, and at any time
threatened with utter collapse"
A GREAT FIGHT.
1t was great fight which the repealers
made Upheld by strong sense Of duty,
men long past the meridian of life, re-
manned in the arena and struggled on
against the almost oVerpowering need for
sleep and the demands made by physical
weakness There was no less sacrifice
to pure duty made by some of the silver
men. Messrs. Walthall, George, Harris,
Morgan and others on that side who re
manned at their post, and helped to make
a quorum which their opponents could
not at any time have made without them,
deserve the hi chest credit for their adher-
ence to what they conceived to be their
duty, although it was against the policy
of the side they were ad ,ocdting.
Senator Gordon, who is not by any
means in the best Of health, SAT out the
long vigils Of the night with the same en-
durance which he displayed when he fol-
lowed the starry cross with Lee in Vir-
ginia. Senator Colquitt came promptly
up at the beginning of the continuous ses-
sion but Of course in his enfeeOled cOudt-
tiou. staying in the Senate cham Der IN his
chair all night was IN imposslbl1Uy; and
so he went home a good bedtime hour.
But he had the spirit and interest in the
fight to have kept him there, if his physi-
cal condition had not compelled him TO 20
to bed at his usual hour.
INTEREST OF THE GEoRGIANs.
The representatives from Georgia were
all over at the Senate on the first night,
and were much intero IS. ed. On the sec
ond night only three or four were there.
and only two-Judge Maddox and Carter,
Tate, who are almost inseparable-were
SIN at the death" They thought they
saw the beginning Of the end, and they
sat up with The boys until 1t came
Private John Allen, the irrepressible
waC, spent nearly the whole Of Wednes-
day night with the senators. The very
presence Of Allenssuggest5 fun, and the
senator's had IL out Of him. Along In
the early morning, just before the stars
BEGAN 10 pale. Senator Joe Blackburn
said 20 him. John, you have been both
ering US here long enough. You have
smoked our cigars and drunk our punch,
until you've rOJ % go. Boys, let's put
him out % "Not muChn responded John,
give been IN congress ten years. and
this Is the first time ige ever seen sena-
tors earning their money and J. 'm going
% stay here and see 10 through" " Aud