Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-24

tubIcct OF tine feSofuuOn ne ea1d: WIN the
patronage of this immense government in the
hands of the President OF the United States
and of the Senate. it does seem to me to be the
smallest and falsest of all feeble and false pre-
lenses that the alleged majority of the Senate
OF the United States should find itself pecessi-
tated to proceed to distribute the little patron
age of the body into the hands of its friends.
1ou proceed to do that which il unnecessary to
be done. which il not required by the law or by
the usages OF the Senate to be done: Won pro-
coed. on the other hand. to do that which Ia a
wrong 20 men who hold Office in virtue OF a
tenure that you yourselves prescribe, and which
you permitted them to accept. You persuaded
these men. or at least you permitted them. to
come here and accept office upon the idea that
they should remain during at least the period
Of time when they performed their duty &C
cording 20 law and with correctness. and until
the ii ne when the sessions OF Congress should
recur IN which a majority opposed to them in
politics should be found within this body"
Mr.. Vest. at all times one Of the ready de-
baters Of the Senate and a man who does not
hesitate to saw exactly what he thinks. took the
floor on the 11th OF April. and after warming
up to his subject said to the republicans: II
tell the gentlemen now. in spirit of bravado,
that rather than submit to this interference by
the national republican party in that contest,
and rather than see the real democracy OF Vir-
ginia stricken down after this fashion, we will
stav here. God willing. until the ice again
Der wreath these hills in their winding sheet.
The Senator from Ohio (Mr Sherman) an
nounced to ia but the other day the mOnstrous
doctrine that the only rights Of the minority
here are to debate, and when the debate has
closed the majority vote and the voice Of ma
jority is the voice of God. 1t IL a monstrous
doc tyine: it is parliamentary absOlutism."
Again. on April Is. Mr.. Pendleton of Ohio
said: This extraordinary course of insisting
upon a change of the officers of the
Senate at an executive session; this course
which is without a single precedent in all our
history. of insisting that the business Of the
country, the business of the Senate and the
business of the President shall be delayed and
postponed until the Senate be disorganized in
order that it may be organized again has been
defended upon various grounds by its various
apo,oyists upon the door" Mr. Beck the late
distinguished Senator from Kentucky, gave
emphasis to his sentiments in the following
the 18th of April: I'VE have this Endorsement
from all the past records of the country
except once in 1853, when it was thought
20 be an easy way to get rid of
against whom there were
charges that officers Of the Senate never
were removed at an executive session,
and. as | showed few DAYS ago, even in 1861.
in revolutionary times, when the republicans
were charging that the officers of the Senate
were what they called rebels, many Of them
placed in position by men who left the federal
Y
heaplng all sorts of epithets upon their heads
TOR their conduct. so steadily did they even
then adhere to the traditions of the Senate that
they would not remove one OF the Senate Off
Gals at the executive session called by Mr.. Lin
coin on tine Attn of March of that year"
In reply to Mr.. Burnside of Rhode Island on
the Goth Of April Mr.. Butler, the present Sena-
tor from South Carolina, said: Tho Senator
from Rhode Island says the question is whether
the majority shall rule. L Will meet him upon
that point and show him that the enunciation
OF such a doctrine is absolutely monstrous-the
doctrine unqualified that the majority has the
right. the inherent right and power 20 rule. 1t
is doctrine, submit. absolutely subversive
Of the principles upon which this government
Is founded. 1t is q monstrous doctrine. Ours
is government controlled by law by q written
which was made for the protection
Of the minority, and when the Senator gets
ready to discuss that issue will discuss it with
him."
Mr.. Beck, again on April % in debate. said:
sour constituents thoroughly understand that
we think we have good reason for not following
the .icta.ion OF your caucus by a disorganiZa-
ton OF the Senate and recognizing it to suit
you, but that we are right in demanding that
you shall proceed with the business of the
Senate, according to the call of the President.
We have avowed. for good or bad reasons, that
is our business, that intend TO prevent you
from disorganiZing the Senate and organizing
il as your caucus has ordered: if we are wrong
in SO doing responsible for that wrong.
The traditions OF the country have all been
IN favor of allowing the officers to stay through
executive sessions; and because you want to
show US that you are going to make Us do
whatever YOU want, whether We like it or not,
md then scold. as you were doing little while
lgo. why should we surrender the legitimate
business for which We were called together"