The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-09-03

reproached Congress for its 'swastoful extrav-
asance in adding to the public debt, thereby
creating necessity for additional taxation
Judge Rice should have remembered that this
same Congress declined to favor his scheme
Tor constructing Northern Pacific railroad
at the public expense. 1t may be true that
Congress in its caution to avoid needless eX-
pense, rejected measure which promised am
pie returns in developing the resources of the
country but 1t is not for Mr. Rice to talk ofthe
"wasteful extravaganza" OF a body of men
who refused to pledge the credit of the gov
eminent for the construction of his railroad
Mr.. Sweat and his friends, in 1854, while the
public debt was still increasing, advocated in
Congress grant of fifty million acres of the
public domain for this Northern Pacific rail
road, thus throwing away our governmental
resources and relying upon burdensome taxa
ton Tor the payment Of the debt. Is this man
to be recommended as prudent legislator?
On the 10th of December, 1868, Mr.. Rollins
OF Missouri, offered resolution declaring that
the House was in favor of an earnest and Sue.
cessful prosecution of the war, and would give
warm and hearty support to all measures
which would be most effective in speedily
overcoming the rebellion and securing a res
toration of peace, and which should not in.
fringe the Constitution and tend to subvert the
true theory and character Of the government
TWAS substantially the same resolution which
in July, 1861, passed the House with only two
dissentient votes-and one of the men who
voted against it became afterwards member
of the Confederate Congress- Mr.. Rollins
asked to have his resolution referred to the
committee In the rebellious States, and on
this motion Mr.. Sweat, with Brooks, and Cox
and VOORHEES,, and Wood, voted "No."
Mr.. Sweat subsequently, in advocating the
passage ola bankrupt bill, mildly remarked
that it was incorrectly claimed that the de-
mand TO be relieved from their honest debts
comes alone from New England" He had
sat by short time before without word
when Sunset" Cox made an attack upon
New England, which brought Blaine and
Dawes to their feet at once. Is it not best to
have somebody 10 represent the First District
who will know ofsome better designation than
incorrect claim" for SANDER? During the
same speech, Mr. Sweat graciously remarked
that the bankrupt bill seemed to be "one OF
the very few designed for the benefit of white
men" during that Congress. Legislation per-
tanning to the war, it appears, Mr.. Sweat did
not regard as designed for the benefit of white
men. r.r..5f
1t was during the first session of the 3Sth
Congress that Frank Blair undertook to hold
seat for Missouri, procured by the most out
raseous frauds. 1t was shown that soldiers
from Ohio, Illinois and other States voted for
Gen. Blair without shadow of right, and the
Missouri soldiers, to make an even thing of
voted twice! The fraudulent votes thrown
out left d clear majority for the contestant Mr.
Samuel Knox. Mr.. Sweat, with all the cop
perheads in the House voted to give the seat
to Blair-the tendencies of the Blair family
having by that time become quite obvious.
of course Mr.. Swe at voted against paying
the colored troops their just dues. The APP
preparation bill provided that from the time
of enlistment they should be "enUUuru re-
ceive the pay, bounty and clothing allowed
to such persons by the law existing at the
time of their enlistment" leaving the law to
be determined by the Attorney General. Mr..
Sweat was not willing to pay the men who
which the law allowed them.
A man who voted not to pay black soldiers
what the law allowed them, could not be ex-
pected to vote Tor the bill to repeal the fugi-
tive slave law. Mr.. Sweat voted to keep upon
the statute book that odlous enact ment which
Southerners themselves confessed they would
never obey. He voted also to reject the en-
rollment bill presented by the military COM
mittee, to remedy the defects of previous leg
islation which had failed to reinforce the ar
my. He did not offer to amend the bill; it
was not the proposed method of raising troops
to which Mr. Sweat objected He was oppos-
ed to any method of raising troops, and voted
to reject the bill outright.
The man who SO consistently voted with
the obstructionists had the singular impu-
dence to use in speech against the policy OF
confscation, such language as this: 81 say
"here, before my God and before all men who
"can hear or read what I say, that the pur-
"pose of my heart, the purpose of my con-
"stituents dreadfully misrepresentedl so far
'as know anything about it, is not to en-
''barrass but honestly to aid the Administra-
"tion in putting down this unholy and wicked
rebellion" That was the purpose of the
loyal men of this district. That is their pur-
pose now The rebellion still shoulders. In
Western Louisiana De Soto parish has risen
and our troops have been once more arrayed
in line of battle; in North Carolina the new
State Constitution has been rejected on the
ground that President johnson had no right
to dictate terms; in New Orleans and Mem
ptis, riot and murder attest the angry passion
still unquenched beneath the surface of South
ern society. We want representative whose
notion of the way to put down rebellion is
not like Mr.. Sweat's. "The purpose of NJ
heart" says Mr.. Sweat, calling God to wit
ness, "is not to en- barrass the government
He voted against the CONSUMPTION law, against
increasing the pay of the soldiers, against con-
fiscation Of rebel property, against emancipa-
ton of rebel property, against enrolment Of
black soidiers-all with the best possible in
tentionsl "Good intentionsr' says Sidney
Smith, ''don't talk to me of good intentions
A Bengal tiger with his tail up isn't half SO
dangerous as genuine fool with good inten-
tions" Let us take honest John Lynch, who
knows his own mind and goes straight to his
mark whenever he has anything to say or do
who not only talks about an "unholy and
wicked rebellion" but always VOTES AGAINST
IT. .
MIR. PillsSury Three Years Ago
The Pennington Chronicle, published as il
were newt door IN tbe Office of Mr., Pillsbury