The Portland daily press., 1878-05-11

majority of the House they would pay out $780,
600 more for the payment of such claims.
Ihornburg stated he meant that not One-tenth of
the loyal claims had been paid.
This gave rise to a colloquy between Thornburg
and MacMahon as to whether the Republican party
had paid disloyai claims in the course of which Mac
Mahon called attention to the fact that the Republic
can Houses had twice passed the William and Mary
bill, about which the Republicans were endeavoring
Keller denied that that bill had been passed by a
Republican Congress, and discussion took place
between him and MacMahon, the latter criticsing
Keifers course in advocating the passage of the bill
under consideration and the stamping Of Ohio max
ing party capital by hypocrticay talking about
claims. In the course of Keifers speech, which
frequently interrupted by his colleague CMacMahon
he said his colleagues suggestion that he Reifer)
undertook to make political capital out of this matter
came from spirit that lay deep in his colleagues
bosom-a spirit of demagoguery, daughter and ap-
plause on the Republican side)
Mr. Mcmahon retorted with remark to- the eff
feet that the hypocrisy OF his colleague and Of the
claims had been inverted. He, (McMahon) had
nevervoted for paying the claims OF war either loyal
or disloyal. He had even voted against tue William
and Mary college bill. because it would open the
doors TO the loyal claims behind 1t.
Mr. Goode remarked that most of these war claims
came from men who had been really loyal to the
their all the struggle and had lost accepted the
result as the fate of law Applause on the Demo-
Mr. Cabell took the same ground and said the
great mass of the Southern people when they allied
themselves to the secession movement Qau burned
the bridges behind them and never expected to ask
Congress to pay them for their losses.
Mr.. Blair suggested that the Democratic side of
the House ought not to present or sustain fraudulent
claims.
Mr. White of Pennsylvania dashed into the
breach and spoke with much warmth of the per-
secut0ns of the Southern loyasts in Libby prison.
Mr.. Hunton, who had crossed over to the Republic
can side Of the chamber and listened calmly but with
them and denied emphatiealiy that any unnecessary
or unavoidable privations had been imposed upon
Federal prisoners in Confederate hands and imputed
to the Federal the blame for such priva
tons in refusing to allow the exchange Of prisoners
He deprecated the introduction of such topic into
the debate.
humiliation at what he called the unstatesmanlike
ana unpatrotc reason given BY the gentleman fir ON
Ooio lfhhley) ior not voting for any o. these wal
make political capital out of his act. [This position
was denied by Mr.. Finley.l For this part lie was
ready and willing to vote for just claims of the
Southern loyalists men who had stood here and
there in the South as unbent their native pines
who had been spotted for their loyalty and had beer
Mr.. Hunton challenged Mr. Thompson to instance
such case of persecution.
Mr.. Cabell repudiated Indignantly that imputa-
ton. He spurned the idea that Southern Repre-
sentative would either present or uphold any fraud
Left but their good name, which they hoped and ex.
pected to maintain untarnished Ninety-nine out O.
every one hundred of these war claims were by men
who during the war had been known as Southern
loyaliss, and their claims should not now be called
rebel war claims
port of the bill and asserted that the Re publican
party had been in regard to these claims gener
Gus. liberal and magnanimous.
Mr. Bright took the floor to close the discussion
but at the solicitation OF White of Pa, he yielded
minute to that gentleman.
Mr. White in more excited manner even than
that he exhibited few minutes BEFORE took up the
sane subject and summoned before the House thu
ghas9ly skeletons of Andersonvile and othel
stir up angry passions. AS he became more ant
more excited in his manner, gesticulating vehe-
mently and moving across the area towards the
Democratic side he was greeted from that side witt
jeerng shouts of Louder, louder. At the top of his
voice he declared he that to meet the issue rails
ed by the gentleman from Virginia Hunton.)
Mr. Vance asked him whether he (White) had beer
on the Southern army.
MrWhite scornfully answered in the negative, but
said he had been in the Northern army and had be-
come prisoner OF in the hands Of the confeder-
ate army. He therefore knew what be asserted, and
he repeated that Union men from the valley of Vir
ginia and from eastern Tennessee had been deiber-
ately starved in rebel prisons.
Mr. Eden and other Democratic members claimed
that Mr.: Whites time had expired and the chairman
Mr. White, however, paid no attention to the init.
nation, but continued amid storm of objections,
calls to order and other interruptions from the DEM
0crac side, to shout at the top of his voice. the only
audible sentence in his speech being to the effect that
the statement of Hunton as TO the responsibility OF
prisoners in Confederate prisons was false.
By this time Mr. Whites excitement of manner
had communicated itself to members on the Demo-
cratic side. Most Of them contented themse Ives
with contemptuous and derisive shouts and laughter
but Mr.: Tucker of Kentucky advanced towards
Mr. White and with his cenched fist in proximity to
Mr.. Whites face demanded to know why he did not
take his seat as he required ito do by the rules
The Chairman piled his gavel and called for the
sergeant but the services of that official
were rendered unnecessary by the inter ference o.
sensible men on both sides who surrounded the
central figures in angry disputation, and led them
back to their respective sides of the chamber.
After short time the storm spent its force and q
compar alive lull tell upon the House.
Discussion was closed and the committee rose and
reported the bill to the House with a recommended
ton that it pass. Adjourned.