The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1878-02-22
INTERESTING DEBATE IN CONGRESS.
Hard Blows Passed Around Freely-Thc
North aud the South, Democrats
and Radicals, All Mixed Up.

The most exciting debate of the
| present Congress occurred in the House,
on the 18th, on the bill making appro-
priations for the West Point Academy.
providing that no cadet should be COM
| rnissioned as an officer in the army
| unless there was a vacancy then exist
| ing. The debate assumed Il wide
range. The abstract of the speeches
made, AS given below, will be found
very interesting:
Mr.. Hale, of Maine, feared it was
time, as stated by the gentleman from
| Michigan, that there Was Il determin-
ed purpose to cut down the army and
destroy it. The motive had been ask
| ed for and not given, but the House
could Judge what the motive was.
Mr.. Atkins, of Tennessee, said that
| the gentleman from Michigan (Mr.
Congerj had intimated hidden mo-
| tive. In framing the bill he (Mr.
| Atkins) disclaimed any knowledge of
such motive.
| Mr.. Hale said the gentleman from
| Tennessee intended that for himself,
but all the current-sets in the,direction
vi q hOtltSs Dut WhSSuSA thC pun PSSS
| was to reduce the army or not, one
thing is certain, that within our late
| memory and when, last summer, trou-
bleS came upon several of the States,
| their executives called for troops, and
they were not Republican executives.
They were the executives of the Dem
ocratic States of Maryland, West Vir-
ginia and Indiana. Only recently the
| Democratic Governor of Texas also
called for troops. The gentleman from
OHIO (Mr. Southard) had objected that
troops had been used in the South.
The troops had all been withdrawn
| from that section as u measure of con-
| ciliation, and in answer to that concil-
iatory policy the knife was being put
into the army.
Mr.. Chalmers, of Mississippi. said he
had no desire to participate in the dis
cussion on this bill, but he could not
keep quiet when charges are made
that the men of the South are opposed
to West Point and the army. He
should vote to sustain West Point, but
he regretted that gentlemen could not
speak and act in the interest of mo-
tion which they believed was for econ
omy without having their motives
slandered because they come from the
South. He supposed that the war. was
we have come back with no feeling OF
enmity toward the men who fought on
the other side. He saw all around
him men who had braved death on the
battlefield on the side opposite to the
one in which he was engaged. The
Southern soldiers acknowledged the
courage and endurance OF the North
ern soldiers, and gave them all their
need of praise. They don't complain
of the fact that the remains of Union
soldiers repose in handsomely improv-
ed national cemeteries, while the Con
federate soldiers sleep on the lonely
hill sides and in Impoverished grave
yards.
Mr.. Chalmers five minutes here ex-
pired, and Mr.. Durham, of Kentucky,
rose to proceed with the business, but
, yielded to appeals on all sides to let
Mr.. Chalmers go on.
Mr.. Chalmers resuming, said the
people of the South had no such feel
ingS as were attributed to them. The
South had submitted to the recon
struction measures, painful and dis
gustful as they were they had accept
ed all of the constitutional amend
ments they had endeavored to for
get the march of the army which had
carried desolation to the Southern
= |
for peace. AS Southern man, he
went with his section. He never turn
0 ed his back to the foe on the battle
5 field, and he would not now in debate
So far as Mr.. Clymer's amendment
was concerned it was wise, and he
. should vote for it, but great injustice
was done when insinuations were made
:, against gentlemen from the South
y Applause on the Democratic side.)
4 Mr.. Clymer, of Pennsylvania, dis
: claimed any purpose of striking at the
army by this amendment.
Mr.. Conger said no one had ye
@ stated the motive for these blows a
:, the army. There is a motive, how
= ever, and the people know that it ex
k lists. This is what the people of the
,fI North believe: They believe that i
is the object of the Democratic party o
this House, piece by piece, hour by
hour, day by day, and bill by bill, t.
y cut down the effective force of the Off
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