The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-08-25
HEWlTT's FAMOUS SPEECH.
kasson's Charge Against Cover
nor Tilden Answered BY Abra-
ham S. Hewitt.
Pull Report Of the New York Repre-
sentative's Vigorous RepuIse OF
. Dastarsi1y Attack.
from the Congressional Record. ]

Mr.. Hewitt OF New York: MIR.
Speaker, to me the speech which the gen.
tleman from Iowa delivered this evening
was painful surprise and melancholy
experience. II had not heard it, could
not have believed that gentleman of his
intellectual endowments could so tar Gb.
dictate his own self-respect and forfeit the
good opinion OF his fellow-members in
this house "a to have INDUCED in the par
tisan, and l am sorry TO add, the malic-
ious statements which he has made In
regard to Gov. Tilden. confess that |
do not intend to make any elaborate re-
ply to what he has said i'm this house. |
approach the subject as would take hold
Of a Shiny snake, with a desire to get
rid Of it at the earliest possible moment.
But charges were made against one
whom / have known Tor so many years
and with such intimacy that it seems
to me have no other course to take than
to brand the charges as utterly false be-
fore this house and before the country.
Mr.. Page: Which charges does the
gentleman from New York mean?
Mr.. Hewitt: will state the charges !:
l was going to state them. The first Of
which was that Gov. Tilden had been q
secessionist, and there wire quoted as
authority for that assertion statements
and passages from an open letter to the
late Judge Kent, dated in 1890. The
gentleman from Iowa possesses only ex-
tracts from that letter. He was good
enough to allow me TO look at these ex-
tracts.
Mr.. Eames: rise to point OF order.
If there Is anything properly before the
house at this time, We ought not rs rep
resentatiyes OF the American people TO
consider il with closed doors.
The speaker pro teinpore The doors
have been ordered to Le opened.
Mr. Ciymer And everybody is asleep
and nobody want. TO come In here.
Mr.. lanes: Some Of u want to 20
out.
Mr.. Hewitt: Now, have only TO say
in regard 10 that letter that neither the
gentleman from Iowa nor any other per-
ION can understand the true purpOrt and
barring Of IL without having the entire
lstter teiOre him aud without hay
ln2 some reference 70 the cir
cumstsnees un3er which il was writ
ten. IL L not saying much that since
lSO q great many people 10 this country
have had their theories OF government
changed and their ideas Of political duties
enlarged. II !. possible that Ia 1850, be-
lore the late strife, Gov. Tilden NAV have
entertained views in common with JET
ierson, Madison and Jack son, and other
great men VINO have given construction
70 the constitution aud government OF
this country. which now would be
modified. But all that can see in the
extract which he read rela ties rather Il
that era OF the government when III,
states were bound together not by the con
stitution, but by the Articles OF Confed
Grafton. The next charge that the gen
usman made against Gov. Tilden was i
exactly these words: THAT lie was
disunionist." Whea the question va
pressed home TO him he travelled aroun
the point little, but still the charge r
manned that he was disunionist. d
not know upon what he based tn
charge. can only say that 1t the gu
break OF the rebellion ! was In daily an
almost In hourly communication wit
him. and know that no more loyal {
patriotic heart beat In the United Stat.
ct that date; and when the gentlems
from lowe challenges his friends to "a