The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-01-11
WHEELING swEsEVEF TUESDAY MORNING JANUARY H. 1876

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time and probably create better feeling
and more harmony by ALLOWING tha
course, because this side has power tc
require that course.
Mr.. Randall-This bill is exactly tht
same, word for word almost, as the ont
which the last Republican House passed
without even the yeas and nays. Twice
has Republican House passed this bill
and twice has it been Strongly helped II
the Senate. ! do not know what has
come over the spirit Of the dream OF The
Republican party or Of the gentleman
from Maine.
Mr.. Blaine-The gentleman will moi
allow me 10 state II.
Mr.. Randall don't know why the
gentleman should want to change this
bill in any particular from what It was Q
year ago when he was Speaker and had
The party majority under his control.
Mr.. Blaine-I want an opportunity &c
tell what has come over the spirit Of my
dream.
Mr.. Randall ask unanimous con
sent that you may have thirty minutes.
Mr.. Rlaihe--I don't want to talk ex.
cept for some practical purpose. want
to talk to an issue in favor of an amend
ment, and don't want to be confronted
with the statement that an amendment
can not even have the poor privilege oi
being voted down as ! suppose it would
be Voted down. l want it to go on the
Journal Of the HOuse.
Mr.. Randall have permitted the
amendment to go on the Journal Of the
House.
Mr.. Blaine-Not at all.
Mr.. Randa,l-lt is in the record OF the
House.
Mr. BIaine-Bu, not in the Journal.
Mr.. RamdAll-The gentleman's object
ia accomplished il he wants TO go be-
fore the country as an obslructionist Il
amnesty.
Mr.. BIainc-The gentleman is obstruct'
ing amnesty. He il holding Democracy
meu in the South and keeping off amnesty
because he will not allow us 10 vote Oh
excluding Jefferson Davis.
Mr.. RandAll--Did you allow the mi,
nority to offer amendments to the civil
rights bill. (Murnurs Of no, no NOR It
the force bill either. from the Demo
cratic side, aud calls for order from both
sides Of the HOuse.)
The question was then taken aud the
bill was rejected--yeas liz, nays 81, not
the requisite two.thirds majority.
Mr.. Blaine-l now move to reconsider
the vote Just taken, and | desire TO ad
dress the House on the subject.
The House was soon restored to order
and was prepared to give close attention
to Mr.. Blaine, who continued:
II | can induce the House to recon
slider the vote whereby the bill was
rejected, it is my intention to offer my
amendment. Every time that the ques'
ton has been brought before the
House by gentleman of the other
side for the last two Congresses
il has been done with certain flourish
Of nlagnapimity which is an imputation
on this side Of the House rs though the
Republican party which has been in
charge of the government for the last L.
or Is Years had beer bigoted, mar.
row, illiberal, and as though certain few
worthy and Discerning gentlemen in the
southern states were ground down under
great tyranny and oppression which the
hardhcartedness Of the House could not
possibly be prevailed OH TO remove. de-
sire TO place on record just what the Re
publican party has done IN the matter
| want to place it there rs an imperiSh.
able record ofa liberalitya and largcmind.
ednes, aud magnanimity and mercy us has
not been shown in the worlds history by
con0nerors to conquered. The gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Randalp and myself
entered this Congress in the midst OF
the flames Of war when the Union was
rocking to its foundation aud no man
knew whether We were 10 have country
or not. lie would be surprised when he
and | were officers in the thirty-eightli
Congress il lie could then have foresecn
that before our mutual services ended he
should have seen surely one gentleman
then in arms against the United States
government admitted to equal privileges
with ourselves in this House, and all by
the grace and mngnanimity OF the
Republican party. When the war ended
according to the universal law Of war
the party in possession OF the govern
ment, which waS controlled by the party
had the right TO determine what should
be the status Of these people. Did we in
nnguratc any measures OF persecution
Did We set of on career Of blood.hed
Did we take property? Did we prohibit
any man all hi. civil rights? Did we take
from him his right which he enjoys TO-
day to vote? Not al all; but instead OF a
general and sweeping condemnation, the
Republican party placed in the litl
amendment only this ole cxcu-iun, after
considering the whole subject it ended il
coming duwn to thi--that no persuI
shall be Senator or Representative il
Congress, or nm elcctor Ui President OF
Vice President, or huId an office, civil uI
military, under any State, who, having
previously taken the oath as a member o
Congress, or M nm officer, Ot the United
State, or aS u member OF any State Legis
laturG or a. an executive or judicial oil
Ger Of any State 10 support the Cun'tiIu
lon Of the United States, shall have cn'
| EdbFtl III hll lllNlll FCNAa'I w lVbVlll'l
against tho same, or given aid or coIntUrI
10 enemies thereof, but Congress may by ;
two.t iird- vote OF c tCh II pusr remove 4ucl
di-aulilics. Nuw never have been abl,
To determine from any statistical exam
inatiun exactly how many men in Ih,
South tn 1t one exception atftce ed
It ha. been ynriously estimated thatn
the time Of the original in.crIion in The
Consultation it included somewhere Iron
twenty to thirty thousand persons, but ",
near II, can gather from the facts il
the case il included about eighteen. thou
sand in the SOUTH and let go free ever,
man Of the hundreds Of thousands or u
millions, il yOu please, who had been en-
gagged in the attempt to destroy the gov
ernmcnt and only held those under di4H
bill who in addition to the general rcvol
had violated special, and peculiar, anC
personal oath to support the Con
Ailutiou Of tho United States. THAI
disability could hardly have been fixed Or
the South until wo began in this hall anC
Senate chamber, Ehcrc We had more thar
twolhirds Republican majority in boIl
branches, to remove it, and the very frs
bill took the disability oil from l,57E
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