New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-06-29
THE BACK PAY BILL.
Speech of Hon. Matt Ii. Carpentcr,s De.
liyered n Jnne.Xillc. June rs, 1873.

The Forty second Congress passed an ac'
increasing the salary OF the President, mem
bers of the Cabinet, JUDD yes OF the Supreme
Court, and meniDe:. u. Congress; and The
act provided that the Forty second Con
gress should receive the same pay that wa:
fixed for subsequent Congresses. l gave
this act not only my vote, but icy cordla
and Conscientious support And at the re
quest of a large nu,lbt. OF your citizens,
have appeared before you this evening tt
give the reasons which induced me to sup
port this measure.
Contrasting the friendly terms in which
your letter dsapiroved OF my course witt
tie angry ana unreason.ng vituperatlons o.
the press, and standing tonight before al
intelligent audience inclined 70 inquire be
fore they decide. and hear before they con
denim; can appreciate. as never before, the
satisfaction OF Paul. who after having beer
buiieted before subordinate ma gistrates
came at length to the seat 81 kingiy power
and was informed tina. lie could speak toi
himself.
Before comm: 20 the precise point l IN
tend 10 discuss. le. he refer 10 the aDnorlna
condition OF things existing il Washington
and throu5 hout the country last winter
which. i'll my belle. has caused the u,'roal
which followed VIVA, i, SO courteously
sty,ri, The back pay steal" l refer tl
Il any one had gone in 1861 to meet our
troops as they were lying in rout and con
fusion from Bui. Run. and had told then,
that they were simply in a panic; that the
rebels were really whipped: that no enemy
was pursuing them: that all they had To
do was TO stop running themselves TO death
and sit down Oh the grass and cook their
supper it is likely that he would have been
run over and trodden uuder foot by our re-
treating soldiery. Yet every one now
knows that such was the case. and that our
army was fleeing il hot haste from adyer-
earies which eXiste,! Ci.iy il their own cX-
3ted imag:ua;;o1s. 4 very sagacloul
8iend of nine. nimSel. an editor. has told
DC that the same late viii Dvertake me if
3tempt, just now. - stein the current. He
QaEs the press has taken lis position, and if
should succeed IL showing that they are
Prong. they wou.d he a hundred times
piore angry than they low are; and that
Sny attempt TO Justify what the press has
unanimously condemned Will only have
tie effect TO call forth increased denuncia-
t.ou. 1hls may al. be so. but do not be.
no'e II. There Is a time for al things: a
tl.o W ran ana time to reason. Oi rant
lAS we nave had more than enough: some
ole MUST incur the danger OF attempting to
ioI sou' ana may a. wei suffer as another.
"nlc results from tie ntirmities OF hui
NJ ~ - .lit Sdu,ttL ItDtlIlOU VI
lear against the authority OF reason Ia a
PANE men VIII siar their best friends, de-
slloy themselves; iron! the hes; OF motives
coniini. tie most shocking of crimes. In a
pane Athens condemned Socrates to death
by neinloek, and Jerusalem led the Saviour
OF 'he wGrld to the agon:es of crucitxion
faH4vs arg net confined to military opera
Bul. Runs.
One notable illustration was the panic
which sliced the people Of London and ri
all England in regard to the supposed Pom.
ish plot. Taking advantage Of the excite.
ment, an infamous wretch, by the name of
Titus Oates, thinking be could see mca;
and drink, coats and pantaloons IN ii. o.. al,
winch he was very short. emerged from
obscurity and pretended to make revela-
tons against innocent men, upon which
they were indicted. tried, convicted. drawn
and quartered. Oates was ionizcG. re-
ceived public Ovations and was regarded
as great benefactOr and patriot. But al
ter the excitement began to cool and men
began to reason, the plot was found out to
be wicked invention; Oates was ascer
tanned TO be an Imposter, and was con.
victed OF perjury and whipped at the carts
tail through the streets of London by q
Judgment of the same court, which, upon
his pellured testimony, had condemned
scores OF Innocent men 20 the gallows and
the grave.
The panic Of las winter was less tragic,
but aot less remarkable. Inc devil is
styled the prince O. tie ar: ne has been a
I9n, while observing things: has seen gen
eratIohs come ana go. empires rise and fali
and must understand human nature pretty
well II there be any truth III the concei
OF Co!eriuge. that tie dew. i-et.Mes come
down.
To visit lis sag '.:.c farm. TIE earth.
And see hcw LIS stoo. goes o.
know OF nothing more likely to cxc:t
his mirth thar the Credit Mooiler ;nyestiga
ton. And the gravity OF even his satanic
majesty must have been overcome com
plete!y when the drama had become so cast
and the characters So completely trans
posed that Fernando Mountaineering {
virtue if he had it not-stood forth as the
impeacher OF Schuyler Coltax. a man, the
iatcheU of whose shoes, upon any general
average of public virtues, Fernando Wood
is not worthy, STOPPING down. TO unloose.
Now what was the Credit Moblller or,
as it was frequently called, the credit more
bilious. The verv name of this monster,
go variouslv pronounced, and meaning so
few knew what, cast suspicion upon al! its
transactions. Il i was an honest thing
why was il not called by an honest Saxon
name Such lronstrous appei!ation must
designate something dreadful. Many seem
to think tina. it IS a kind of internal ma
chine. which reaches its iron hand under
-'e vai,irs Of the treasury, and takes out
.old eagles by me susheI TO scatter among
- 'ui.oTs q C.uscese. Now, if it will not
- = yea. - ..u cold, and .youl ta'r
stand OF end. viii tell you just what the
Credit Mobiii'r was. and show you that 1t
has never taken one dollar from the treas
ury. nor detraudej the government one