Year: 1872

plant tool OF Henry Z. Warmoth or an
t body else


Mr.. Ingraham-I am glad to hear it.
wish the President to understand distinct
that do not say he is the suppliant tool Q


the Governor. If 1 had intended sayin
such u thing. would have said it outside o
| this chamber


The President-You dare not.


Mr.. Ingraham-I said that | look upol


the action of the Governor as an effort t,


elect a tool of his own to the position o


Lieutenant Governor. l do not say who


shall or shall not support for that Office i


the Senate should decide to go into another


election. claim that when the executive


of the State goes beyond what l consider


to be his powers under the constitution.


have right, as Senator, to question his


acts, and to use such language as may


deem proper and necessary for or against
| him.


you for a moment. l do not propose to be


tyrannical in my rulings while 1 occupy


this chair. do not propose to espouse the
cause OF the Governor, nor of any Senator.
| 1t the gentleman uses any unparliamentary
language which does not refer to the Chair,
it would be the province of the Senators to
call him to order; but if he asperses the
motives or character OF the Chair the Chair
will defend itself. (Applause from the
lobby.]


Mr. Ingraham-The Chair is perfectly
right.


The Chair called the lobby to order. Ex-
| ecntive session was then called for. and
| seconded.


After the doors were opened. Mr.. Ingra-
ham resumed his remarks. He said: was
about, to state, Mr. President, when was
interrupted, that when the question came
up in the extra session whether we should
proceed to the election of President of the
Senate, rose in my seat, and with as much
emphasis as could command told the Sen
ate wherein l differed with the Governor of
the State in his right to call the Senate to-
gether on that occasion Now, sir, support
ed as am in my position by the people
represent, l would be recreant to the trust
they have reposed in me were to recog-
nize as valid what consider to be an inva-
sion of their rights. l am sorry that, as
Republican and as a cOlOred man, / am
forced to this issue: but aeceptit, although
it was not sought by me nor by those who
sent me here. So far as am personally con-
cerned, l have no ill feeling against
the gentleman who was elected, and told
him so only day or two ago. AS Sen
atOr have sworn to do my duty, aud l
shall endeavor to perform it to the best of
my ability. 1t questions of great magni
tude arise which are beyond my powers of
solution, l appeal to men who are we'll
known in the community as men of great
legal ability, and whose advice is sought by
abler men than |. | had hoped that some
solution of this difficulty would have been
arrived at earlier / hoped that on the first
day of the session every Senator would be
in his seat SO that this matter could be
settled finally and Immediately, hut it has
been otherwise. In conclusion, l repeat
that l occupy exactly the same position that
| held when the extra session of the Sen
ate was called on the sixth day of Decem
her. l say the election then held was lille
gal. null and void, and the Supreme Court
will so decide, unless it has become as par
tisan in its character as the chief executive
of the State.


Mr.. Barber-I have listened to the dis
cussion upon this question with great in
terest. So far as its legal aspect is con-
cerned, there are other gentlemen who are
far ADLER than myself to speak upon it. l
do not profess to be lawyer. All the
knowledge have of the law is just what is
absolutely necessary to make me good
citizen of the State. l find the Senate
wasting upon the discussion of technicalites
great deal of valuable time, which should
be spent in the passage of such legislation
as the interests of the people demand.
Shall we squaDder the money of the people
in this way 1t seems to me exceedingly
strange that Senators who now at
tack the legality of the action of
his eycellency in calling the extra
session of the Senate should have assem-
bled under that call and gone into the cleo
ton for Lieutenant Governor. | ask them
whether they think the interests of the
State are to be subserved by the discussion
of these minute technIcalitieS, when already
nineteen days of the session have passed
without any Wholesome legislation having
been enacted. | would not. perhaps, have
raised my voice on this question if l had
not heard gentlemen, claiming to have been
elected by Republican votes, appealing to
their constituents for their justification, af
ter they have remained away from their
seats nineteen days, and thereby prevented
the passage Of any legislation in the inter
est of their people. 1t seems that the de-
mand for a proper solution OF this diff
ticulty comes with a bad grace from them.
! believe that if the Senator from Orleans
tMr. Ingrahamj would go before his con-
stituents and ask their approval OF his
course, they would. almost to man, tell
him that the Senate Chamber was the place
to demand redress for any grievances they
may be suffering. | conceive. Mr.. Presi-
dent, that the question of our thorough or
ganizatiOn Is of paramount Importance to
the people of the State, and We should not
consume our valuable time in the discussion
of technical points. l hope Senators will
proceed to the transaction OF necessary
business, and leave the question now under
discussion to the decision OF the people
The ballot box is the proper tribunal to try
this question, and the time will not be long
before an appeal will be made to it.


Mr. Thomas-I must congratulate the
Senate upon the presence of quorum to-
day, as it has given each and every Sen
atOr an opportunity to deliver the speeches
with which they have been filled for the
last twenty days. AT present we have quite
a diarrhea of them. The main question,
however, has not yet been touched-that is.
the interests of the people of the State. |
do not believe the people care who presides
over the Senate if they get certain meas
ures of reform passed. This contest, which
has divided us for some twenty days past.
begins to assume a personal character.
may not be astute enough to see other ideas
which lie beneath it; perhaps some
other Senator with more ability than l
possess may look deeper and see something
else which is hidden from my limited vision.
l have felt it obligatory upon myself to
stitute quorum here to-day for the pur
pose of solving the problem which has
agitated our brains for some time past. l
believe we can fight our battles under the
banners of retrenchment and reform on the
floor of the Senate, and after we shall have
organized properly, will heartily cooper
ate with other Senators to that end.


Mr. Ray-I desire to make a personal ex-
planation in reply to the remarks of the
Senator from St. James (Mr. Hunsaker) in
reference to consistency. ] did not antici
pate such remarks from that gentleman,
from the fact that l had a private conver
sation with him day or two prior to
the meeting of the Senate, and thought he
knew my views in regard to the legality or
constitutionality of the action of the Gov