Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-07-19
Debate In the senate.

Investigation 10 1869 the books of the Treasury
had not shown correctly the state OF the puohc
finances sirce the day they we're opened oy
Alexander Hamilton. Under his administration
the books were Sc kept Tor the hrst time 80 a.
70 show the precise fuaucial condition Ct the
Treasury The assaults Of the Senator from
Yves, Virsinia, in>tisatsd, as they appeared b.
the st. l. uis platform. 10 be. y bis party rs.
so,a,es, ju!u fill. The Senator trom " st
Virginia. he said, deals with facts and hgurss
as child plays with geonerlc block, whose
properties he does GOT know aud who's value
he does no! understand.
Mr.. Davis I'D he rlly know whether ne
ought 10 ply 20 the rem irks ot thc nile
man. They were not " hy The occat r anG
lie hardly kucw i they ", r wor ny Il himself
TO Interfere VI. he looks u Alexa o.er Haul
li.on, a man nu-i he bold nan. 1 / IN r
has bseo man 10 Interfere With thcm. t.t
gentleman Mr.. Boutwe.! kucw that MS 9Th
cial orders went to the register 10 make us
statements agrte With those that Woa' ;ron bis
owo Office He reiterated that inc sa;cm:utS
winch went 20 Congress- W,rt ci'agged tie r9
GREETED that the Senator had seen proper TO
make persoua ailusoo to himself. IL be-
ieVed he had the right to call attention 10 the
condition OF the Treasury, aud the attack ui'on
from Massachusetts.
Secretary Br.stow had he said, stated thai
the Secretary 10 1869 dill change The mod Of
stating the public debt l. mad baco stated by
Secretary Chase, Secretary FcsseDdan and Sec
rotary Mccullough, and by heir mo !e OF state
maut it would be 54,OOO,O00, tut ~ he
mode sine. 1871 it was $524 UUU,uUO, offer
euce OF $4,000, 900. AT au carry Gay hc TO-
posed to examine the report Of The COm &c
on Finance. 1t was strange fact that the DIS
crepaoci.s polluted out By him mad never before
been officially noiic.J. He had others 10 which
he would call attention when be calnc 10 re
view that report.
MIR. Merrmon then proceeded to addr IS
the Senate in reply to the attacks made upoD
the democratic party. He malutalucd that
the party had been pure ADD hooest,aud charg,,
ed upon he republican party corrupl0n and
| fraud and repeated disregard OF law AID cou-
sliu'ioual obligations.
During his remarks Mr.. Shermao asked him
| 10 point out single reform made by the dem
ocratlc party since 1910.
Mr.. Moron, (veEemenlIy) Name any good
act done by the democratic party IL the last
thirty.6ve years Laughter and applause IL
| the galleries.
The Chair reprimanded the galleries, and
warned the spectators against repetition.
Mr. MelrlmOn said IN the pure days OF the
Republic, when the dcmocrauc parry WAS IL
| the ascendaDcy, the country prospered as II
| had never doue at any other time. Tee only
complaint ever made against the d.mocrattt
| party was the republican outcry that It wa:
| pro-savery.
Mr.. Morton repeated bis challenge to any
| Senator TO say single good thl1g that the
democratic party had done or even suggested
during the past twenty five years.
Mr.. Salisbury said the democratic House
had investigated and exposed the corrupt prac
tees Of the republican party, and showo de
| gree of corruption that had astouuded tht
country.
| Mr.. Morton said they had assumed the ro!t
of detective. Whether they had done anything
| would be seen when the evidence Was prtsru
ed. The Investigations had been conducted II
| way to merit and receive the conteupt o
the country. The reply OF the Senator vas ar
| evasion. He repeated his challenge, aud ep
pealed to Mr.. Eaton, who, he said, bad a goot
memory. He remembered the fugitive Save
law, the repeal Of the Missouri compromise
the LecomptoD constitution, the bred Scott de
cisiou, the Democrat. saying n 1869 that Their:
was 90 power to keep State III The Union
| their opposition to every war measure, thcl
| meeting at Chicago in 1864, when Mr.. IlldeE
was member of the committee that reported
| resolution that the war for the suppression o
| the rebellion ought to be abandoned. lie salc
| that 10 any other country such declaration al
such time would b. punished as treason.
He remem ber:d their opposition TO recon
structiou; their ku kiux and White Libeis
and agau he asked what COED thiog had the
party done. Their record was the blacklist a0c
most damnable in the history Of any party OF
any country. Applause III the galleries. L
! required, he SAID, an amount OF face, he wou.t
| not say check, to staod up and say: ~ Oh die
not Conquer our rebellion as cbeapy as you
ought" You ought to have whipped u:
much cheaper than you did, and We now pro
pose to turn you out aud settle up the attall
ourselves.
During his arraignment of the Democratic
party he was reminded that be was once /
Democrat
Mr.. Morton said be had once been Demo
crat, but he LETT the party 10 1854 HI hao
been tWenty-oDe years IN the Repuoi!cau party
and was of age as Republican,; but when any
one waited to hurt his feelings. they reminded
him that be had once been Democrat.
LAUGHTER and applause.
A voice. That was the proudest period Of
your life.
Mr.. Merrimon said he had opposed the re-
belIion as long as he could, but when his State
| went uto il be did all be could to sustain ner.
He did not want to contilue the war; he want
| ed a Uuion in spirit as well as ln name. H.
| loved the Uuion, and would help to maintain
| it. He deplored all attempts to stir up the
| North against the South, or the South agaust
the North. 1t was ungenerous to expecs South
err men to come here aud fall down aud wor-
ship the Republican party. If their Senators
could not come here as equals turn them oui
an let the couDtry know il, and see if the PEG
pie will sustain the party that does it.
There had, he said, been crime IN the South
and crime 10 the North, which every good man
deplorcd but that need not be brought Up
now Let the dead past rest, aud look forward
to better future. Referring to his election
By Republican votes, he said that to those r..
publcans who had voted for him he owed a
debt of personal gratitude, but politically he
owed them nothing. He stood here Senator