Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-01-19

of man who only few years ago.
was guilty of the greatest of political
crimes, and now, like q viper. turns
and stings tho good people who. with
nnexamplcd magnanimity. permitted
him to return 10 the halls of national
legislation.
RLAINE's OPENING SPEECH ON
THE AMNESTY BILL.
We are sorry that we are unable to
lay before our readers this speech in
full, inasmuch as it presents concisely
and clearly the Republican side of the
question. As it is. we must be con-
tent with summarizing its most salient
points. and giving some extracts from
it. He opens his speech by saying
that il is a favorite pretcncc with the
Democracy to represent that the Re-
publican party, which has been in full
possession of the government since
the war, has failed to show magma.
ninity towards the conquered. On
this point he refers to the Fourteenth
Amendment. which only excluded
from Office those who. as members oi
Congress or as officers of the govern.
mcnt or as a member of the State leg.
lature, its executive OF judicial officer
had taken an oath to support the Fed
eral Constitution, and then violated
IL. Even these were allowed ever,
other privilege except that of holding
office. This was the only exception
made among rebels emitting them IL
the fullest citizenship after The war
and all of which was The work of tht
Republican party. BY this amend.
nlent Mr.. BLAINE estimates that about
eighteen thousand persons were thus
excluded from holding office. Said
amendment further provided that by
a vote of two-thirds of Congress, even
this disability eould be renewed from
them. That from the passage of this
bill up to 1872, persons to the number
of 5.0H We're relieved from this disa-
bility by u Republican Congress.
Next, in 1872, a Congress. both
branches of WHICH were over two
tlhrds Republican, passed an amnesty
bill which ac1icyed all participants in
the reDcihon, save those who had been
members of the Thirty-sixth and
Thirty-seventh Congresses, officers in
the judicial, military, or naval service
G OF the United States, or had been
heads of departments or foreign min
listers. Under these measures. and n
few eases of relief by Congress since
1872, there were left as Mr.. BLAINE
states. from the best data he can get.
about $50 persons yet subject 10 the
disability OF not having the right TO
hold Office in the United States. He
then says thai he would extend to all
these except Jefferson Davis, the priv
ilege OF having this disability remoyed
upon their making application before
any United States Court and taking
the oath of allegiance and fealiy 10
the government. lie meets the OBJ
lection that this is a foolish restric-
ton, by saying that there are those
among them, instancing Robert
TONES, of Georgia, who have repeat
eddy and recently stated that they
would moi ask the Government for This
Z relief, and who have further spoken
most disrcspectfully of the Govern
1nent, and he adds, that such being
the case, he does not believe III cx-
tending TO such men, relief. Certain
ly citizenship would not be bestowed
I upon an alien born person. who
should exhibit his dislike and hatred
of our government in similar man
ner, and if the right to hold office
would not be extended to such alien,
i'm the name of all that is reasonable
and jnst, why should ii be extended
10 The native born citizen who has de-
libcrately stalked out of the United
States Senate, and for four years
,waged war against the nation!
The reason Mr. BLAINE alleges for
excepting Jeff Davis, is moi because
lie was more guilty than others, in SO
far as the crime Of treason is con-
ccrncd, but because he of all others
was The man who had the power to
have prevented the unparalleled afro
cities practiccd towards federal pris-
oners of war. and did not exert that
power for their relief, but on The
contrary, 10 the shame Of civilized
humanity, was the man above all 9th
ers, WHO, when many of his co-rebcls
sought TO extend relief. even Mr.. SEQ
DoNs, his Secretary of War. by the
removal of GEN. WINDER, the rebel
Gommissary General, he (DAvIs) sci
aside such removal by SEDDoys, and
sent WISDER from Libby and Belle
Isle to provide and execute the horrors
of Andersonyillc. This is the reason
ssne alleges why JEFFERSON DAVIS
should not again be so citizellizcd that
he could again sit in the e S. Senate
or in the Presidential chair. His
charge against DAVIS he proves b. the
most indubitable evidence. drawn
from the rebel archives. In proof oil
rebel cruelty he cites part Of The re-
port of a joint committee OF Congress,
made during the war, after full in
yestigation of these cruellies This
report was unanimous, and upon The
committee weretwo Democraticmen-
bers of Congress. We give The eS-
tract from that report, which appears
iii Mr.. BLAisE's speech:
The subsequent history Of Andcr-
eonvillc has startled and shocked the
world with tale of horror. OF woe.
nd death, before nnheard and un-t
lIiown to civilization. No pen can
describe, no painter sketch. no limag-
ination comprehend its fearful and
nnntterablc iniqnity. Ii would seem
rs jfthe concentrated madness Of earth
and he'll had found its final Judgment
III tIlc breasts of those who inaugnr-
,a1cd The rebellion and controlled the
Dolicy OF the Confederate government,
and that the prison at Andersonville
had been selected for the most terri
ble human sacrifice which the world
has ever seen. Into its narrow walls
were crowded ihirty-iiye thousand
enlisted men, many Of them the bray
est and best, the most devoted and
heroic Of those grand armies which
carried the flag Of their country 10
final victory. For long and weary
months here they suffered, inaddened,
..ssex,.a M, FL c,n1 a ii "a led Here they