The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1867-03-28

the hero Of. Fort Fisher not taken.
{ Roarsof laughter on both sides Of
the Housel also stand here, sir,
in tho name of the American people,
to repel with scorn an attempt toievy
charities BY confsoationn violation,
Of the Constitution Of my country.
That, sir, IL the proportion which
the gentleman Mr.. Butler) dares to
utter in tho American Congress, in
the sacred name OF charity. ZAP.
plasse and laughter.
Mr.. Butler nose TO reply, but the
Chairman announced that the time
to which the House was limited for
debate had expir, ID.
Mr.. Butler asked the privilege Of
the House TO reply.
The Chairman said the: gentleman
could not ask the privilege when tho
House !. was sin Committee Of the
Whole. ~ : \ = e e. : '
Mr.. Butler tlen asked unanimous
consent to speak ten mihutes. !.
Mr.. E!dridgc expressed the hope
that the Housc would not bottle up
the gentleman from Massachusetts.
{ Laughter.1 e +f 'stt
Unanimous consent, having been
given, Mr.. Butler expressed his inti-
mite obligations to tho House forts
kindness, and said / have never con
Bcoaled the fact, which is now 50 Of
.n.issl, put forward, that | voted
for JEFF. Davis in convention of my
party, 65 times. I thaugtlt him the
best statesman of tho South, and
hoped thereby to stay the threatened
Edisunion which, I:ieared, was. in the
distance. | was foiled, and disunion
came. Tho difference between me
and tho honorable gentleman from
Ohio is this: that while Jeff. Davis
was Senator.of the United States,
and was claiming to be the friend Of
the Union, I supported him; while
the gentleman (Mr. Bingham) sup
ports him. while ho. is traitor. I
have changed my support Laugh
ter] / saw the error Of my way, and
repented; but did not expect q blow
to be aimed at me in that direction
from that side Of the House, which sup
ported him then, has he supported
him eversincp. and is still supporting
him and his friends. Laughter and
applause. Mr.. Bingham,s seat is on
the Democratic side Of the House.
Rep. II did not mean to impugn
the honor or integrity Of the gentle
man from Ohio. only said I thD't
he was leading the other side of the
House. e 1870,
! Mr.. Bingham-If the gentleman
had qualified his words by saying he
thought SO, I would not have said one
word. 4. lsqs
Mr., Butler-I will try Is repeat
the words used, ]. said the gcntle-
men had gone in spirit, as he had
gone in body, over. to the side of the
House I thought so then, / think
SO now; | said SO then, | say so
now, Laughter I cannot take it
back, sir. Manifestations ofencour-
agement.1 The gentleman has had
the good taste to attack me for the
reason that I could not do any more
injury to the enemies Of my country.
/ did the best coald. Other men
gilmore ability could do,more, and no
man is ready to give them higher
plaudits for 'rheirsvalor, their discre-
ton, and their conduct than myself.
because could not, do moro I felt
Exceedingly chagrincd. If, during
tho war, the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Bingham) did as much as /, 1
should be glad to recognize thatmuch
done; but the only victim OF the gen.
tlvman's prowess that 1 know of was
an innocent woman hanged upon the
scaffold; his only victim in the war
was one, Mrs. Surratt. / can sustain
tho memory Of Fort Fisher, if he and
his associates can sustain him in the
blood .ofa woman tried by. Military
Commission, and condemned with
out sufficient evidence, in my judg-
ment.
Mr.. Bingham asked and obtained
five minutes to reply. Hesaid: AT
ter ten years Of service in this House
the gentleman will look in vain for
any remarks of mine personal to
mortal man on this floor, save when
| was gratnitously assailed by others.
| have observed the amenity of de-
bate, and the amenity Of personal
conduct and Of the House, in such
form, l trust, as entities me to tho re-
spect and the consideration of those
who know me best ; but the gentle
man Mr.. Butler), while be talks Of
matters Of late occurrence, and CHI ose
to constitute himself my Judge, touch
ing the integrity Of my conduct as q
sworn representative Of the people;
and when comes to make his reply
to me, feeling that he has done 4 dis
honor to himself and an ininStice to
me, undertakes to qualify his rash
judgment by saying that he only
said at first that be thought 30, It
never would have disturbed my