New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-14

Mr.. Blaisess speech.

A"o <AosVOAos0O 1Eo0o OAepoGcn0o W0Cn
appeared in the REPUBLICAN last Tuesday
morning affected TO give the proceedings in
the House Of Representatives the day be-
fore. The debate that occurred ON the AM
nesty bill was given in full up to the time
Representative Blaine obtained tho floor,
and then the remarks of the distinguished
Republican leader are disposed If in .
couple of lines. The Western papers seem
to have been better served, as in them the
remarks of Mr.. Blaine appear in full. The
readers of the REPUBLICAN will be glad to
peruse them:
In the House, after the defeat of the
amnesty bill, order was soon restored, and
Mr.. Blaine continued, ae follows:
If can induce the House to reconsider
the vote whereby the bill was rejected, it is
my intention to offer my amendment.
Every time that the question of amnesty has
been brought before the House by gentle
man of the other side for the last two Con-
gresses, it has been done with q certain
flourish of magnanimity which is An impu-
tation ON this side of the House, as though
charge of the government for the last
twelve or fourteen years, had been bigoted,
narrow, ilhberal, and as though certain
few worthy and deserving gentlemen in
the Southern States were ground down IN
der q great tyranny and oppression, which
the hard heartedness of the House could
not possibly be prevailed upon to remove.
desire now to place on record Just what
the Republican party has done in this mat
ishsble record of Q liberality, AID large
mindedness, and magnanimity, and mercy,
such as has not been shown in the worlds
history by cOnquerors to the conquered.
The gentleman from Penneylvania Mr..
Randall) and myself entered this Congress
in the midst of the hot flames of war, when
the Union was rocking to it's foundation,
and no man knew whether We were to have
q country or not. He would be surprised
eighth Congress, if he could then have fore
seen that, before our equal service ended,
he should have seen sixty-one gentlemen,
then in arms against the United States gov
eminent, admitted to equal privileges with
ourselves in this House, and all BY the
grace and magnanimity of the Republican
party.
When the war ended, according to the
universal law of war, the party in posses
sion of the governments, or the government
itself, which was controlled by the party,
had the right to determine what should be
the status Of these people. Did We insugu-
rate any measures Of persecution! DID We
set of on q career OF blOOdshed and ven
geancei Did We take property Did We
prohibit any man all his civil rightss Did
We take from him the right, which he en-
Joys to-day, to vose3 Not at all; but, in
stead of general and sweeping condemna-
ton, the Republican party placed in the
fourteenth amendment only this exclusion.
After considering the whole subject, it end
ed in coming down to this: THAT no per-
con shall be Senator or Representative in
Congress, or elector of President or Vice
President, or hold any Office, civil or mill
tary, under the United States or under any
State, who, having previously taken oath
a. q member of Congress, or as an officer OF
the United States, or a. . member OF any
State Legislature, or a. an executive OF
judicial officer of any State to support the
constitution of the United States. shall have
engaged in insurrection or rebellion against
the same. or given aid or comfort to the
enemies thereof, but Congress may by vote
of two-thirds of each house remove such
disabilities" Now never have been able
to determine from any statistical examina-
ton exactly how many men in the South
that exception affected. It has been various.
" estimated that at the time of its original
insertion in the constitution it included
somewhere from 10000 to 10000 persons.
bat a. near - can gather from the facts
in the case, it included about 1900 men in
the South, and it let 60 free every man OF
the hundreds of thousands or of the
millions. if you please, who had been en-.
gagged in the attempt to destroy the govern
ment, and only held those under disability
who, in addition to general revolt, had VIC.
lated Q special, and peculiar, and personal
oath to support the constitution OF the
United States. That disability was hardl ?
fixed on the South until We began in thil
hall and Senate chamber. when We had
more than two-thirds Republicans in both
branches, to remove il, and the very first
bill took the disability off of 1918 citizene
of the South. The next bill took of 372e
gentlemen by Wholesale, many Of whom
on this hcor have come from the grace
end amnesty in these two bills. After
these bills specifying individuals had
passed, and small bills, which l will not
further refer to, were passed, in 1872 the
Congress of the United States, by vote
both branches being still two,tbirds Repub.
licau-passed this general law, that ell
politlcal disabilities imposed under the
third section of the fourteenth amendment
of the constitution of the United States be
hereby removed fiom all persons whom
eoevef except Senators and Representatives
in the Thirty-sixth and Thirty seventh Con.
frees. officers of the judiciary, military and
naval service of the United States. heads of
departments and foreign ministers OF the
United States. Since that act passed CON
siderable number Of gentlemen included in
it have specially by name been relieved
from disability, but believe in no one
sinele instance since May q, 1872, have dis
abilities been taken from any man, unless
on his respectful petition to Congress that
thev should be removed, and believe that
in no ono instance except one such peti
zion Was refused. believe that in NO in
stance except ono has there been any diff
Guilty BY unanimous vote even TO pass sucn
bills.
Now find an equally erroneous varying
of Judgment in reference to the number
still under disabilities in the South: am
by conferences with the Navy and War De
psrtmente, and by reference to some othel
records. able to state to the House with
more accuracy than has been already stated
mat the number of gentlemen who are stil
uuder disabilities. Those who were officers
in the United States army, educated at inc
exnense of the government At West Point
and who ioiD-d the rebellion and are sill
under disabilities, are estimated o. the
War Department at 325. The number o.
such persons in the navy are 295, and those
coming under other heads, members o.
gress, Judges, heads of departments and
foreign ministers, l am not able to give the
number exactly, but the whole number o.
Dersons now under disability in the south
"a about $50. very frankly say, that in
regard TO ali these know of NO reason why
amneetv should mot be granted to them a.
Il hos Been to many Of the Same class. ]
am not here to argue against 1t, slnce am,
nesty has already become 60 general, and
am not going back to argue that question
/ am in favor of giving it to them, put II
the absence of that respectful form OF pet
fion which. since the twenty seventh Of