Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-01-28
AsHTABULA, OHIO, FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 1876. .

to the Government of the United
States, who did not hesitate to ask
to be relieved of their political dis
abilities, and I ask if any one of
them, in the years they have served
here with US, has been ever taunted
with the fact that he has been thus
relieved of disabilities at his own re-
quest? Can any one of them recall
a discourteous remark that has ever
been made here in debate because
he has asked and accepted the am
nesty of the Government ? Do you
want us to say that the remaining
seven hundred and fifty need not
ask what you did T? Do the honora-
bIe gentlemen who are here to-day
want easier terms on which the
others may come in than the terms
on which they themselves came
back?
Mr.. HILL. desire to ask a ques-
tion for information, for | want the
facts, and my recollection differs
from that of the gentleman from
Ohio, Mr.. GARFIELD. The act of
1872, granting partial amnesty to
quite large number, does not, as l
understand it make any such requisi-
ton as is contained in the amend
ment of the gentleman from Maine,
Mr.. BLAINE.
Mr.. GARFIELD. The gentleman
is right.
Mr.. HILL. 1t was an uncondi-
tional amnesty like that contained
in the bill of the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, Mr.. RANDALL. 1t
required no oath or anything of the
sort.
Mr., GARFIELD. Certainly not.
Mr.. HILL. 1 am very sure that
it was under that act that / was re-
lieved. And 1 never applied for any
amnesty at all, but l would not have
felt it any loss of pride had l done
so.
Mr.. GARFIELD. Certainly not.
remember very well that we relieve
those who, at the time the rebellion
broke out, held offices and commits
sions under the Government which
they had sworn before God they
would protect and defend, and after
ward went into the rebellion. Those
are the people that we have required
to ask for amnesty.
Mr.. HILL. Allow me to call the
attention of the gentleman to a cor
rection of his statement. The act
of Congress of 1872 relieved all per-
sons, as l understand it, from dis
abilities who had been members of
any State Legislature, or who had
been an executive or judicial officer
of any State, and relieved all in civil
or military service, or who had even
been in the Congress of the United
States, excepting the Thirty fifth or
Thirty sixth Congress.
Mr.. GARFIELD. The Thirty-sixth
on>5 Thirty.seventh Congresses.
NJ HILL Well, one or the other.
t. Ill roI;ov> I'D all those who were not
in Conoress at the time of secession,
oil mey5hers o ee State Legislatures,
all Ill civil and milit..>ry officers, except
the few remaining, SO. me seven nund- ID
dred and fifty. You gran ted 11ane. them re-
lief without any condition $nateVeI'
Mr.. GARFIELD. The gen. eman
will observe that those to whom <lt <Ae
refers did not, at the time the waI
broke out, hold commissions as Unit
ed States officers.
Mr. HILL. Yes.
Mr.. GARFIELD. We excepted from
amnesty all those who held in their
hands a commission from the Feder-
al Government, and who had sworn
to be true to their commission and
we did this because they had added
to rebellion must use words-the
crime of perjury in the eyes of the
law. $50 EE
Mr.. TUCKER. Will the gentleman
allow me to interrupt him I?
Mr.. GARFIELD. Certainly.
Mr.. TUCKER. Do l understand
the gentleman from Ohio, speaking
here to-day of kindness to gentle
men on this side of the House, to
say that any man who held a COM
mission under the United States at
the time the war broke out, and who
went into secession, was guilty of
perjury
Mr.. GARFIELD. 1 will repeat pre-
cisely tbs measured words I used. I
said "the crime of perjury in the
eyes of the law" In view of the fact
of flaming war, do not say those
men should be regarded Jas ordinary
perjurers I never said that. But
what will the gentleman call it ? BY
what other name does the law know
it? 1 did not make the dictionary,
nor did l make the law. The gen.
tleman certainly knows me well
enough to know that am incapable
of making a reference to any person
al matter in this discussi on. He must
see that am using the word in its
technical meaning as used in the law.
Mr.. UoKER. Mr.. Speaker
The SPEAKER pro tenapore, (Mr.
SPRINGER in the chair. Does the
gentleman from Ohio yield further
to the gentleman from Virginia,
Mr.. TUCKER
Mr.. TUCKER. / do not ask to in
terrupt the gentleman that l may
excuse myself, but to excuse the
men that l have ever known,
and of whom the gentleman might
be proud to claim to be a peer.
Mr.. GARFIELD. There were some
passages in the speech of yesterday
which make me less reluctant to
speak of breaking oaths. He said
We charge all our wrongs to that
"higher law" fanctacisim which never
kept a pledge or obeyed a law. We
sought to leave the association of thOse
who would not keep fidelity covenant
We sought to go by ourselves; but, So Tar
from having last our fidelity to the Con.
stisulion. we hugged II 10 our bosOms
and carried Ii with Us. But you
gentlemen who prosecuted as bY your in.
tidelities until you drove US out of the
Union, you who then claimed to be the
only friends Of The union, which you
had denounced MS q "league with he'll
and covenant with DEATH" you who
follow up the war when the soldiers who