The Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1870-1875, 1870-12-14
CONGRESSIONAL.
The Arlington Estate.
The Franking Privilege.
st. CrOlx & Lake Superior Railroad.

On motion of Mr.. stuart, the credentials
Georgia, were taken front the table and re-
ferred to the Judiciary Committee.
Bills were introduced as follows:
BY Mr.. Carpenter granting lands to the
stale of Wisconsin, to aid in the construc-
ton Of q railroad from Milwaukee to Lake
Superior, via Green bay, Wis.
By Mr.. Kellogg to aid IN the construction
of g railroad and telegraph line, from Ver-
millionvilles Louisiana, 70 Marshall. in
the Texas Pacific Railroad.
By Mr.. Spencer reviewing and confirm
ing the land grant IN aid of the Selma,
Rome & Dalton Railroad, States Of Georgia
and Alabama.
All the foregoing bills were referred to
the Committee on Public Lands.
Mr.. McCreeTy asked to have introduced
the resolution, notice of which he gave
Win liz q View 10 the restoraiion of the
Arlington estate 10 the widow of General
Robert E. Lee, the removal of the grave
yards on the premises, and general res
tltutlon of any membranes placed
therein in the Interest or the Govern
ment.
Mr.. Edmunds hoped leave would not be
granted TO dig up the bones of our bold
soldiers, in order that certain property
might be given back to rebel owners, and
was IN his mind, perfectly monstrous
MT. McCreery then occupied twenty
the circumstances attending the recent
decease of the two foremost Generals on
either side IN the late war, Lee and
Thomas. He spoke Of the friendly
Intimacy existing between these Gen.
erals up TO the commencement of
| the starry emblem OF the Union. and lee
resolved 20 stand or fall by the State that
had given HIM birth; OF the general sor-
row and respect which manifests itself in
| either section succeeding the mournfuI in
| telIigence OF their decease. He proceeded
| TO eulogize on the tnhsxtble virtue, mill
/ tary genius and valOr Of General Lee re-
marking that the American people would
never reltnquish the property winch they
/ held In the name ana fame of The great
| Virginian. He was devoid of ostentaIion,
| and, frOm the testimony of most intimate
Rcquaintances, sin gularIy exempt from the
i faults and foilieS of other men. His life
/ was that Of q hero, Christian and gentle
/ man. There might he those in the Senate
wno Wo9lo i,1, oerlTe eomloTt by casting as
| all sections of the country would eVentu-
1 ally accord TO his merits their just deserts.
/ The beloved partner OF his bosom still lived
In her behalf, Justice was now implored.
She belonged 10 q race found bestoWtng
charity, but II property could not force her
| the barrier that excluded her from Arling-
/ ton. ~
| welded to the Institutions and destin1es OF
/ Virginia, General Lee was the ward OF the
nst1On,that the nation had fed clothed and
| educated him that he lived az the Capital
/ and when the Capital called upon him 10
defend the flag under which he had been
back and planted his % cannon in in
j sight Of the Capital he had sworn
{ TO protect and defend. but he (Edmunds)
/ would not dignity the proposition by dis
| cuss1 g It. General Lee was now dead and
the only regret he thought was that a right
Lee had not died either In his youth or in
patriotic manhood. or even that he had
/ not died earlier than he did by the hand
of the law which penalty would have
Rtoned in some measure for his crime.
! Mr.. TrumbnIl, while disclRimtng any
| sympathy with the apparent object of the
| resolution, which was to surrender and
mutilate tue last resting place of thou
| sands Of the Union dead argued that it
1 would be, II not, unprecedented, at least
| unparliamentaIy to deny a member q
| simple request for leave to introduce any
legislation not in itself Insulting 10 the
Mr.. Carpenter inquired whether Mr..
/ 1rumbuu could state the proposition more
/ remove the slaughtered dead Of the Union
army for the purpose of returning farms
Mr.. Trumbuu replied That while the
res LUTON was, without doubt repugnant
to the sense OF the nation, It was not in
that sease insnlting to the Senate.
MeSsTss Edmunds and sumner cited two
instances, one In the case of the proposed
for the repeaI Of The fnaitiTe ssve adt Si
when requests for leave TO bring in the
bills were refused. and the Vice President
enumerated i've additional instances.
| MT. Morton protested against the consid-
Grafton OF the resolution he had heard
an eulogy upon the character of Gen. Lee,
in the Senate of the United States, and
TINS OF his rebellion. This man, Gen. Lee
was as all others in the rebellion, a sinner
he had stnned against light and knoWI-
edge; his Revolutionary ancestry, his oath
OF realty as an officer of the United states
hir finished education and high abilities
all forbade him thus to sin, and the enor.
nifty ef the crime could not be concealed
by decorating his grave with flowers OF
that the Senate should gravely consider
ths proposition to degrade the memories
of the patriotic dead of Arlington, by re
, moving their bones to 3 less haIIoWed
ground, In the tender consideration of the
: right of the widow of an arch rebel in the
worst rebellion IN history.
