The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-01-20


least, quite familiar with that history
The history of the Netherlands under
the Duke of Alva was the history OF
radical spoliation, murder, death ana W
ranny in the South since 1860. Derlslve
laughter on the Republican side of the
House, and applause OIL the Democratic
side. He would refer the gentleman to
precedent two thousand years old, and
would say that all history was filled with
such precedents, to the effect that nations
should not erect monuments except TO
foreign conquests, never monuments TO
domestic calamity. 1t had been reserved
to the gentleman from Maine to fly in
the face of all history, Pagan history,
Christian history and Christian doctrine,
and to issue in this year of grace and Ju.
bilee his anath@ma marantine against
the South, for which he had a purpose
, Spoken with ironical emphasis), which
purpose would appear as he proceeded.
He (Cox) took issue with the gentle
man from Maine when he said that the
Republican party had been clement and
amnestical. 1t was not true 1t had not
been true during the war; 1t had not
been true since the war, and it was not
true to-day. Whenever that party, had
proposed any clement policy, it had been
sure to spoil it by some pedGling opera
ton. Laughter. He (Cox) had had
the honor to be a member of this House
at the beginning of the war, and ne also
had the honor of bringing forward the
first measure for the exchange of prison
ers He asked whether the record of
the Federal Administration was all right
in the matter of exchange during the
w@. He had it on the authority of some
sixty gentlemen present who had been
in the Confederate army that no order
had been issued at any time in the South
with reference to prisoners of war, as to
rations or clothing, which did not apply
equally to Confederate soldiers. Ex-
parte affidavits taken by that humbug
committee ON the conduct of the war
could not Controvert the facts of history.
These facts were to be determined on a
fair issue made so far as the Confederate
Government was concerned. The orders
of that government, whatever might be
the bad conduct of certain officers under
it, had been couched in spirit of fair
ness and humanity. He spoke sneer-
ingly in reference to the remark of Blaine
that Southern gentlemen were now men,
bers of the House through the grace of
the Republican party, and he said
"Down on your knees, gentlemen of the
South, before his majesty of Maine"
Loud laughter on the Democratic side
He (Cox) had labored in this House to
mitigate the seventies of civil war. The |
Democrats then on the floor had been |
powerless to avert most of its calamities,
but they had tried to mitigate its severi-
ty. They had spoken against all those
means which had destroyed industry
and prosperity, which had burned libra
ries, poisoned wells, and done anything
but make the war duello between
fighting men in the field. Until Mr.,
Lincoln's proclamation of amnesty the
samespirit had prevailed which provoked
retaliation and perpetuated the war.
When the amnesty of Mr.. Lincoln was
proclaimed it was proclaimed in spirit.
Oh how different from that of the gen.
tleman from Maine! He had no doubt
the spirit of Mr.. Lincoln looked down
in sadness on the gentleman when he
made his speech to-day. Lincoln's senti-
ment had been "iIalice toward none,
charity towards al" Jefferson Davis in
Cluded. With him there had been no
exceptions, no restrictions, no odious
test oaths. The gentleman from Maine
could not have been raised in a Christian
church or in any other church in which
is taught the doctrine of Him who spake
as never man spoke. He (Cox) could
not tell, and the nation did not know,
the church the gentleman was raised in
laughter, but one thing he did know:
that if that gentleman had read the SER
mon on the mount Alright he never
would have made the red and stormy
speech which he made to-day,
Mr.. Cox then proceeded to give the
history of the various attempts at am
nesty, in the course of which
Mr.. Blaine inquired of him how the
of the House had got here.
Mr.. Cox replied that they got here be-
cause the South wanted honest Repre-
sentatives, and good Republicans down
there were not honest.
Mr.. Blaine-But will the gentleman
tell us how they got amnesty.
Mr.. Cox-Got it from the force of popu-
lar sentiment, which enabled few good
men on your side of the house to join
with the good men on this side to COM
pei amnesty. Loud laughter].
Mr.. Cox went on to give the history of
the amnesty legislation in Congress, and
referred to the fact that the colored peo-
pie voted, generally for amnesty. He
characterized this by saying that the col
ored troops fought nObly Qaughter) and
it was a pretty comment upon the white
side of the House. He spoke of Buffers
bill for amnesty also having an excep-
tion in it. The Rob Roy, MacGregor ex-
Ception, just as the substitute proposed by
the gentleman from Maine had Rob
Roy, MacGregor exception in imitation
of the spirit OF the English towards the
Scotch two hundred years ago. That
bill of Buffers he stated had curious
title. 1t was bill for full oblivion, full
pardon of all things done in the rebel
lion, but when the details of the bill
came to be looked into, it was found to
be bill of oblivion of all alive with the
memory. 1t was all stormy like West
III d lIcSu6J, IL WAS u Ulll Vi |
pardon which was punishment. The bill
had in it an amnesty for the men, off
GERS and agents of the Confederate gov
ernment who had been engaged in re-
What lad they been do
ing. these sweet-scented agents of recon-
struction, that Butler should amnesty
them? Had they been stealingP Had
they been tyranizing? Had they been
upturning legislatures? Had they been
riot over a helpless and con-
quered people? That was the sort of
amnesty offered to the people of the
South by Mr.. Butler. He wondered that
the gentleman from Maine did not have
that section incorporated in his amend
ment. That bill of Buffers was too bad
even for Republican House to pass.
Mr.. Cox then referred to the amnesty
bill reported last session from the Com
mittee on Rules, and In contradiction to
one of Blaine's statements in regard to