Year: 1871

Mr.. West offered a resolution re-
questing the President to detail an Off.
Ger OF engineers to assist in the survey
now being made under the auspices Of
the State of Louisiana for the strength.
ening OF the Mississippi levees in that
State. Adopted.


Mr.. Morrill,, Of Vermont, offered q
resolution instructing the Committee
on Public Buildings to inquire as to the
propriety of requiring all railroad de-
pots in the city of Washington where
steam engines are used to be further
removed from the public buildings and
public grounds and report thereon at
the next session of Congress. Agreed
to.


Mr.. Fenton obtaining unanimous
consent to make personal explanation
sent to the clerk and had read an arti.
Gle from the Washington Republican OF
this morning, embodying an extract
from the New York Times charging
him with completely in the reported de-
fection of Mr.. Winans of the New York
Legislature.


Mr.. Fenton then said: should not
now notice this attack did it not appear
in a paper supposed to be in some
measure an organ of the Administra-
ton. 1t hardly seems necessary for
me to deny charges or repel insinua-
tons Of this character, but / deem it
best, departing from the rule | had
adopted for myself in such cases, to say
that so far as my having any knowl-
edge, intimation, conference, talk or
thought in regard to the course of Mr..
Winans previous to the announcement
in the press Of what he had done, is
wholly without foundation and false.
/ have not seen Mr.. Winans for three
months past, nor have 1 had communi-
cation with him or others regarding
him. was called away from here on
the 7th Of this month to my home in
Western New York, where l was de-
tained a few days, and on my return
stopped a day in New York and did
not 60 from here last Friday, as
reported. / have known Mr. Winans
for several years, not as an
intimate friend but a person of fair
standing in society and politics, and for
whom | entertained a fair degree OF re-
gard. He was nominated and elected
for the office he holds first while | was
in Europe one year ago last summer
and fall. His course during the first
session was regarded as honorable, and
there was no division in the party, as |
am aware, in reference to his return
last fall. His betrayal Of the conf
deRce and trust is not less startling to
me and the country than it must be to
a patriotic and intelligent constituency
who conveyed him to seat in the Leg
islature. | deeply deplore the act-I
do all acts and conduct which bring dis
grace to men and injury to good cause.
I profoundly sorrow over this act as cal.
culated in some degree, and in some
measure, as seems to be intended by
the use that is made of it in coupling
my name with it, to disturb and divide
the Republican friends in New York. |
condemn, very earnestly, conduct or a
course of action, whether at Albany or
here, which does not tend to strengthen
our cause.


The Senate then took up Mr. Blair's
resolution for information to any stipu-
latior or agreement between the Attor-
ney General and the counsel in refer
ence to the case of Yerger, before the
Supreme Court by which hearing of
that case was postponed.


Mr.. Blair, in reply to an inquiry by
Mr.. Conkling as to the object of the
resolution, stated it might throw great
deal of light on the public questions Of
interest to the people OF the country:
The truth ought not to be concealed
from the people. 1twas supposed there
had been some hugger smuggering in
the case Of Yerger and the case
should be known.


Mr.. Conkling thought it a most ex-
traordinary proceeding, as all lawyers
would recognize, to ask the Attorney
General to communicate the terms Of
private stipulation. He could see no
good accomplished by the resolution.


Mr.. Thurman held that the act OF
the Attorney General was public, not
private. The Senate had already re-
fused to pass a resolution introduced by
himself for the information. He felt
certain that it was not intended this
information should be had.


Pending the discussion on the resolu-
ton, Mr.. Edmunds submitted the report
from the conference committee on the
Ku-Klux Bill.


Mr.. Edmunds proceeded to explain