Mr.. Scott said the coupling together o
the names OF Thomas aud Lee recalled ut
, terances of stephen A.Douslas, made at thC
time those two gen ntlemen resolved to traY
Ell opposite paths, that at that time theri
) were bat two classes In the nation, patri
Senate of the United States had listened
to the eulogy upon the chief conspiratol
in an attempt 70 tear down the govern
ment was but another illustration of tina
: unparalleled magnanimity and mercJ
. which had characterized the treatment by
the government of those engaged in In
! rebellion. Had the subject OF that eulogy
D succeeded in his effort, where would tn
triumph. sisvery ry9 WouId bave cast a SarS ~
Z shadow all over this land Of freedom, from
the ST. Lawrence to the Gulf OF Mexico
J To-day, the doctrine OF secession is burfee
Z beneath the bones of thousands, to fee
: that their blood might seal the cOVeaan
: speciacle OF res1rrectionfsts coEning her
D to drag dead doctrine out from beneath
4
Mr.. Sawyer said that the Arlington es
tate, like thousands of acres of property i
J. the south, had been forfeited, and sold a
i' bought by the United States. In the All
q senee of any memorial from Mrs. Lee, b
c regarded the contemplated inquiry as vi
terIy worthless. -e
! Messrs. Harlan and Patterson also OF
?. posed the resolutions. The former depre
I Gated that the day should ever come Whe
equal s0licttuQe shall be shown. by Con
!. gress for tne welfare Of rebels and Union
!. ISIS alike, the latter denonnctng the ofs
. 70 rake up the bones OF our valiant dea
g in order TO prepare home for one win
fed from 1t, even before her husband. a
Lee had spit upon the nations flag an
d | hurled defiance in the face Of the natiol
a | and the request now made in. behalf {
! his memory would, If granted, be an ou
u / rage upon decency.
j Mr.. saulsbnry dlsapproved that part
- the resolution looking to the removal
y graves from Arlington. He could not sc
D. that the merits of the cause which GeneI
> al Lee engaged in were In controversy. 3
regarded the question as enc simply of I'll
ability of q Senator to exercise his ripl
le TO Introduce business.
p Mr.. Thayer reminded the Senator tn,
he has predicted that II the Congressionl
"a policy was not rigidIy carried out in u
he Southern states. the day would con
= when the leaders of the Rebellion yTouI
.s be honored in the United States Senat
u In one sense, the day has come soon
Mr.. Nye said that the unseemIng
u haste In, certain quarters, to restore ira
IL
ar verdict to-day, and with posterIty, is az
~ will be- that General Lee is q traitor, M
be Senator Mr.. McCreery, had declared al
na hero. He was a Benedict Arnold: b
what would have been thought of q ms
y. who could have proposed to restore Ben
is dict Arnold his property in Connected
:, Mr.. Flanagan, In some general reuaark
~ spoke OF Davis as another great trait
T0 VINO still l1Veds and in the light OF recel
az events, IL was not unreasonable to expe
an cary move 70 make him President.
y MI sumner desired that parliamenta
,P- law should be administered mon the pre
= ent occasion, with the utmost rigor, wi
~ q view to the most SUNNI arv Il gifan0sItion
It. the resolution. He had nothing to say
n General Lee, except that his name stoC
= high on the catalogue OF those who h
en- imbued. theiE hands in their country
m. blood. He was content to hand him OV
or to the avenStng pen of history. he ]
VI garded the reso tuition as indicative of 4
nd sentiments OF the political associates
ii the Senator from Kentucky, and as pref
~ uring the policy they would estabIi
0B should they Obtain power, policy Whf
ia was to take hold OF the rebslIion bV 1
= hand to install IL in high place of DOW
nc Could he make his voice heard from Ms
sachusettS to Louisiana, It would ba
IL warn his fellow cOuntrymen, especially
the South, agaiDSL that con1binatf(
gle which now show : Its hand IN the proI
% sition of the Senator from Kentucky.
said he was present when Secretary Sts
Dr. ton gave the orc ef sor the interment of
Mt dead bodies of Union soldiers at ArliI
I'd ton, and that Secretary stanton stated
tS0 the time hts purpose in selecting the pIa
Ia which was forever prohibited the re
oid | statement of the Lee family there. 3
49, that If they did coma fhaT- ~, h