The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-01-17

hsrsngue that ever fell upon the ears of q
legislative assembly. The lines of the
speech may be read, but the terrific, envep-
omed, narrowing intensity of emphasis, and
motion and gesture with which the words
were accompanied, it is not possible to rep
resent. He protested against restoring
to citizenship JEFF. Davis. not because
he was the head and front OF
the Southern conft deracy; not because he
was the arch cODspirator In CALLING rebel
| lion, but because be was responsible before
man or God for the murderous slaughter
and unspesksble infsmy OF Andersonville.
! As these words rang out. sharp, bitter and de-
| liant, and the lazy attention which the
House bad ct first given was changed to
| mingled amazsment and anger. Tnis was
| what the speaker wanted. With the entire
| assembly eagerly attentive to ever word ,.he
plunged into a scathing review of the condi-
ton OF our prisoners, winding up with
THE CLIMAX OF THE HORRORS
which Andersonville presented. 81 have
read" said he, recently, to refresh my
mind, all bis orical horrors of the past. l
have 10 lowed up the atrocities and crimi-
nalIties of Alva in the low countries, and L
have re-resd the story OF the slaughter of
St. Bartholomew. 1 have gone through the
familiar horrors of the Spanish inquisitiOn,
| and declare before God. with full knOwl-
edge OF what am say ing. aud in temperate
|
compared To the barbarism of Anderson
| ville." AS these words, clear, solemn
| studied, and pathetic, broke out upon the
House, hundred livId faces frowned on
| the democratic benches, while the glisten-
| ing eyes and clenched hands of his own i'm
mediate followers and the hosrse murmur
OF applause in the gallery told only too well
| the Oanetul power of the tremendous phil
| hppic. Wasting no time on the surperfiu-
Gus points of oratOry, he carried
the horriied assembly through that
sHUDDERING GoLGoTHA OF CRUELTY
and despair OF the prison stocks and touched
| with a supremacy skillful hand the uuspeak-
able miseries of that devoted so 600 OF ENACT
sted hero martyrs who, unGer the burning
| breath of Southern sun, which was even
more kind than the hot breath of Southern
| nate, wasted and fell away before the hideous
| barbarity of Andt rsonvIlle. He read from
the committee on the Conduct of the war,
tDat gratutOusly onesided report on the
| trestmeDt of our prisoners in the South,
| report manifeStly intended to hold the
| hatred OF the North forever black and strong
| against ali thought of recon
| citation; report so vigorously Bit
ter and so obviously partizsn that the hor-
rOr which Mr.. Blaine's recital had aroused
| began to recede and the relax ng muscles of
| aces, the lOosening of clenched fists, and the
audible murmurs which fell upon the House
| indicated that the tension was done, and
| hat the speaker, though sill holding the
| perfect attention of the House, had Jared
that one cord Of fairness which had hereto
/ tore blinded every man, woman and child
/ VINO heard him into impulsive adhesion
| to his argument Though every paper in
| the land publish this ma ster philippe in full,
| without hearing it It Will sound tame ana
/ impOtent as compared to
ITS PRoDIGIoUs IMPRESSION
he Tf lfaIr a1xf
Every line had been prepared with care.
Every fact had been elaborated, as the effort
showed. He bad made inquiries in the war
department. navy department and other de-
carl ments, and found that about seven hun
dred people would come under the terms of
this BILL and one man only would be de-
| barred, JEFF. Davis. He was willing to
ext end the inestimable right of citizenship
TO all who desired IL, but be was not among
thoss VINO would force it upon reluctant
people. He understood, very good
authority, that Mr.. Robert Toombs had
boosted in foreign countries and at fashion,
able watering places in this country that he
wouldn't condo scsnd to accept restora-
ton OF the privileges which his treason and
felony had forfeited. Never in an hour was
50 MUCH swELTERED VENOM
put on the ears of q listening auditory. A
more infamous inhuman revival of the
hates ard horrors OF the past was never at
tempted even by that arch demsgogue,
Morton. 1t was utterly unexpected from
Mr.. Blaine. AS the most rancorous periods
struck the ears of the gallery, the exclsma-
| ton was, "Butler-:his speech that
Butler should make, not Blaine" He said
no word that was untrue, probably, nor
did he torture to any undue extent
the hideous criminalities of the
Southern treatment of Union soldiers, but
the general sentiment of the House and evil
IDENTIFY to some extent of his own party r.
VOTED from recriminatlon in every sense
bsleful and harmful TO the best interests and
BEST sentiments of the country. Somewhat
to the dissppontment of the House, when
Mr.. Blaine took his seat, the speaker recog-
nizsd Mr.. Cox, who coveted the perilous
, | honor of the reply. Burdened with a file OF
Congressional Globes bound in bulky vol
umes, and flaring armtul of papers,
THAT SMALL MAN
made bolt IRON his seat toward the center
of the House, changed bis mind, hesitsted,
turned again, amid the rising jeers of the
republicans and the suppressed murmurs of
his OVID side, and finally landed in a seat
hastily vacated for him Immediately behind
Randall, the highest point among the demo-
! cratic benches. He began In an uncertain,
! rambling strain, with his voice
pitched up among the Dasal uncertain
; ties, and excited for few minutes merely
: q languid contempt from the repu blican
side, which was busy in congrstuiaEiDg
Blaine, and hostile Incredibly from the
democrats who demanded and expected
, | Randall. For a time there was an uncer
tainty whether it was the Yorick or Hamlet
OF the House that had taken up the gauntlet
, flung down by Blaine. He seemed to feel
the oozing out Of the interest and WAS con-
{, scious of The danger of losing his opportu-
nifty. His wandering and incoherence sud-
Ia 20
I ludicrous aspect of Blaine's astounding re-
vival OF the horrors of war, and in few
? moments the scowling faces, hostile glances,
: nervous clutching of hands, ana
rigid bodies relaxed into con-
vulsive merriment, every stroke