Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-02-13

ttats0H, OF lOacG - The Freedmen Of III
District Paid tor-One Traitor Smith,
not To0-e.c. etc. -s.4.
,i,.e. .... WAsHINGroN, Feb. 8, 1868.
The week gone by was great time for fill
busters and, last but not least, niggers. Their,
has not been so much fil,bustering done II
Congress- since the memorable eras ending ir
the election Of Banks to the speaksrship, ant
then of Pennington. The minority in ths
Hou have put in requisition all the tactics
Of which parliamentary rules are susceptible
have compelled whole nights session by
frivolous, dlatory motions and proceedings
have been riotous, noisy, drunk and disorder
ly when they ought TO have been in bed
have spoken treason, threatened revolution
have menaced the government and sought to
cast abroad in the army the seeds of lnsubor-
dination and mutiny. They have indeed, for
a whole week now, in the expressive but in.
elegant language of Mr.. Toney Weller, "been
playing hi abundantly." And to what end
To prevent thorough arming of all loyal
people readyto bear arms against the slavehtld
ers' rebellion. That is the whole of it, Equivo-
cate as they may, elocutionize themselves blue
in the face, deal in clap trap as they choose,
cover their design up as best they can, ard it
is still the same thing sympathy with armed
traitors and pusillanimous tenderness for the
avowed enemies of cur country. 1t was sad
spectacle, this display Of democratic filibus-
tering, compared with the firmness, dignity
and patriotism Of the majority. The conduct of
the filibusters was the yenal, corrupt scrib-
bling of the era of the Restoration when COM
pared with the lofty creations of the author
Of Paradise Lost. 1t would require but little
change in Macaulay's description to make it
precisely fit the case in hand. The filibusters,
then, were venal and corrupt takers, with
just sufficient talent to clotLe the thoughts Of
a b!ackguard in the style of a plug-ugly "a
loathsome herd, which could be compared to
nothing so fitly as to the rabble Of Genus,
grotesqae monsters, half beastial, half hu-
man, dripping with wine, bloated with glut-
tony, and reeling in obscene disorder. Upon
these the Goddess of Liberty looked down,
like the chaste lady of the masque lofty, spot
less, and serene-to be chatted at, and point
ed at, and grinned at, by the whole rabble of
Satyrs and Gobllns. ....~- .t
Do not think that 1 am too strong in these
expressions. The conduct of these filibust-
ers was base beyond expression. trust
never again to witness such scenes, so humil-
iating to my country, as these fellows have
been enacting during this week of contest
The bill giving to the President the power of
arming negroes was passed last night at dark,
and the long agony was over.
Representative Wilson, of Iowa, made one
of the best speeches in favor of the bill which
the conflict called forth. He made a very
strong, and in fact unanswerable argument,
on the correlative rights and duties Of ALE
glance and professionalism every citizen
owing allegiance was entitled to the protection
of government, and bound in turn to give it
his support, by arms if necessary or expedi-
ent. The government had q much better
right to the services of black men than their
so-called masters. He elaborated the poilt
to some extent, and then, touching for mo-
ment on the provision of the Constitution
giving Congress the unqualified power to
raise armies and maintain navy, he dwelt
at some length upon the example and the
words of Washington, Madison and jackson
touching the question in hand. He gave
+" cousin Charles" Wickliffe and Sunset Cox
pretty severe passing notices, and was inter-
rupted by those gentlemen, who got Rolands
for their divers, every time. The House paid
Mr.. Wilson the unusual compliment of atten-
lively listening to him, whilst the galleries,
ram jam full, heard him with evident satisfac-
ton throughout. The papers here had an.
nounced that he would have the floor, and
about all the Iowans in the city were present.
They were all very much pleased with the
speech.
The late shareholders of this District have
been getting the money for their late slaves
during the past week, under the act of eman-
cipation. There was big crowd of these
dealers in men and women, and amongst
them they received quite snug sum Of
money. 1t was a spectacle not very honor
able to white human nature to see these rows
of men and women walking up and getting
money for black human nature. 1t was a
mighty good day, methought, for Mr.. Belize
bub, or whatever you call him, who has a
barbed iron tail and all that horrid sort Of
thing. Nearly year has now passed since
emancipation took effect in this District. It
has resulted in great good, and has worked
no hardships whatever upon the community.
The negroes, with scarcely an exception, re-
main here, enjoying their freedom with a
hearty zest, and taking care of themselves
far better than the majority of the immediate
constituents Of Ben. and Fernando Wood. =
They do not bring about jot more of COM
petition with white labor than they did whilst
slaves. The price Of their labor goes to
themselves instead of their owners-that is
all. Loyal men and women get the money
now, instead of traitors and she rebels.
There is clerk in the Pension Office ol
the Interior Department by the name o.
Smith, who is q rebel from the Old Dominion
Mr.. Briggs, of Iowa, formerly editor of the
Gate City, wrote note to Mr.. Secretary
Usher, the other day, informing him Of ths
rebelism Of the said Smith, and referring hin
to our delegation in Congress as to his owr
standing, etc. It SO happened that Hon. Jas