The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-01-15
CONGRESS.

sues of the day and renewing the animosity,
hatred and horrors OF the war. His plan of
campaign was very ingeniously arranged,
and his Bull Run dash on the enemy came as
q complete surprise. At the opening of the
session he had introduced an amnesty bill,
by which he proposed 10 remove the disabil-
itles of all the remaining DISTINGUISHED rebels
except jeff Davis. The bill was referred,
and on Monday Cox had reported 1t back
with the name OF jeff Davis included 1t re-
Quired twothirds vote, under the cOnstitu-
tional amendment, TO pass the bill.
Under the operation Of the previous ques
ton, the bill came 10 a vote without debate,
when it received l.? votes 10 % against it;
the affirmative vote being less than two
! thirds, it was lost Now came Blain's OPP
portunity. Having voted constructvely with
the majority, (as the 81 votes had prevented
the passage of the bill, he claimed the RICH,
to move q re. consideration, which the Speak
er accorded TO him. This, of course, gave
him right TO make his laborioUsiy prepared
and long pent up speech, and he let ii of at
once with astonishing energy and vigor, And
such speech Says Il reporter, 'lhe lines
of The speech may BE- read, but the terrific,
envenomed and narrowing intensity of en-
phasis and motion and gesture with which
1.-THE words were accompanied are impossible
TO represent" The main point he urged
against Davis was that he was responsible
for the horrors of AndersOnville, which he
declared exceeded all he had read OF the
atrocities of Alva the terrors Of the inquisi-
ton, or the massacre Of st. Bartholomew. In
short, never before IN the house had so much
sweltered venom been put into one speech,
and IN view Of its object. to provoke from the
southern members an indignant and pas
sionate rc,ort, never was anything more inge-
nously conceived But Blain Was doomed
to disappointment. At the close of his re-
markable philippe, no fifty southern mem
bers sprang Indignantly to their feet. On
the contrary, the floor was quietly yielded to
Mr.. Cox, of New York, whose reply was as
remarkable for lis good temper and wit
as the speech was for Its embittcrcd venom
Cox rdiculed Blain from every point of view
"IIe reminds me, he said "of small darkey
who hoped to get the better Of u mule by
climbing his tail, but when he got the worst
of it his father comiorted HIM by saying
though he was not so handsome, he had
learned something" In short, Blan's strange
maneuvrc today Heant that he was candi.
date for the presidency. Grant was cahd-
date. Grant had recommended universal
amnesty, and Blain's tactics were to draw
a line between the third-termer and himself
Cox was followed by Kelly, who depreca-
ted, in solemn terms, Blain's bloody shirt
tactics, and plead for peace and good will
The next speaker ION Tuesday, was Hill of
Georgia. who defended Davis against respon
sibllty for Andersonville, and generally pre-.
sented the case Of the South in such an hon
est, manly, temperate and incontrovertible
way, and yet so free from venom or passion,
as to elicit sympathy from all sides Of the
house. He concluded by saying the South
were once more in the Union-once more in
their fathers house, thank God and they
intended to stay!
Wednesday the debate was continued by |
Fernando Wood and Garfield, but without
any notable incident, except contest be-
tween speaker Kerr and Blaine on a question
of parliamentary law, in which the exspeak-
er was inexpressibly Inundated TO find that
Kerr had the better Of him.
On Thursday Blaine was allowed another |
hour to ventilate his wrath, during which he
was more ingenious than ever in his first cf.
fort to provoke the South, his language be
ing studiedly offensive and his manner in.
sulting, but at no time was he able to work |
the Southern members up 10 the irenNed in
discretion he was aiming at The debate en-.
ded with good tempered speech from Gen.
Banks, on whose motion the bill was referred |
back to the judiciary committee
All attention was 30 closely ri, tied TO this |
one theme, that no other business Of cOnse-
quence was done in either house.
|
The WHYLASD MURDER Casa month |