The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-03-03
A LITTLE BIRD TOLD HIM.
THE VAR SENATOR MUsHbA'"
BEARD A CAUCUS COMPACT.
In Language Cbasfe and Yelled SOUTH
eide Senator Gave an Idea OF the De-
pIorabie Condition in the Black Bel.

| Ut senate fDi4LDtI H-L fll-HA wa
filed with large crowd assembled 10
hear Che debate on the bill which pro-
vid-s for the ENGRAVING Of the Australian
system Of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS law.
The bll came up on the question Of ie-
considering the vote at the morning
session. which defeated an amendment
providing for the exemption from The
operations Of the bill OF the counties
and cities represented by Senators Par
| rlsn. Echols, jones' and Mushbach, which
was pending when the 3 clock recess
was taken. After the disposal Of Il Iew
minor matters the decks were cleared
| To- action.
At $50 o'clock the pending question was
called for and Senator Ecnols. who held
tie floor when the recess was taken,
reopered the debate.
Abe Penang Question.
He said when the bill In question was
under consideration elsewhere IL was
understood that IL members objected
they could withdraw their counties from
the operations Of the bill. and that II
was not fair now that they should be
bound down 10 such legislative action
as occurred in the afternoon
lie Sdll, as lar rs It tOAlu Atlis ilio
constituents wanted the law to remain
as II is, and that the elections there
were perfectly fair
Senator Jones said the Legislature had
stayed in session nearly the constitutional
period before this matter was agitated;
that early in the session a resolution
had been returned by the Committee on
Elections, with the report that il was
nexpedient to legislate on eleciiOns that
a similar bill to this had been submitted
five weeks ago and had not received any
consideration at the hands of the com
mttee, and now, at this late day, It
is brought up for action.
He said. as far as he knew. the cleo
tons were fair. and that the Anderson
Mccormick law was the most easily
defended measure enacted for years. He
took the ground that this bill had not
been properly considered. and that the
Senate was not I'm a position 10 pass on
il i'm a judicial frame of mind.
That it was a measure that struck at
the very root Of our political system.
Being asked If his counties were ex-
empted. il he would not vote for il, he
said he would. and that one Of the induce
ments held out when the bin was con-
sidered was that those counties who ala
not desire it should be excluded from
its operations; that he and others had
right to ask this: that he did not stay |
in the caucus Thursday night because !
he understood that he could Withdraw |
his counties.
Little Bird Told HIM.
Senator Mushbach asked the Senate |
as a matter Of right. in view Of what had |
happened in the last few nights, that his
counties be excluded. He said that it was |
clearly, positively. and taciuy understood
i'm the caucus that those senator's who so
desired might exclude their counties from /
operations Of the bill. Mr. Mushbach said
that bis references to the caucus Were
made necessary by this action of the
Senate, and that he would now. in order
TO prove what he had said was correct.
quote what Senator Flood said I'm the
caucus last night"
Senator Flood: Il object to the Senator
repeating anything l said in a Demo-
cratic caucus"
Mr.. Mushbach: "Then ! VIII say. Mr..
Chairman. that / heard some one. some
wherc--l will not say in caucus-pcrhaps
d little bird told me that somewhere. per-
haps south Of James river, that the An
law could no more be
enforced, as everybody was Disguised with
it,"
Senator Walton: Everybody knows you
refer to the caucus"
Senator Mushbach: "Wen, what II they
do? / think 1 am within parliamentary
rules"
Mr. Mushbach then continuing. said
Another little bird told me that II was
all right TO make a law for elections ap-
plicable to some counties and not TO
it was so in Maryland. Let
us be exempted and go back home and
take the responsibility of it with our
people"
Sickening Work.
Senator Flood said until that moment
he had thought that what was said in q
Democratic caucus was inviOlate. and
would be kept with strictest secrecy, but
from this on a Democratic caucus would
mean 10 more to him than the floor of
he open Senate.
He denied that there had been any
compact in regard to this matter; that
what was referred TO was an expression
If opinion by individual senators who had
10 authority or power 10 bind the Senate;
hat if any faith had been broken il had
'cen broken by the other side by whose
opposition this bill. which had been regu-
ary reported by the committee, had been
lllo Ned 10 sleep on the calendar, and
hat when ii was called up out of its
ocular order at the previous session de-
great surprise 10 them. and that they
we're now crying out broken faith. lie
aid this law had been adopted i'm thirty ,
tx States, and none who had tried il
would give it up. lie said the elections :
n his county were fair except that money
vas used in elections for cOrrupiing :
oters, and he looked TO this as the only !
ope to stop this sickening kind Of work. 1
The Party Dependent On II. ]
Senator Hay spoke next, and said ne {
would refer TO nothing which occurred J
utside of the Senate; that the bill came !
0 the body from the committee, the Z
ighest authority TO which they could ]
)ok; that he was not like the senator {
rom Highland. willing TO see il pass II
few counties were exempt that he was
n favor OF it, because he believed II was
good measure. ana that the future OF the
Prosperity OF the State was wrapt up In ,
/. and because he believed the success :
( the domir ent white Iarty OF the state
ias dependent upon il. lie said he was !
pposed 10 excluding any counties, be
ause. though the system Was recognized Z
s the fairest AID purcst in the world, II n
'cre applied to some unties and not TO .
theirs that II would reflect on the domi- :
ant party in the state.
Senator Echols again spoke. and main h
aimed that tacit understanding existed I
/ regard 10 the exemption of such coun- h
es as were desired by the senators.
Senator Watts said he knew nothing Of
MS bill until the last few days: that IL
as not needed in his part of the State, =.