Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-01-20
WASHINGTON.
Mr.. Blaine Develops His Ability
in the Field.
The Red.handed Rebels Speak
ing their Sentiments.
They Were Forced to Stay in she Union. and
now They VIII Rule It.

now They viii Rule It.
Blaine's Brilliant Victory Over
the Opposition.
Special to Cincinnati Gazette, JAN TO-
MIR. BLAINE's SPEECH.
This was field day in the House.
The amnesty bill occasioned the first
political debate of the session, and it
caused the prominent leaders of the
respective parties to be pitted against
each other. Blaine crossed lances with
Randall and Cox. Having secured the
ordering of the main question, Randall
was proceeding to dispose of the hour
The supposed he had, when he discOv-
cred that Blaine had convinced Spesk-
er Kerr that the rules did not allow
him the time. The bill was then
brought to a vote AMI failed to pass, not
receiving twO-thirds. Then followed
as fine an exhibition of parliamentary
fence as is often witnessed. Blaine
was quick upon his feet, and moved
to reconsider. The Speaker was COM
PEELED to recognize him, and the mo-
! tion cut the surprised Randall off at
the knees. Blaine thus secured the
hour which Randall had refused him,
secured it by his aptness in parliament
tary rules, and not by any courtesy of
the Democrats. His speech WAS re-
markable for its substance, as it was for
the manner in which he had attained
an opportunity TO deliver it. 1t was
one Of the most terrible phillipics that
has been heard in Congress for many
years. Sunset Cox characterized it as
red and fiery speech. 1t was red and
fiery, in that it burned to the con-
science of the ex- x-Conf.derates. Blaine
traced with mastery hand the mag
unanimous rerord oi the Republican
party with respect to amnesty, and
showed that OF the $4,000 disfranchised
by the 14ih Amendment, but $50 still
remain under the disability of their
treason; and he declared himself ready
| TO entranchise these, save only Jeffer-
son Davis, and she would except him,
not because he was the conspicuous and
| inefficient chief of the Confederacy, but
because his mur,terous crimes at An
dersonvilie had placed him beyond the
recognition # humanity, and had
m ,de him the ii al in atrocity of Duke
Alva, of the in. tigatOrs OF st. BarthOl-
Omew, and the authors of the Spanish
InquisitiOn. The picture which Blaine
| drew of the sufferings OF the Anderson
| vile prisoners, was one OF terror and
pathOs. 1t brought deathiy silence
| to the House, and his tiercest opponents
listened in mute and wrapt attention.
He ended with an eloquent passage,
in which, in the name of kinsInen,
friends and cOuntrymen, he protested
against investing Jefferson Davis with
full American citizenship.
Whatever else the day did, it has
certainly placed Rlaine openly in the
Fl. Id as d Presidential candidate. The
Republicans who voted with the Dem
ocrats for the unconstitutional amnesty
bill were Pierce of Boston, Lynch (col-
ored), PnrInan, Wiley, Wells, Gen,
Banks, and Judge Kelley. Prof. See
lye, of Mass, / LIBERAL, voted with the
rest Of the Republicans.
WASHINGTON, Jan, II.
-e. BEN. HILLS SPEECH. .
The scene in the House was Que to
make one forget that secession is a
crime, or that there has been a civil
war. That Ben. Hill shonld appear in
the American Congress at all is Curl
ous political anomoly; that he should
apl ear az the eulOgist and apOlogist OF
jeff Davis. and defy the loyal North,
is fact which the future historian will
record with incredulity. 1t was Il
speech which all Union soldiers will
read with amazement, pain, and anger.
There were in it the crack of the old
slave whip, the truculent threats, and
plantation swagger of the old days.
The old slave dogma that there is no
virtue, except in violence, was again
exemplified. Ben. Hill. in the name
of the united South, and speaking OF it
AS of foreign country, has returned to
threaten 10 nullify the acts OF the gov
ernment which he betrayed, and TO
announce a determination to control
the government which he disOwned,
and which has pard0ned him. Protest
ing that he was citizen o. the whole
country, the speech was narrow, bigOt
ed, and meaniy sectional. 1t raked up
the embers of dead hate. 1t showed
the bitterness Of an unc0nquered and
unsubdued rebel. The ulteriOr purpose
of the speech was very plain; it was to
show the North that the So Ith has de-
terInined to do within the Union what
it found impossible to accomplish by
secesSlon; that the South intends to
take possession of the government
whose life it sought, and of the flag
which it detested, and to rule the
North. His words were very plain.
When the Suiith went out of the Union
she went hugging the Constitution to
her bosom, and she comes back bring
ing it with her. Turning to the Re-
publican side, he said ahst the South |
had been driven from the UuiOn by !
higher law (fanaticism) which never
kept pledge or Obeyed law, and
that the South had come back to COM
pei fanaticism to oObey the law and live |
in accordance with the Constitution. |
Hill's words seemed to burn into the |
hearts of the Republican members. In !
their fiery, impudent, brutal, arrogant
passion, one could almost see the old |
ramp-fires burning. Hill fenied that
JEFF. Davis knew of the Andersonville |
atrocities, when it is fact that |
there are score of papers on file in the |
Confederate archive of Inspectors and |
other officers at AndersOnville, show
ing that Davis knew of the atrocities |
there and did not interfere. These pa !
pers are all written in Davis own |
hand.
THE DEMOCRATS ALARMED.
There are rumors that the Demo
Gratis, alarmed by the ultra, unrepen-
tant rebel character of Ben. Hills |
speech, have endea vored to induce him /
to modify it before it appears on the
record, and to strike out some of the
more objectionable passages. These
passagas cannot be erased from the /
memories and notebooks of all who |
heard him. Here are some of his ex-
traordinary statements. Ben. Hill, an
amnestied rebel, said that he could for !
yiye-he useu the word 'fOrgfve'-the !