speech on the day following the great speech made by Gen. Elliott
on the same bill, he said:

"I should have considered more at length the constitutional
argument, were it not for the exhaustive presentation by the
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Elliott) of the law, and the
only law quoted against us in this case that has been cited, to
wit, the Slaughter-House cases. He, with the true instinct of
freedom, with a grasp of mind that shows him to be the peer of
any man on this floor, be he who he may, has given the full
strength and full power of that decision of the Supreme Court."

Garfield, Cannon, Frye, Hale, Hawley, Hoar (Geo. F.), Platt,
Dawes, Phelps, Lamar, Beck, Stephens (A. H.), Randall, Mills,
Cox, and Barnum, were among the prominent members of the House at
that time, many of whom afterwards reached the Senate, and
Garfield, the presidency. General Butler was considered one of
the great constitutional lawyers of that period.

The following relative to Senator Bruce and Mr. Langston may
interest you if you have not already heard of the incidents:

It is always customary when a new Senator appears with his
credentials for his colleague to escort him to the
Vice-President's desk to be sworn in. When Senator Bruce
presented himself, his colleague, Senator Alcorn, was not
present. Senator Roscoe Conkling taking in the situation, walked
over to Senator Bruce and escorted him up the aisle and the oath
was administered. For this gracious act Senator Bruce named his
son, recently of Washington, after the distinguished senator from
New York.

As Mr. Venable, the democrat, was given the certificate of
election by the Virginia officials for the Congressional seat,
Mr. Langston made the contest. The Committee on privileges and
elections voted in favor of Mr. Langston. When the time set for
action on the case arrived, the whole democratic membership
withdrew from the House, thinking that they would catch the
Republicans napping and without a quorom, the republican majority
being small. The Republicans, however, got wind of what the
Democrats were doing and had all of their members rounded up.
They not only seated Mr. Langston but the chairman of the
elections committee took advantage of the absence of the
Democrats and called u