The age-herald., 1902-03-06
Washington Day By Day


 in the Senate, and the courage of few old statesmen of heroic mold was alone powerful to prevent an outbreak that would have changed the substance or American government.
 The story has never been told save III its minor part, as anybody may see "ho will turn to the records of less than dozen years ago. The vital the transcen- dent, element Is here again for the first time and is briefly told.
 When the last Force Bill was pending in the Senate Vice President Morton was the president of that upper house. There was a clear Republican majority for the bill; but the Democratic minority. under the rules of the Senate which prevent the cutting off of debate had successfully re- sisted a final vote, and at last the Re publicans realized that 1t was impossible under the rules to pass the bill for the outrage and degradation of the South.
 Then was matched the conspiracy of revolution. Senator Hoar, Senator AL drich and two or three other leading ad- vocates of the bill set about persuading Vice President Morton to apply the clo- ture by refusing to recognize any Senator except one who would demand the previ- ous question and call for a vote. Morton himself disiked the revolutionary propo- sition; but at last, one night after pro- longed conference he yielded to Hoar and the others and consented to take into his weak hands the reins of dictatorship over the Senate.
 He agreed that at certain hour of the following day he would entertain mo- tion for the previous question; would re- fuse to recognize any Senator for further debate; would order the ayes and nays and declare the result, which of course would show majority for the bill, and he would declare 1t to have been passed by the necessary vote
 This final outcome of the conspiracy was meant by the conspirators to be kept profound secret until Morton had begun to play his part But by some means not then known, and which will perhaps never be discovered, information of the des- perate agreement reached Senator Ishafn Harris of Tennessee, now dead, but then the ablest parliamentarian and one Of the | wisest statesmen of the Senate. | Senator Harris instantly realized the vast and calamitous significance of the conspiracy, and at once he determined to resist the revolution by physical force on the floor of the Senate. His Democratic 1 colleagues were informed of the crisis and they readily joined him in his plan Of resistance. Between them it was agreed that Senator Harris should deliver a | speech on the rules of the Senate and on parliamentary government and usages.
 Senator Harris was man of noblest courage and of calmest audacity. The sense of physical fear had no meaning to him. and when early in that days session he arose to speak the last word for those who had opposed the force bill through the peaceful medium of debate, he was as cool and calm as he might have been in offering a simple motion for adjournment. At once he began quietly. and with noble dignity that ever characterized his public appearances, to deliver the most masterful speech on parliam entary law that has ever yet been spoke in our Congress.
 The Senator had not proceeded far in his great argument before the fact began to force itself upon the minds of the conspirators that their conspiracy had been discovered. and then they began to fear the consequences.
 When Senator Harris calmly and pow erfully concluded his speech with a half concealed indication of the resolute pur- pose of the Democrats to resist the reso- lution by force, Morton and his leaders were panic stricken. and the force bill was dead.
 | 'It had been made absolutely and ire vocsbly certain that if there had been 1 any attempt to carry out the revolution ary agreement of Hoar, Morton and the others, there would have been great 1 bloodshed in the Senate that day." de- clared the veteran senator who has in- | formed me of these facts and who stood | by Harris in the momentous and terrible determination to resist revolution in the senate by force of justifable violence.
 
 This general spirit of resistance to revo- lution which found in old Senator Harris such a courageous and masterful expo- nent was the real inspiration of the Democratic opposition to the suspension of Tillman and McLaurin of South Caro- lima on account of their recent disgrace full conduct on the floor of the Senate. The Democrats were fearful of such a precedent being established, holding that if a majority may suspend two sena- tors for misconduct the time might come when the majority should find 1t conven- tent to suspend two dozen or any member for alleged or assumed misconduct
 At the moment when the Senate voted unanimously that Tillman and McLaurin were in contempt all of the senators present and so voting would have prob ably voted to expel the two offending senators if a resolution to that effect had been offered But the contempt pro- ing officer, time to make a blunder which aroused the suspicious of the Democratic senators, not one of whom seems to have been in mood to show a<:y consideration for Tilman or Me Laurin personally. MT. Frye may have had the desire to make still more politi- cal capital for his party out of the fight, but he hastened to back down and then his party senators backed down, and together they made a miserable mess of the whole miserable business
 Still the two Senators for South Caro-