National Republican., 1878-12-03

question, and the oath Of Office Qron -clad) was
administered TO Mcssrs. Bailey and Majors.
A committee Of three (Messrs. Atkins, Cox.
and darheldl was appointed 10 Join . like
committee Of the Senate to walt upon the
President aud inform him that Congress was
In session, and then, at 1910, recess was taken
for ono hour.
At the expiration Of the recess tho Presi.
dents message was handed In by his private
secretary, Mr.. Rogers, and was thereupon read
by the Clerk.
When the reading Of the message was ended
Mr.. WooD, Of New York rose aud moved that
II be referred to the Committee of the Whole
House and ordered printed. But first he
desired 10 make some comments upon It. Al.
though, rs whole, tho document was highly
satisfactory, yet thore were some references In
1t which should be met Mt the earliest practi-
cable moment. He referred to that part Of II
relating to the Southern States. Ho Wood
failed to see (what the President saw any dis.
position In the South to avoid, or to annul in
any degree, the recent constitutional amend
ments. lie failed to see any indication In the
South, at any election, at any time, under any
circumstances, for q series of years, Of an un-
willingness TO live In entire amity with the
whole country In regard TO laws, or TO obey the
Government He regretted that the Presi.
dent who had commenced his administration
| with such anoblo and patriotic position, rs
against the military despotism exercised by
| his predecessor, should now indicate o change
| Of policy.
He had watched with interest tho course
| OF the Administration, In order to SEQ whether
tho President would bc forced from the manly
and noble position taken by him. Ho knew
that there was q wing of the Republican party
dissatisfied with that position, and II had been
| matter Of great interest to the whole coun-
try to know whether the President would con-
| tinuously maintain his attitude. While tho
President expressed his views In very mild
andIvery decorous language, yet he indicated
| quito clearly that the condition Of things In
| the South was not satisfactory 10 him. The
| President had referred especially TO the cleo
tions In South Carolina and Louisiana. lie
had been able only to single out two States,
and only two isolated instances In those States.
| That was an indication Of vacillaton on the
part Of the Executive, and It was only because
| 1t was such an indication that ho (Mr. Wood
| felt II his duty TO declare that there was no
foundation for the allegation Of wrong In tho
| South.
1t was to be regretted that, while the Prcsi.
| dents eyes were open to tho Congressional
elections in South Carolina aud Louisiana, they
were closed to what had occurred In the city
of Now York on the 9th of November, where
four thousand legal voters were dragged to
prison by Government official; where hun
dreds OF them were plunged into tho vilest
dens as common prisoners; and where (be.
sides those who had been arrcsted) ten thou
sand other voters had been intimidatcd, thus
making difference OF at least fifteen thousand
votes in the city Of New York in the last elec.
| tion. The President had not seen that. [IrOn-
ical laughter OH the Republican side. Tho
Republican press Of New York had not told
| that to the President, but II had pointed him
to the South. He Wood regretted that tie
President had thought proper to lend his high
position to the ieiteration of misrepreson
originated for him by the Republican press.
| IIn nl tnIt f. lad D
highest regard for the President believing him
to be an honest and patriotic man. 1t WAS q
matter Of profound regret that the President
should permit himself to be an instrument In
the hands Of an ultra wing Of the Republican
party.
Mr. GARFrLD replied to Mr.. Wood
lie characterized it Us very unusual
to interrupt tho ordinary forms of
proceedings (Which was simply to rcfoc the
Pi csidcnts message and order its printing! by
debating any of its suggestions; and he
thought the kind of suggestions made by the
gentleman from New York rs still more unus-
ual. Tho exact language Of that part of tho
message with which the gentleman found
fault was not in his (Garfeld's) mind but tho
gentleman's language was very plain. He
| (WoOd) criticised certain references In the
| Presidents message as to some disturbances IN
the course Of q Federal election In several
States, contrasting that with what he chose to
call the noble beginning of the Adminstra.
| tion In favor Of self'govcrnncnt and said that
the President had shown vacillation because
| he had seen fit to refer to disturbances In q
| Federal election. II tho right of q State to
attend to its own local concerns undisturbed
was in any way inconsistent with the right Of
the National Government to attend 10 national
| elections and If that was what the gentleman
called "vacillation," he hoped they should all
'yacillate" In that way.
lie (Garheld) had never made himself par
| ticular advocate or defender of any Admins.
traton for its vacilation or want of vacila-
tion but II the gentleman Wood could mako
no better case against the Administration than
| be had mado he had not very we'll "opened
the ball" this winter. That gentleman could
not sec that there had been any disturbance in
matters of election latter pause, except In
his own State. Laughter on the Republican
side. lie Wood had seen some signs, If not
Of disturbance ut least Of "vacillation," In
the city Of his adoption and in his State, but
| they were not such instances of vacillation"
as the gentleman would have brought up In
discussion. Laughter. 1t did not signify
| that the gentleman had not seen any disturb
ancos in tho national election elsewhere. If
tho President had seen them 1t was tho Presi-
dents duty to say so, and the President had
said so In his message. II the President had
seen them and had not said So he would not
only have been guilty Of neglect, but of
positive fault.
The President had referred to it-modestly.
He had invited the attention Of Congress to
it. Did the gentleman object to having at
tenton pointed to 1t in that way2 Had he,
or any gentleman on the other side, any reason
why he did not wish the attention Of Congress
pointed to the elections in the Southern States?
For his own part he welcomed such calling O;
attention. The President ought to be thanked
for 1t by the gentleman from New York. as 1t
afforded au opportunity to him to have this
vacillation examined into closely. He (Gsr.
fold) had had tho impression made on his
mind, from somewhat careful reading OF the
public Journals that q very considerable lille.
gal disturbance had taken place In some of the
Southern States. Ho had even heard 1t stated
that bold, open, acknowledged intimidation
had been employed, notably in South Carolina,
and that in districts where there had boen an
overwhelming majority of one political party
no sign of any such majority had appeared at
all.
This might be an exaggeratlon but, If SO, 1t
was one that was broadcast through the public
press, and one which Congress so notable as
the present one for investigating all chances of
wrong.doing should investigate. He supposed
! (this sarcasticallyJ that his friends on the
other side would welcome the Presidents sug-