The amendment of Mr. Edmunds was voted down,--Yeas 7, Nays 22,--and the joint resolution passed the Senate,--Yeas 23, Nays 9.[57]
It was understood that the fair artist had received promises of support from Senators in advance. The spirit of the debate on their part belongs to the history of the case. Mr. Nesmith, of Oregon, said:--
“Mr. President, if this was a mere matter of research, I should be very much inclined to defer to the judgment of the Senator from Massachusetts; but, as it is not, and as it requires no great learning, no particular devotion to reading, to discover what is an exact imitation of Nature, I claim that my judgment on such a subject is as good as his own.… He objects to this young artist,--this young scion of the West, from the same land from which Lincoln came,--a young person who manifests intuitive genius, and who is able to copy the works of Nature without having perused the immense tomes and the grand volumes of which the Senator may boast,--a person who was born and raised in the wilds of the West, and who is able to copy its great works.”
Mr. Conness, of California, adopted another style:--
“And my idea of the great Senator from Massachusetts (by which name I am very proud to call him, and which is so well deserved) is, that he is never so great as when he rises and speaks in behalf of generosity, of humanity, when he exhibits to us the intellect and the affections in that happy commingling that is the sweetest and the most beautiful rule of human life and action.”
Mr. Yates, of Illinois, bore his testimony:--
“I almost feel that the Senator from Massachusetts is a barbarian [_laughter_] of the highest order, in attacking this young lady.”
“I have the highest respect for the opinions of my friend from Massachusetts upon all classical subjects, and particularly upon those which relate to most of the fine arts; but in statuary I propose to follow the lead of my honorable friend from Ohio [Mr. WADE], who I think is infinitely superior.” [_Laughter._]
On the other hand, Mr. Howard, of Michigan, said:--
“I know, perhaps, as much of the ability of the young lady to whom it is proposed to give this job as most members of this body. I have met her frequently, as other members of this body have done; and surely she has shown no lack of that peculiar talent known commonly as ‘lobbying,’ in pressing forward her enterprise and bringing it to the attention of Senators.”