Daily globe., 1878-04-09

that that office will only last for one year,
while the pension would be for life.
Mr. Butler-Pardon me. If he is capable, if
somebody does not tie him by stating him to
be IS years of age when he is but 81, he will
remain here many years. This Office will last
him two years at any. rate and after that
know that it we get into power we will keep
him and will give him pension beside-(ap-
plause on the Republican side1-and I know
| that the other side will keep him, unless some
confederate who is not hurt wants the office
more than he does. Applause on the Repub-
! lican side.
Mr. Eden-Does not the gentleman from
Massachusetts think that Gen. Shields would
be better suited to fill the position of post
master general than that Of doorkeeper Of the
House, and does he not think that with his
great influence with the administration, he
could succeed in getting him into that office?
Mr. Butler-Oh, ironically. My great in
t1uence With this administration Laughter
The gentleman must certainly have hardly got
over the festivities of Saturday.
Mr.. Eden-I did not go to Chester.
Mr Butler-l do not have proper influence
with the administration to nominate post
master general Those who do, have nomi-
mated postmaster general confederate gen
! eral, a very good man, and it seems that that
| is the desire of the House of Representative,
because it is the same sort of man that the
! other side nominate now for doorkeeper. So
sentatives seem to agree upon this question.
There is nomination pending of gentleman
named Fields, a good, true, loyal confederate
soldier, who did his duty, as he understood it,
faithfully and well, who fought well. happen
to know an occasion where he fought well.
have not word to say against his service for
his country, he viewed it. But it was not
for my country, and therefore cannot regard
! that recommend. am willing that he shall
have all the rights in this country which he
forfeited, but | do not think the time has
come for his having the honors till our soldiers
who fought to save the country have passed
away. When that time comes shall be glad
to vote for such mon.
Mr. Yeates-You said last Friday that if we
would not elect Gen. Shields, and would nomi-
nate good confederate, who had fought and
been wounded, you would support him.
Mr.. Butler-Oh no. You had better look in
the record.
Mr. Yeates-You stated it, whether it is in the
record or not. ~,
Mr. Butler-Pardon me, did not, but did
say would vote for such a man against any
civilian.
Nr. Yeates-That is right.
Mr.. Butler-That is all ! said. and T stick
to it.
Nr. Yeates--Then why do you undertake to
say, that as Gen. Fields did not fight for your.
country you cannot support him?
MIR. Butler-lt is the difference between 10y
atty to the flag and government which educated
him and brought him up, and treason to that
flag, (applause Republican sde) for which
treason he ought to have been hanged; Iaugh-
ter) by all laws human and divine, he ought
to have been hanged, but the clemency of The
country saved him from that penalty. have
the unfortunate prominence Of being about the
only man who ever did enforce that penalty,
and I stand by zthe act This gentleman
left this country to seek another. He made
himself the servant Of an Egyptian prince, a
subject Of the Sultan of Turkey, because the
Sultan of Turkey does not allow any man to 20
into his army who does not swear allegiance to
him, and most Of them have to swear allie
glance to the Prophet Mahomet before they get
in. Now within the last two months we have
relieved the political disabilities of this Gen
eral Fields and having relieved his dissabili-
ties, am waiting before vote for him to hear
whether the Sultan of Turkey, or the
Khedive of Egypt has removed his disabilities
Khedive whether he is willing to give us this
subject Of his, because do not want man to
forswear part of his country and get par
doned and then forswear the whole of his coun-
try and take service under foreign prince and
then return from that service to be made a
doorkeeper in the House of Representative.
which ought to be the next to being a door
keeper in the house of the Lord.
Mr.. Hunton-l desire to state that Gen.
Fields never accepted service under any for
eign prince or potentate which interfered at all
with his allegiance to the government of the
United States. He went to Egypt and accepted
service under the Khedive under contract. The
same contract which Gen. Fields signed was
signed by four officers of the federal army, two
Of whom are now in the army of the United
States, and presume that these officers did not
forfeit any citizenship or allegiance to the gov
ernment by this contract with the Khcdive. If
they did not forfeit it would like TO know the
process Of reasoning which forfeits it in Gen.
Fields case.
Mr.. Hunton went on to give the names of the
four officers to whom he referred, stating them
as Assistant Surgeon VIM. T. Wilson, First
Lieutenant r. NJ. Rogers, of the second artil-
lery, First Lieutenant Chas. r. Locke. of the
eleventh infantry, and First Lieutenant Eugene
Petchel second artillery.
Mr.. Conger stated in regard to the last named
officer, that he had never joined the Khedive's
army.
Mr.. Butler-I am always glad to hear from
the learned gentleman from Virginia. because
he always speaks to the point.
Mr.. Hnnton-I desire to state another fact.
with the gentleman's permission. In the con-
tract entered into between those officers and
the Khedive, it is stipulated that they shall
serve the Khedive in any war against his enc
mics, unless there should come complications
war with the United States, in which case
they were released from service.
MIR. Butler-Now, Mr.. Speaker / will ad-
dress myself to those four gentlemen. It is
said that one Of them, surgeon, took a con-
tract to serve the Khedive and got leave from
this government to go and do it for one year.
they being young and subordinate officers
distinguish MIR. Fields case from these in two
respects. First-Did he ask leave of the Pres
ident of the United States to 90 out and ex-
patriate himself and serve for a year? There
is no evidence of that. Did he get leave? Was
he citizen of the United States at the time he
of III
friend from Virginia says that he did
not violate his allegiance in going out
there. No. I know he d1u not. He had no
allegiance to violate. He had broken it and
forfeited it. He did not ask leave to serve for
year, but he asked leave to serve, and did
he chose, or Just as long as the Khedive chose
to have him. Now where is Mr.. Fields con-
tract? These young mems contracts are ap-
parently very good and proper, but where is
his contract. he has got a copy Of it. Was it
50 heavy that it could not be brought up
tracts: They are not to the fore. Gentlemen
of the other side, ask you in
closing not to do this thing.
We are little sore yet, some of us up North.
There are great many graves dotting the hill
sides of our villages, with the grass hardly
grown green over them, and which we are going
to decorate on the 30th of May next-the graves
of men who fought to save the Union. Do not
send the sobbing widows and weeping orphans
to their husbands and fathers graves with the
idea that their comrade has now been put be-
hind those who led the army that killed those
husbands and fathers. Do not press us SO fast.
We will get along pretty soon. Be little ten
der with us for while. We have not got
quite to that point. speak in all friendliness.
| never have attempted to excite any unkind
feeling. tell you, men of the North, that this
seems small matter, but SO was the first gun
fired at Sumter. 1t did no harm but it lit up
flame that almost destroyed our country, the
effects Of which we are feeling yet. Men of