The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-10-12
Designers
Manufacturers
THE EXPULSION OF BLOUNT.

In connection with the growing
agitation for the expulsion from the
United States Senate of . Robert M.
LaFollette of Wisconsin, it is noted
that the Senate has rarely exercised
this drastic constitutional preroga-
tive. A. number of Senators from
Southern States who failed to resign
when they sided with the Confeder-
acy were formally expelled, but, out
side of these cases, there have been
few explosions from the upper cham
Ter of the national legislature.
The first case was that Of William
Blount Of Tennessee, who was one
of Tennessee's first pair of Senators
and later a colleague in that body
of Andrew Jackson. He was expelled
on July 8, 1897, having served less
than a year. The charge against
him was that of using "seditious and
reasonable words,". which constitut-
ed ga high misdemeanor entirely in
consistent with his public trust and
duty" 1t was based on a private
letter to a friend in which Blount
suggested the possible transfer of
New Orleans and the Floridas from
Spain to Great Britain. This pro-
British plan caused much excitement
at the time, when feeling between
the United States and the mother
country was still very tense, and it
has since been known as "Blount's
Conspiracy" He was summarily
expelled from the Senate, a judy
ment apparently by default, as it
seems that ne did not present him
self for trial then. His formal trial
was postponed until 1898 and early
in 1899 the Senate dropped the mat
ter for lack of jurisdiction, since
Blount, was no longer a member of
the body.
Blount's explanation was that the
privilege of American navigation of
the Mississippi would be more easily
adjusted and secured if it's lower
course were in possession of the
British instead of the Spanish. This
explanation was wholly acceptable
to Tennessee in which State Blount
retained great popularity after his
expulsion. Soon afterward he was
elected to the Senate of Tennessee
over which he presided for a long
priod. He enjoyed a long and dis
tinguished career, as he vas a men,
Der of the Continental Congress and
the Constitutional Convention, and
in 1890 was appointed by President
Washington to be governor of "The
Territory of the United States South
of the Ohio" He founded the city
of Knoxville.
The Chattanooga News, comment
ing upon the Blount case, gives this
interesting sidelight:
'tMrs. Octavia Zollicoffer Bond,
presumably a daughter of Gen. Zol-
licoffer, tells an interesting and ro-
mantle story in connection with Will
liam Blount's expulsion. After his
return to Knoxville, so the story
goes, the sergeant-at-arms of the
senate was sent to arrest Blount and
take him back to Washington. Why
this had been determined upon is not
explained. While at Knoxville, the
sergeant-at-arms was banqueted and
royalty entertained. The best citi-
zenship of the town showered its
attentions upon him; even in the
home of Blount he was treated as
an honored guest. But business was
business, and at last he must reveal
the purpose of his mission. Blount
was Informed that his. guest had
come to convey him to Washington.
Then the former stoutly but politely
told the latter he would not go. A
posse was summoned but not a man
appeared in response, so the errand
had to be abandoned. 1t is related
that when the sergeant-at-arms was
ready to set out on his return jour-
ney, a number of the Tennesseans
whom he had met, assembled on
horse back and formed an escort
for their departing guest. After ac-
companying him for quite a distance,
they babe him adieu, saying: eve
beg to assure you, sir, that William
Blount cannot be taken from Ten
nessee." The senate official pro-
ceeded alone to Washington and
nothing more came of the incident"
This story has the earmarks of
historical truth, for at that time the
Federal Government was so weak and
decentralized that the States openly