The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-02-20
MORNING. FEBRUARY 20, 1875


1 order TO bring about an era Of good fee
| ing and pacifcation. No man had share
more heartily the aspirations Of the Pre-
dent than he Garfield had. BE had trie
| in every way to aid the President in hi
project, and In order to do that there wa
q world OF things 10 be forgotten and FOL
given on both sides. II the strict lette
Of the law had been adhered TO at th
end OF the rebellion there would hay
been an end TO the awful spectacles Q
prosecution and punishment under th
law signed by George Washington
against those who had committed th
crime OF treason.
Mr.. Gibson asked il Mr.. Garfield hel,
the theory that every man in the Conted
crate service had been guilty OF treason
[Cries Of "Yesl Yes!"l from the Republi
can side.
Mr.. Garfield replied that he was un
willing to 70 back to that question. H,
would only answer by asking the gentle
man to look at the naked statute passet
by the fret Congress and signed by GeorgI
Washington. and then let him as law
yer answer his own question. He wen
on to say that the President had carried
his purpose further than any other Amer
lean citizen had ever carried great pur
pose to accomplish result.
Mr.. House-Has he had the support o.
the Republican party in the North in hi'
effort at Cancellation and restoring peace
Mr.. GarReld-He has had their sup
port Just as in so Tar as they had reason
10 believe that reciprocity Of feeling
would follow his efforts. Applause OF
the Republican side.l There was, how
ever, different degree Of faith among my
brethren here as to how far that reciprcc
ity would go.
Mr.. House asked II the entire Republi'
can party with here and there an excep
ton had not opened war on President
Hayes for his attempt to couciliate the
country and charged him with deserting
his party. [Applause on the Democrat
side, and cries Of no sir, on the Republi.
can eide.
Mr.. Garfield replied that there had
always been men here and there who dis.
trusted the result OF that policy, aud he
was grieyed to see that that number had
been increasing week BY week and recent.
ly hour by hour. [Applsuse.
Mr.. Waddell asked II the troops had
not been removed from the South as q
matter OF constitutional duty, and did
not the Republican party make war on
the President for that.
Mr.. Garfield replied thatthe withdraw.
al Of the troops from the governors room
and Office IN New Orleans was consti.
tutional duty as a political student he
had never doubted, and did not doubt II
to day. Mr.. Packard had been honestly
and fairly elected governor Of Louisiana.
Applause on the Republican side,l refer.
ring TO the commission which had been
sent down by President Hayes, he declar-
ed II that commission had undertaken to
get members Of one Legislature into an
other that was an improper executive
interference with local self government.
Mr.. Chalmers asked II Mr.. Garfield
had not said some days ago that at a
conference 1t had been agreed that the
troops shonld be Withdrawn?
Mr. Garfield replied that the gentle.
man was mistaken. He never heard Of
such an agreement. He did not mean TO
say that i was wrong for the President
to send a commission 10 Louisiana in
order 10 obtain Information, but he meant
that the commission had no right 10 in
teriere with the information Of the State
Legislature.
Mr.. Gibson stated that he believed the
commission had no such instructions or
no purpose TO accomplish such an end.
MIR. GarieId-That Ia the gentleman's
opinion. Let us hope it~is true. He
went on TO say that the action Of the
President in removing the troops had
been looked upon by the people Of Lou.
isiana as generous and magnanimous
action, and they had garlanded the man
who performed il with the richest praise.
In that era Of reconciliation both sides
had forgotten and forgiven much. There
had been bleeding hearts In the land at
the recitals OF the massacres ut Hamburg,
but those horrible stories were never
heard Of now. Why2 Because there
had been silent determination TO let all
that horrible chapter sleep. All the ont.
RACES which had been done In Louisiana
during the late election had been covered
with The veil OF oblivion. Who had be.
gun this later revival Of that chapter
While that work OF conciliation had been
going forward there had been at the
North, and he affirmed It boldly, the pro.
cess Of laying the keel for another pfesi.
Dental campaign, and the order had
gone forth to Louisiana to open upon the
members OF the Returning Board, TO dis.
guise II under the form OF State pro.
ceeding, but 10 enter her wedge, and then
the Democratic power, as the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Clymer) had stated,
would summon all its strength 10 drive
the wedge to ia head, and stamp the great
fraud OF election as It deserves.
Mr.. Stenger-From whom has that
order gone?
Mr.. Garfield-The order so far as deliv-
cred here in the hall was from our distin.
guished and kind hearted friend from
Pennsylvania, Mr.. Clymer, [laugh.erl
and II this thing be seen in the green tree
what shall be seen In the dry. Laugh.
teri Continuing, he said that many
weeks ago the details OF all that was now
taking place in Louisiana had been fore.
shadowed by many persons as part Of a
programme. The impression was abroad
that the prosecution Of the Returning
Board was the beginning Of purpose 10
reopen the whole question. One by one
events were developing which would
make il impossible TO find the brother.
hood and pacifcation which was so earn.
estly desired. It would be impossible to
continue that course Of paci6cation and
brotherhood unless there was come re.
ciprocity somewhere. It had been denied
that the proceedings Of the State Court
had been irregular.
There was letter in to.days New
York Times, from ]. Madison Wells, De.
risiye laughter on the Democratic side i
which called the retort from Mr.. Garfield
"If you were Judges in a Court would you
hAw haw at a witnessp II you would
laugh again" Ia that letter Mr.. Wells
stated that Eve successive iuries had re.
fused to find 4 true bill on the indictment
against him; and from other statements
he Garfield understood that three iu.
ries had refused TO find true bill against
Mr.. Anderson. he asked his northern
colleagues what would be thought Of q
District Attorney who, having tried 10 get
an indictment aRainst q citizen, and fail.