The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-01-12
MR.. BLAINE ON JEFF. DAVIS,
SPEECH IN THE AMNESTY DEBATE.
Magnanimous Treatment of the Rebels by the
Republican Party shown-Why Mr.. Blaine
Would Except Davis from Amnosty-His Di-
rect Responsibility for Andersonville.

|
Would Except Davis from Amnosty-His Di-
rect Responsibility for Andersonville.
In the debate on the amnesty question,
Mr.. Blaine, having secured the floor by
skllful parliamentary tactics, spoke at con
siderable length.
Mr.. Blaine said If | can induce the
bill was rejected it is my intention to offer
my amendment. Every time that the
question of amnesty has been brought be-
fore the house by gentleman of the other
side, for the last two congresses, it has
been done with certain flourish of mag
nanimity which is an imputation on this
side of the house, as though the republican
party, which has been in charge of the gov
eminent for the last twelve or fourteen
years, had been bigoted narrow, illiberal,
and as though certain few worthy and de-
serving gentlemen in the southern states |
were ground down under great tyranny and |
oppression, which the hard-heartedness of |
this side of the house could not possibly be |
prt vailed upon to remove. desire now to
| place on record just what the republican
party has done In this matter. | wish to
place it there as an imperishable record of
liberslity and arge-mindedness and mag
nanimity, and many such, as has not been
shown in the worlds history by conquerors
to conquered. The gentleman from Penn
sylvania Mr. Randall and myself entered
this congress in the midst of the hot flames
of war; when the Union was rocking to Its
| nIatin mr. n xyQ
were to have a country or not. He would
be surprised, when he and were officers in
the thirty-eighth congress, if he could then
have foreseen that before our mutual ser
vice ended he should have seen sixty-one
gentlemen, then in arms against the United
States government, admitted to equal priv
ileges with ourselves in this house, all by
the grace and magnanimity of the republi-
can party When the war ended, accord
ing to the universal law of war, the party
IN possession of the government, 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 inaugurate any measures of persecu-
ton? Did we set off on u career of blood
shed and vengeance? Did we take prop
, erty Did we prohibit any man all his
civil rights Did we take from him the
right which he enjoys to-day to vote? Not
at all But instead of a general and sweep
. ing condemnation, the republican party
placed in the fourteenth amendment only
, this exclusion. After considering the whole
subject, it ended in coming down to this :
"That no person shall be a senator or rep
resentatve in Congress, or elector or pres
ident or vice president, or hold any office,
civil or military, under the United States or
under any state, who, having previously
taken oath as member of congress or as
an officer of the United States, or rs men,
Der of any state legislature, or as an execu-
g tive or judicial officer of any state, to sup
port the constitution of the United States,
: shall have engaged in instruction or rebel
D lion against the same, or given aid or COM
, fort to the enemies thereof. But congress
may, by q vote of two-thirds of each house,
remove such disabilities. Now, | have
!, never been able to determine from any sta
t tistical examination, exactly how many
men in the south that exception affected.
:, 1t has been variously estimated that at the
Il time of its original insertion in the consti-
J, tuition it included somewhere from fifty
: to eighty thousand persons; but as near as
n | can gather from the facts in the case, il
:. included only eighteen thousand men in
u the south, and it let go free every man OF
r the hundreds of thousands, or of the mill
|
in the attempt to destroy the government
- and only held those under disability who, il
i addition to general revolt had violated {
h special and peculiar and personal oath t.
It support the constitution of the UniteC
States That disability was hardly flxeC
on the south until we began in this hal
u and in the senate chamber when we haC
7. more than two-thirds republican in botl
2 branches) to remove it, and the very frs
:. bill took the disability off 57S citizens o
the south. The next bill took it off 3,52t
e gentlemen by wholesale. Many of tn,
r. gentlemen on this floor have come from
N the grace and amnesty in these two bills
~ After these bills, specifying individuals
~ had passed through, small bills, which
sc will not further refer to, were passed. II
D, 1872 the congress of the United States, b,
= the vote of two-thirds of both branches
(still being two-thrds republican, passet
VI this general law "That all political dis
er abilities, imposed under the third section
If of the fourteenth amendment of the con
~ stitution of the United States, are hereb,
. removed from all persons whomsoever, eX
l. cept senators and representatives in tn,
- thirty sixth and thirty-seventh congresses
y officers of the judicial and military and ma
y val service of the United States, heads o
IL departments, and foreign ministers of tn
or United States" Since that act was passed
u a very considerable number of gentlemen
IL included in it have been specially by nam
he relieved from disability, but believe tina
le in no single instance, since the act of Ma
Vi 81, 1862, have disabilities been taken iron
II any man, unless upon his respectful peti
ton to congress that they should be re
moved and believe that in no one singl
n. instance, except one, such petition wa
refused believe that in no one instanc
% except one, has there been any difficult,
IS by unanimous vote even to pass such bills
he Now find an equally erroneous vary
b. ing of judgment in reference to the numbe
Ii still under disabilities in the south. | hay
J. had occasion by conferences with the dc
partments of the navy and war, and b.
)e reference to some other records, to be abb
"a than hos been already stated just the nun
e Der of gentlemen who are still under disa
d blites. Those who were officers of III
u United States army, educated at the eX
= pense of the government at West Point
ir who Joined the rebellion, and are still
10 under disabilities, are estimated at the wa
y department at 1926; the number of sue
!. persons in the navy, 295 and those comm
r under the other heads, members of tn
a, thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh congresses
ID judges, heads of departments and foreig
he minister's | am not able to give the nun
ye Der exactly, but the whole number of pei
l. SONS now under disability in the south !
about seven hundred and fifty. | yer
rs frankly say that in regard to all these,
ne know of no reason why amnesty shoul
Is not be granted to them as it has been I
r. many of the same class | am not here I
) argue against it, since amnesty has alread
O. became so general, and | am not goin
of back to argue that question. l am IN fave