Evening star., 1893-10-25
MIR. BENTON'S RUSE.
How He Carried the ExpunEinE ResO-
lutiOns Through the Senate.

How He Carried the Expunging Reso-
lutiOns Through the Senate.
From the Chicago Herald.
Ex-senator Doolittle Of Wisconsin, speak
ing Of Thomas H. Benton's success in Sc
curing the passage of the famous expung-
ing resolutions in Jackson's time. said:
In February. 1857. just after my elec-
ton as Senator from Wisconsin, on my way
to Washington to attend a special session
Of the Senate upon the Inauguration of
President Buchanan. called upon Gen.
Fremont, then living in the city of New
York. l was introduced by him to Thomas
H. Benton, and. at the same time. to Mrs
Fremont. the daughter of the great ex-
Senator.
II found Benton in the library playing
with his notwithstanding silver dol
lars on the fioor-for he had just come
from a lecturing tour in New England and
his pockets were we'll filled with hard cash.
l was presented by Gen. Fremont as the
newly elected Senator from Wisconsin.
Benton rose to his feet. took me by the
hand and said: I am glad to meet you,
sir; a young Senator from a young state,
sir. Perhaps. from thirty years experience
In the Senate. I may tell you something
about the Senate you do not yet know, sir,
but you will surely find out. sir. Do you
know, sir, where the strength Of the Sen
ate lies"
ITO this inquiry replied that, about
twenty years before, I visited Washington
and for two or three weeks looked upon
the Senate from the gallery when he and
such men as Webster. Clay, Calhoun,
| Preston, Wright and Buchanan were the
great leaders in that body. AS youth II
seemed to me the strength Of the Senate
| was in its great men and In their charac-
| ter and brains.
| I'm his emphatic way he said: Young
| man, let me tell you what perhaps will sur
| prise you. The strength of the Senate Is
| in their bellies. sir! Shall l tell you how
| carried through the expunging resolutions
| in Jacksons time? We held caucus after
| caucus and agreed several times when we
| would bring the question to vote. But
| on trial we failed from time to time. When
| ever the majority attempted to sit the
| matter out, about o'clock in the evening
| Mr. Clay who led the minority, would rise
| and move to adjourn. The yeas and nay:
would be demanded and the motion woult
| be lost. Then, perhaps. Mr.. Webster woulC
rise and. in his solemn way. move to lay
the matter on the table. Another call o.
| the yeas and nays, occupying fifteen min
utes. would declare the motion lost. Then
after some speaking or parliamentary skir
| mishing Mr.. Clay would rise again ant
move to adjourn. By this time 1t would b.
| 10 o'clock. and some of the majority woult
begin to say, 1T Is useless: We had bette
adjourn" so an adjournment would be &C
quiesced in.
AFTER several such trials and failure
to come to a vote 1 resolved to make pro
| vision for the weak ones on our side an
to take away from the opposition all rea
sonable excuse for adjournment.
Another time we agreed upon in eau
Gus for a vote-with a firm resolve to sit
out to a finish. / went to Gautier's an
ordered a supper for sixty men to be sen
to my committee room at O'Clock y. m
sharp that evening. i ordered him to hav
IL either hot or cold. did not care which
But one or the other, sure-not lukewarn
sir!
When the time arrived for voting, be
| fore any began to show signs of weakness
| on our side 1 sent a page around the Ser
ate to inform all our friends there was
supper waiting In my committee room
About 9 o'clock Mr.. Clay, as usual rose an
moved that the Senate do now adjourn
While the yeas and nays were being calle
r / sent a page to Mr.. Clay and to Mr.. Wei
ster to inform them that supper with RI
r freshments was provided in my committe
room and that they and all their friend
,, ,, were cordially invited.
""rhe result was that about 10 Ocloc
s that night the Senate came to vote an
o the famous expunging resolutions Wei
passed.
"'Now, young man, you see what tol
: you is true. The strength of the Senate
4 in their bellies. sir! In their bellies, sir.