Page:Speeches, correspondence and political papers of Carl Schurz, Volume 5.djvu/59

The debate created great excitement and attracted large audiences to the galleries. On February 19th, Conkling made an elaborate speech in defense of the Administration, attacking Sumner and me and Trumbull. Grant and the whole White House coterie were in the galleries of the Senate to witness our overthrow. As soon as Conkling was through, I demanded the floor to reply instantly, but Ferry of Connecticut moved an adjournment and carried it. I had the floor for the next day. My wife, who had also listened to Conkling, was very much dejected and told me on our way home that she did not think I could answer Conkling's speech. I tried to restore her courage and then employed the better part of the night in studying the documents once more and in arranging my ideas for the reply. But I could not prevail upon my wife to accompany me to the Senate the next day. When I arrived at the Capitol I found the avenues of the Senate Chamber filled with so great a crowd that I could only with difficulty make my way through it. As soon as I got the floor after the morning hour, Fenton of New York moved that the doors of the Senate Chamber be opened to admit the ladies who could not find room in the galleries. This was agreed to and in a few minutes every sofa and every square foot of standing room in the Chamber were filled. This audience was indeed inspiring and I think I never in my life spoke with so much nervous energy, fire and immediate effect. The crowd on the floor and in the galleries would at last break out at every touch, and the presiding officer found it very hard to restrain them. When I was through, the larger part of the audience, after having indulged themselves in all sorts of demonstrations, rose to depart, and proceedings in the Senate had to be suspended for about a quarter of an hour. I had just closed or was about to close, when my wife, who had after all been too restless