The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1872-05-24

do so.
Mr.. Speer, of Pennsylvania, here inter
rupted and raised the point of order that
Mr.. VOORHEES, was not making personal
explanation, but that lie was making a po-
litlcal speech.
The Speaker overruled the objection, as
Mr. VOORHEES, was speaking of matters per-
sonal to himself
Voices on the Republican sidc-said Go
on, go on.
! Mr.. Voorhees, then proceeded with his
speech amid great excitement and confl-
sion. He repeated that Mr.. Greeley, after
three years of war, had still held and pub
llshed the same sentiments, and they still
stood unreversed. Was man fit to be ell
waited to the Presidency who stood COM
mltted to the doctrine that whoever desired
to dissolve their connection with the Gov
eminent had the inalienable right to do so2
! That might commend him to some people,
but it would not when his subsequent
course was called to mind. Some of the
highest men in the South had told him
(Voorhees) with tear in their eyes, that
more than any one thing which satisfied
them that they could have separate sys-
tenn fgovernment and form ofGovernment
to suit themselves was the voice of the then
victorious Republican party, speaking
through its acknowledged organ. And yet
when the Southern people did what this
man had told them they had the inaliena-
bic right to do, no wild beast, hungry for
blood ever screamed over its prey, as he
Greeley had shouted son to Richmond :"
to kill every one of them for doing what
he told them they had right to do. That
was a solemn page of history, which could
not be reversed. The waters of the ocean
could not wash it out. Mortal man could
not gainsay it. A red sea ofblood had not
been enough to satisfy this man; but he
had also insisted upon the confiscation of
the homes and property Of the women and
children of the South. Others might do
as they pleased, but for him (Voorhees) and
his household he would not do this thing.
Parties to be successful must be banded
together on common principle. No 9th
er combination of men was worthy of sue
cess. He was told that his party desired
success against this Administration. No
one desired it more than himself, but there
was something that was better than sue
cess, and sweeter to the heart than success.
That great man Henry Clay had said that
it was better to be right than to be Presi-
dent and so he said that it was better to
be right than to succeed. He entered his
solemn protest against the attempt to trans.
fer the Democrats of the country-as loyal
body of voters as ever lived-to a camp
where there was nothing belonging to
them.
Roosevelt, of New York, asked Mr.. Voor-
hees whether he would support the candi-
date of the Democratic National Conven-
ton OF Baltimore, whoever that candidate
might be.
Mr.. Voorhees, replied that he was not in
the habit of boiling Democratic nomina-
tons. He believed that the gentleman
himself would have some difficulty in an
swering his own question. Laughter But
he did not despair of success. His position
was in favor of standing by the principles
of his party, and he would vote for the man
who represented those principles. He had
no fears, however, of what the Baltimore
Convention would do. But he could not
vote for a man who spoke of the Democrat
ic party as that to which all the haunts of
debauchery gave nine-tenths of their sup
port. 1t had been sometimes said that this
nominee had gone bail for Jefferson Davis
when he was in prison, but that was too
narrow a platform for any party to stand
upon. Laughter. 1t would be most
dangerous thing to raise an issue as be-
tween the man who put Mr.. Davis in Jail
and the man who bailed him out. 1t
would not be safe issue at the North, and
he informed bis Southern friends not to
make it. 1t might prompt comparison
which would not be favorable to the nom
inee of the Cincinnati Convention. Mr.
Davis had not been helpless. A hundred
millions OF property at the South stood
ready to bail him, and it sometimes seemed
to him (Voorhees) that it was merely piece
of restless impotence on the part of the
nominee of the Cincinnati Convention to
offer himself as bail for Mr.. Davis. When
Andrew johnson and Edwin NJ. Stanton,
Secretary of War, desired and proposed (as
he knew to be the fact) to arrest Robert E..
Lee, Joseph E Johnston and other promi-
nent Confederate officers, there was but one
man who could prevent that thing being
done, and that was the present incumbent
of the Presidential office. Gen. Grant had
stepped forward and told them that these
men had given him their parole as soldiers,
and that parole should be respected
Applause from the Republican side of the
House.
Mr.. Speer, of Pennsylvania, said he want
ed to call the attention of the Democracy
of the country to the fact that Mr.. VOORHEES,
was applauded by the Republicans.
Mr.. Sherwood, of Pennsylvania, said the
speech was made in the interest of the Re-
publican party.
Mr.. Speer was understood, amid the con-
fession that ensued, to tell Mr.. Voorhees, to
go to the White House and get his pay.
Mr.. Voorhees,, resuming, said that if he
should be driven to take the stump and
press the claims of Mr.. Greeley, he would
find candidate opposing him who had
done more and kinder things for the South
than his nominee had done.
Mr. Roosevelt here charged that Voorhees,
had recently been in consultation with
President Grant at the White House.
Mr.. VOORHEES, said he had not crossed the
threshold of the White House for three
years, and whoever made such statement
uttered vile calumny.
Mr.. Roosevelt said he made that state
ment on information given him. He had
heard two or three days ago that such
an interview had taken place.
Mr.. Voorhees-Then the gentleman asso-
ciates with men who do not tell the truth.
If he voorhees, was now making his polit
ical grave he could step into it. He had
made his speech for himself, and did not
pretend to speak for any one else.
Mr. Randall, of Pennsylvania, asked Mr.
V. whether he would have voted for Judge
Davis and advocated his election if he had
I Al