The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-05-14
MIR. --%DONNELLY'S REPLY TO MR..
- WASuBURNE.

MR.. -:>DoNNELLT's REPLY TO MR.
- WASuBURNE.
A Fall Answer: Made to the Charges
MR.. noNNELLx's SPEECH ENTIRE
~ O.
From The Cong,e.sional Globe Of Hay Cd.
Mr.. Speaker. on the Goth of. March
last, 1 asked i'm this House unanimous
consent to Introduce a bill for a land
grant to aid in the construction of q
railroad from the town sof Taylor's
Falls, in the State Of Minnesota, by way
Of St. CLOUD to the western boundary
Of the State; and asked that it be re.
ferrcd to the Committee on Public
Lands and-printed. An objection was
made by the gentleman from Illinois,
[Mr. Washburoe:] l did not hear any
other objection at the time. 1t seems,
however, that the gentleman from In.
diana mir. Hclman] had also objected.
I Immediately went to the gentleman
from Illinois aud said to him chat / was
about to leave the city to go to the
State of Connecticut to labor in behalf
Of the Republican party in that State
that l must leave the next day., and
that would be Obliged to him as per-
sonal favor if he would withdraw his
ebjoetion and permit me to introduc
the bill. His answer to me was, "Nlr.
Holman has objected" Taking it tor
granted that he meant that he would
not press. his objection, I went to Mr..
Holman. l made the same statement
to him, and, although opposed to me in
politics, he was sill gentleman enough
to say that he would not attempt to in
terfere with the. mere introduction OF
the bill, and Withdrew his objection.
The speaker again put tne question,
and stated that the bill would have its
first and second reading, when the gen.
tleman from Illinois rose in lis seat and
said, IL also object" and it was impos-
sib'e for me to introduce the bill. 1
was filed, as any gentleman would be,
with indignation at this course, at this
seeming i'll faith; and I sat down aud
wrote letter to the gentleman most in
tcrested in that; project, and who had
written to me upon the subject, and
stated merely the facts. send that
letter to the Clerks desk to be read.
(This letter was published in our
issue before the last, aud is still fresh
in the minds Of our readers.)
Mr.. Speaker, that letter, it seems was
printed In the local. paper of the locali-
ty in question and from that was dis
seminated over the entire State. It
also seems that the gentleman from H.
linois has in my district q brother who
has been laboriug fer years to s6rplant
me here in my seat in this body and
come here as member of Congress. The
newspapers Of the State, in comment
ing upon this action of%the gentleman
from Illinois, reflected somewhat upon
tho gentleman's, brother. The result
was that the gentleman from: illinois
wrote and sent to one of the prominent
papers of my State, the St Paul Press,
a letter which I undertake to say is
without a parallel in the history: Of any
parliamentary body on the face-of the
earth-a letter so shocking, so abusive,
so outrageous in its character and in all
its parts that I should hesitate to offend
the ears Of this body with the reading
Of it, did I not feel that justice to my
own reputation demands it. I ask the
Clerk to read the letter, which I now
send to his desk. ..
(This letter was also published on
the 30th- ult.) ).
Mr.. Speaker, I think am justified
in the declaration l have made, THAT the
annals of this Congress, present no par
allel to that letter. I think I shall es-
tablish here that there are in that let
ter -twenty-three distinct statements
which are twenty-three distinct false
hoods: | shall attempt to deal with
them just as rapidly as possible, for my
time is limited.
First, as to the introduction of this
bill. I have here IN my hand the let
ter of MIR. Folsom, lnclcsing the origi-
nal draft of the bill, an imperfect copy
which was obliged afterwards to ma
ture and write out in full. That letter
is dated February 10Th, 1868. 1t came
came here while I was absent. in the
State Of New Hampshire. Upon my
return upon the LIST of March I was
here but twenty days before I again
left the city to take part in the canvass
in the State of Connecticut. During
those twenty days l had upon my hands
the entire accumulated business Of the
time that I had: been absent. AS rap.
idly as possible 1 got through it. re-
wrote, this bill; 1 endeavored to intro
duce aud have it referred on the 20th
of March. So much for the statement
that 1 could have introduced the bill at
any time, since the commencement Of
the session.
Secondly, as to the statement that I
could have introduced: it upon the 23d
of March, the succeeding Monday. I
was then in the State Of Connecticut.
And, sir, the Journal of the House will
show that at the date of the writing OF
that letter, the 10th of that month,
there had not been single call Of the
States 70, the introduction of bills 50
that it was beyond my power to intro
duce it but by the consent of the gen.
tleman from Illinois.
Next, as to the statement that there
is no land in this bill. had supposed
Mr.. Speaker, for I am of a mercitu]
temper, that the gcptlcman's discour.
tesy had been dictated by some tlevo.
tion to the public interest aud had
grown out of his adherence of the land
grants the gentleman seems to have q
very Delirium Tremens of ccoldmy
that be sees rats and snakes in every
thing; and that no wood-pile, however
innocent, can be constructed that tho
gentleman does not see beneath it thu
form Of colored man. But in thi.
case he tells US that he knew or believ