Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-05-21

man when that trip was over, he Sargent
did not know.
SENATOR Cockrell said that the amend
ment of Senator Sargent had been adopted
by the senate in the committee of the whole,
and he now gave notice that when the bill
should be reported to the senate, he would
renew that amendment, and call for vote
upon it. He inquired of the senator from
California sargent why he had not intro
duced the bill to retire General Grant before,
as he was so much in favor OF it.
Senator Sargent SAID, to be frank, he had
no idea such a bill would be passed.
Senator Withers argued that the Republic
can party had been IN power for years, and
could have passed this bill at any time. If
General Grant needed the relief proposed he
would cheerfully vote for it. The soldiers
who surrendered to him at Appomattox
courthouse, and who were told by HIM to
take their horses home with them to cultivate
crops, would remember those words.
Senator Voorhees, SAID the statement of
Senator Sargent, that he offered his amend
ment in good faith, of course was binding
upon the senate, but on previous occasion
that senator offered an amendment to break
down the bill. Senator Voorhees, then read
from an amendment submitted by Senator
Sargent on the fifteenth of April, proposing
to retire General Grant and many others, and
said that 80 far as General Grant was con-
cerned there was no proper honor which the
government could pay him for his military
services that he would not concur in, but he
drew wide distinction between the military
career and the civil career of General Grant.
Again referring to the amendment SUBJ
mitted by Senator Sargent on the fifteenth
of April, he quoted the names, and
when he reached that of Benjamin +. Butler
he looked toward that gentleman, who occu-
pied seat near to Senator Barnum, and was
engaged In conversation with him, and, con-
tinuing his remarks, said, after quoting Gen
eral Buffers name, the impossible task was
undertaken to retire that distinguished gen.
tleman, but he was more difficult to retire
than General Grant. Great laughter. He
next read the name of Carl Schurz IN the
list, and said he did not wonder at the sena-
tor from California wanting to retire him.
Retirement would improve him, upon the
principle that distance lends enchantment to
the view. Renewed laughter.l A re-
tor from California. Senator Voorhees,
next read the name of Charles Devens in the
list, and sald, that is the attorney general,
believe, of whom Wendell Phillips spoke
in such an affectionate way After that
amendment of the fifteenth of April he
thought the senator from California was an
object of suspicion. He spoke of the needs of
General Shields, and said there We're men now
within the sound of his voice who knew that
he had to pawn the sword his country gave
him for the purpose of paying his debts. On
the other hand, General Grant was rich
man Poor people did not travel over the
land with an escort like prince. He was
surprised at the senators on the other side of
fering the bill.
Senator Blaine. referring to the statement
that the Republicans could have passed the
bill retiring General Grant at any time, said
this was the first year it could be brought
forward since he left the Presidential chair
He was ready to vote tor the bill with the
amendment on. If he should be placed on
the retired list it would leave General Grant
to be disposed of by the people, and that
would be done, no matter what the views of
either side of the senate were. 1t would not be
any great block in his way that the senators on
the other side of the chamber, with a single
exception Lamar, had voted against placing
his name on the retired list. Applause in
the galleries,
Senator Thurman said that 80 far as his
limited personal intercourse with General
Grant was concerned, it had been exceeding
ly pleasant, but he voted against the amend
ment to place him on the retired list upon
principle. He referred to the policy of Eng
land and France in giving large pensions to
officers, and said that it had never been the
policy of this country. Our idea had been
that the people would reward by public dis
% 1t hs army who eaa
should pension private soldiers, and in this
respect we went much further than any other
country ON the face Of the earth. This coun-
try had bestowed upon General Grant
all the honor it could bestow upon him.
Twice he had been elected President, and the
salary of the office doubled for him. 1t would
not do to say that republics were ungrateful
certainly not that the American republic
was ungratetul-wit this record before the
people. The amendment of the senator from
California was log-rolling amendment, and
he could imagine that if General Grant was
the high-spirited man his friends claimed
him to be, he would scorn to be carried
through in this manner. If he Thurman
was disposed to favor such a measure as pro-
posed by this amendment, he would vote mo"
ON the amendment, so that it could not be
said, General Grant, you got this reward
from the American congress, because you
were tackled to the tail of Shields's kite"
Much as he valued the services of General
Shields, he would not vote for this bill with
out some mlsgivings as to its being a bad
precedent. He would vote for the bill as It
came from the house, upon the ground that
the case was wholly exceptional. He would
be made adequate to his wants.
Senator Davis-I will sustain you in that.
The president pro tempOre announced SEN
ators Allison, Window and Eaton as the
conference committee on the Indian appro-
priation bill, and Senators Sargent, Dorsey
and Davis w. Va. as the conference COM
mittee on the pension appropriation bill.
Senator Conkling took the floor to speak
on the Shields bill, but yielded to Senator
Hamlin, and the senate adjourned.