The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-02-06

House refused also 70 pass gcue'' "'
nesty bill?
Mr.. Hawley, of Illinois. 1t is quite
likely | would The House has never yer
passed a general amnesty bill; am NOT
ready now to vote for such OH never
have voted for one But the quesuof oi
a general amnesty IS quite Inherent rom
/ thc question of paying pensions out oil inc
/ Tr,,sury of the United States to dislOyal
mon We have plenty of loyal men to
/ whom we may pay pensions, aud | am OF ,
opinion that the people OF tins country
will not approve the action of Congress II
il takes from the Treasury of the United
States the peoples money 10 pay pensslmis
10 men who have been disloyal. thinA
we ought % discriminate and ! am sur
| pr;sed that any gentleman should rise III
/ his place and claim that it is inc uuty or
| even the right of Congress TO pay PENSIONS
4 IN men who have been coniessealy ulsloyal
y. ~ IL. L.; ao,,,,trg For myself | cannot |
vi Iii ,,nt vote for such a measure.
"'' NJ, WI rmnprnsworth. Mr.. Speaker, | am
,o, ~ sorry to hear any man in this House
onrose what i believe to be 50 just bill AS
XIX Ii is proposed TO restore to the pen
sion-rolls class of old, worn out, wounded
veterans, to whom Congress, 20 enable
them IN exc out their existence, pledged a
! little annual pittance from the Treasury
I | am particularly sorry to hear my col
league MIR. Hawleyl oppose this measure,
/ | do not know whether he does it because
his namesake has preceded him in the
same direction.
Sir, we ought to take into consideration
the fact as to where these people resided,
and the other facts that we have from
time 10 time removed the disabilities Of
men in the South and given them Offices
and are paying many of them large Salar-
ies-men whose disabilities were removed,
. and who actively engaged in rebellion
; We ought tO consider. too. that our PreSi-
/ dent himself has appointed many former
! rebels 70 lucrative official positions. Yet
my colleague hesitates about restoring %
3 the pension-rolls, at eight dollars month.
an old one-legged veteran of the war of
1912. because he had perhaps n son in the
. late war 70 whom he gave glass ct water
I or a coat
r A Member. That does not make him
e disloyal
r Mr. Farnsworth, II does make him
n disloyal under our law. Any man who
a gave aid or comfort TO the enemy or u
J, persons engaged in the rebellion was dis
n loyel in the view of the law
g was sorry TO hear the gentleman from
y Connecticut Mr.. Hawley throw into this
y debate the name of jeff Davis, which Is
| the red flag always hoisted whenever the
n subject of amnesty oranything OF that kind
; is discussed The name Of JEFF. Davis Is
IS eXpected ~ arouse all our angry passions,
d and 10 excite every loyal mau against ann
, nestv forgiveness. or Justice At any
a rate, do not think that jeff Davis was
! any worse than u great many other men
| no worse than many whose disabilities we
II have removed. lie simply accepted u
IT office in the southern cOutederacy which
e almost any other man would have beer
II glad 10 have; an office which a good many
5 now roaring cantankerous loyal men IL
ID the North would have been glad In hay,
received il they had lived in the South Il
I'd the time when the rebellion broke out.
OF Now. Mr. Speaker. ! have no sympath,
be with jefferson Davis. ! never wanted hin
to bee my President Not at all Still, sir
be have no hatred toward him that | hav
N not against any other leader of the re
! bellion dislike To hear his name ever
le lastingly dragged into debate for the pur
lr pose of stirring up angry passions an,
il strife among the people of the nltet
r States Why, sir, there are men III tn
Of North as accountable for this war rs eve
ID jefferson Davis was. The men who vote
i'll for him, the men who wanted him for thei
or President, the men who taught the peopl
be of the South that they had a right TO rehe
err they are the men who are responsible to
4 the war As much rs ever Jefferson Davi
" was if they had lived in the South a
he did Jefferson Davis they would have bee
We with him in the rebellion, and probab
". rivals for his place But as they were n
ne there they now wrap themselves up
" their robes Of selfrighteousness.
We Mr.. Bingham of Ohio Mr. Speaker,
sta desire 10 say to the House that the fir
lg section of this act j. misunderstood a. it
The represented by the gentleman from Illino
ate Mr. ilawley. That section limits all pc
he sions allowed under it 10 the passage al
ed, taking effect 70 this act
ase As 70 the residue of the bill ! am
on it as | was against the original bill pr
IN posed this day to be repealed refer
te- the act of 1871. | then appealed % II
= friends on this floor not 70 put on the d
tenders of the Mon in the second war {
iZe independence the requirement contained
lm that act that they should take an oath. /
ing fore they should be entitled % a pensio
ETY. declaring they had not given any aid
OF comfort whatever IN the enemies Of t
be Republic or of the country in the rebellit
to Ii occurred to me, as it does now, that an {
he man eighty years at least Of age-not q
er, of them can be less, it being now fit
the eight years since peace was declared aft
OF the war of lsl2-it occurred to me sucl
md man, having rendered such service to
Der country, being Overtakeu By the storm
Tor rebellion in South Carolina or MississiJ
or Georgia, when the arm of the Cove
ment was shortened so it could not prot
ere or defend him, was not 10 be held up
the the statute book of the country as a crir
, OF nal because he gave shelter to his o
Tue children That was my position then a
the II is my position now and therefore | a,
use for the honor Of my country, that this
md may pass and this weight laid on the
lad old men removed, so that when their til
The comes 70 lie down in the grave they "
3 l lie down with the pleasant reeOllecti
7, III u; that their country, for which they fOug
OIL IN the days of their pride and strenpt
did not desert and dishonnr them in I
lion day Of their death Applause
,rgu Mr. Willard demanded the preyiC
lnc. question, and the House passed the
(, or without a call Of the yeas and nays,
oath opposition of both Hawleys scare
les " making a ripple on the surface
ans.
II III