National Republican., 1878-04-04
.FORTY.FIFrHICONG
faith and replace them With Democrats. No
Continued from ESra Iuge. /

faith and replace them with Democrats No,
would he have been surprised if they Ind taken
Confederate crippled and wounded soldiers, but
Mr.. Polk declared that this employment Of
crippled and disabled soldiers was mere sen.
timent.
He (FHYE) did not look upon II as a senti
ment II was law, and the Democrats should
have kept such men on the roll. When he
had called attention to this matter Mt least
twenty men on the other side leaped 10 theii
feet and said they would keep up the crippled
and disabled roll, but that they would replace
Republicans with Democrats who had been
soldiers, and who were crippled and disabled.
He made no objection TO that, for he thanked
God there had been loyalty enough In the
Democratic party Of the North to send soldiers
to the field, who had become crippled aud dis.
abled. He had seen them, and no word Of his
would ever be raised against a loyal Democrat
who forgot his party and remembered his pa
triotism. But did they put on crippled and
disabled Democratic or even Confederate SOL
diersf He would appeal to the testimony in
the case.
Mr.. FRYE then went on to quote from the
testimony in different cases and to comment
upon the class Of men placed on the soldiers
roll He would commence with New Eng.
land. for he well knew that there were plenty
Of crippled and disabled soldiers, who were
Democrats, all over that section. Tho New
England delegation-that was the members
from Connecticut and the members from New
Hampshire-were awarded three appointees,
and man named Holt was selected for the
soldiers roll.
Holt said he was a soldier, and when pinned
down to the point his only service was that ho
had served for three years In an independent
company in the city of Boston. Laughter
He never saw service in the field, and was
neither crippled nor disabled. Holt In spirit
committed perjury, aud still he Is retained in
the service Of the Democratic House. When
he WAS put on the roll he either deceived Polk
or he deceived the New England delegation.
Was IL not possible to find better soldier than
this in New EnglandP
The quota Of New England was three, and
these New England statesmen had neglected
all the important questions oflegislation to at
tend to the filling up of their quota.
Mr.. FRYE then referred to the way in
which the pay Of the three employees from
New England was pooled, In order that all
might receive like compensation, and he ridi-
culed it. lie also ridiculed the 81 ~ of men
who, he said, had been placed on the soldiers
roll. One was a young man who said he had
enlisted in 1869 as an apothccary's clerk In the
navy; another was a Confederate soldier.
Well. he was glad they had gone to the other
side If they could not get Democratic Grip
pied soldier. Another was soldier who had
sprained his ankle early in 1861. Laughter.
They had even gone back to the wcr Of 1872
and to the Mexican war TO get crippled and
disabled soldiers to place on the soldiers roll,
The Mexican was neither crippled nor dis
ablcd, but he had contracted fever in Mexico
laughter and had since suffered from
asthma. Another was man named Flana-
gan, who served in Pennsylvania home
guard, and who said he had not been in bat.
tie, but he had been diseased for II number Of
years. Another appointee was young Fitz-
hugh, who did not claim to be q soldier. He
was appointed, perhaps, on the principle upon
which pensions are paid to the children OF
dead soldiers for his father is most certainly q
dead Democrat. Laughter
Mr.. FRYE closed as follows: O, spirit Of the
immortal Falstaff! give us one hour OF thy
time. and at tap of drum and squeak Of fife
drill this glorious battalion Of Democratic
crippled and disabled soldiers. Laughter.
See them fall into line! Here comes the ven
cradle gentleman of the war Of l-l2. Then
the Mexican war contributes its share: then
| the navy sends in its boy; then the son OF
the dead Fitzhugh comes into view
then comes the Irish brigade, with Michael J.
Flanagan, diseased for many years then
the man that spraincd his ankle when drilling
| in 1861, aud then that usthmatic fellow
Laughter So they march up to drill ont
after another, and the spirit of Falstah, dis
gus;ed with the display, takes heavenward III
| flight laughter and applausel, shouting bach
| as 1t goes:
| II he not ashamed Of my soldiers am souseC
gurncl. have misuscd the King's press damnahly
| Ny whole charge consists Of anCents. cOrporRls
| litupnants, PCntlemCn Sc., and such 0s were In
| decd never soldier. will not march through
| country with them, that Is fiat Great applause oil
| the iuor In the galleries.
| Mr.. cox OOhiol believed that the law hat
| been violated by Mr.. Polk, and il was not
matter 10 be condoned on the ground that h,
| had violated the law under pressure. The of
fcnse of the DoOrkccpcr puts stigma upol
himself, and he alone Is responsible. His EN-
| plnyment of an excessive force his per
mitting the system of substitutes for person.
and his changing of the roll Of employees all
made amcnahlc to law. The roll had been
| falsfed as TO messengers and as to pages. lie
had kept men on the roll and allowed other
| to do their work, and had made contracts with
men whom he could not by authority pay
These dispaceful things were not the result O.
necessity, but were done In most cases to serv,
party friends. Mr.. Cox then went into an ar.
gument to show great violations of law, ant
asserted that the employment of substitutes
| by employees never before was permitted tC
| 20 on so much rs in this case.
Mr.. HARRIS VA inquired If these abuse.
did not exist in previous Congresses.
Mr.. COX Ohio replied that that had moth
| ing 10 40 Win II. W neneNer inc abuses wCrt
found they should be corrected. To insist
that n man should be excused because lie fol
| lowed a bad precedent in the violation of law
would he to give license to all manner of cor
ruptions. If practices were bad in the past
| they should not he renewed now
Mr.. CLIMER inquired whether the gentle,
man believed that these abuses existed to-day
Mr. cox Ohio said he did believ,
1t. Within week changes have been made
OH the roll. The way in which transfers wer.
made on the roll was fraud upon tie EN-,
! plcygs aid fraud upon the House.
Mr.. EDEN inquired where the testimony
was that these things still exist
Mr.. cox said il was not in the testimony
He was answering question, and If gentlemen
did not want answers they should not ask
questions. lie insisted that If Polk made a
false roll every time he juggled with the roll
he was guilty of a criminal persecution under
the statute Polk had put names on the roll
and had then falsely and fraudulently refused
TO ray them.
But the House had to pay them, because they
had performed service; but the man who
made false roll should be punished. Thcs,
men had performed service under promise OF
an officer of the House, and the House wa,
under obligation to pay them. With regard t.
the allegation that Polk had been engaged in
lobbying, there was every evidence that he
had no interes: in auy lobbying scheme at this
Congress. But it was in evidence that he had
been in such schemes heretofore, and had EN-