Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-02-14
THE EVENING STAR.
CONGRESSIONAL.
Conclusion of Tesferdav's Proceeding

properly discussed.
Mr.; Saunders was opposed to all amendment
MIR. Allison, who has charge of the bill after
conversation, notified Senators that the vote
would be taken on the bill and amendments
on Friday before the adjournment
MI. Sargent opposed the bill in long argu.
ment.
Mr.. Dawes asserted that the bill demonetiz.
ing silver was thoroughly examined and dis
cusSed before its passage.
Mr.. Voorhees, inquired how it was that Mr.
Garfield had stated in speech in Ohio that he
did not know when the bill passed
MIR. MaNey asserted that Mr.. John Sherman
in April 1876, said no law had passed demone-
thing silver, and that was three years after the
Mr.. Jones obtained the floor. and gave way
10 Il motion TO adjourn.
An Exciting Scene In the House.
HOUSE.-After our report closed
heated debate sprung up over the conSid-
GRAFTON of the West Point Military Academy
Mr. Hewitt sent to the clerks desk and hal
read the remarks which he had made last
and the charge which had been made against
him by Mr.. House, that he had slandered the
| people of the south. He. had felt deeply
fLiTvea al lhe language OF that gentlsm an;
! 10 get the floor, in order to correct the miSap-
| prehenSiOn under which the gentleman from
tennessee MIR. House was evidently labor
| ing. II there was anything in the language
which he had used which could be construed
| into any Slandering of the Representatives of
| the southern states he would take it back, hut
| he insisted that his motives were to defend
| the Representatives of the south from the
| SANDER which had been uttered against their
| good name by the gentleman from South Car
| DINA Mr.. Aikenl when he had declared that
| West Point was an incubus on the country.
| MIR. House expressed himself satisfied with
Mr.. Hewitt's explanation. He thought that
| southern Representatives should be permitted
to discuss questions of public policy without
having the fact that they had participated i'm
the rebellion flung extensively into their faces
| They had fought like men, and had since the
surrender behaved like men. He did not DENY
| his love for his section and for its people.
Inc man who did not love the spot where his
mother rocked his cradle was unworthy of
MIR. Hewitt and MIR. Aiken addressed the
Chair i'll the midst of confusion and excite
| ment.
Mr.. Fort suggested that the public business
| should be proceeded with.
| Mr.. Townsend. (eNcitedlyl "A southern
man (Mr. House, has just had time given to
him; why not give a northern man mir Hew-
| itU time? Laughter and applause.1
Mr.. Durham demanded the regular order of
business, but the call was only laughed at on
diminution of the excitement and confusion
| MIR; Hewitt again got the floor. He was glad
to hear what had fallen from the lips of the
gentleman from Tennessee, tMr House, The
| remark OF his which that gentleman had
| taken exception TO was that of the gentleman
| from South Carolina, tMr. Aiken.l that he
| would vote for the abolition and sale of West
| Point. He tMr. Hewitt) did not believe that
states who would give assent to that propoSi-
| ton, and hence In repudiaing that declaration
| las lie had felt bound to repudiate it as a
democrat whose motives might be called in
| question: he had expressly limited his asser-
! ton to the state from which that gentleman
| (Mr. Aiken came.
Mr.: Aiken obtained the floor, and said Mr..
Hewitt knew as we'll as the speaker that he
|
| chapter of the Bible as to make the assertion
which he did from what he (Mr. Aiken) said
about West Point. Mr. Aiken claimed that he
had proved lack of economy at the academy.
| MIR. Hewitt said there were brave men be-
fore the member from South Carolina, but he
had never known of any brave men coming
| nome from the war and Boosting of their deeds
of valor. A brave man leaves that to the his
| tOrian, and to that record he consigned the
gentleman from, South Carolina; Mr. Hewitt
| said the gentleman inSnuated that somebody
sold out the presidency. Ne northern man
| sold out the presidency. The proposition to
| sell out the presidency was made to him Mr..
HewltD and he contemptuOusly refused it.
In response to shouts for the name of the per-
| son who proposed to sell out the presidency,
| MIR. Hewitt proceeded to recount the facts con.
nected with the proposition made to him by
dOX, special agent of the Treasury department
to pay j. Madison Wells chairman of the re.
turning board OF Louisiana for giving the
was testified by Mr.. Hewitt before the com
mlttee OF the House last session.
MI Hewitt, continuing, asked MIR. Aiken on
what authority he charged him with selling the
Presidency, when MIR. Aiken responded that
| he had read speech of Mr.. Hewitt sin which
| he declared that as far as the gift of the PreSi
dency was in his hands he would rather give
| up the Presidency than see one drop of blood
spilled in defense of The democratic party. Mr.
| Hewitt denied ever having made use of such
an expression, and said if Mr.. Aiken had had
that high feeling of honor which should govern
a nm ak i'm
the charge on the floor, have come to him and
asked in regard to its truth. In regard TO the
assurances of the withdrawal of the troops
from Louisiana and South Carolina, Mr.. Hew
| lit cited an interview he had during the pro
gress of the electoral count with Mr.. Foster, OF
| Ohio, who produced letter from the PreSi.
| dent, which has since been published He
| afterward understood that Mr.. Foster com
| municated with gentlemen from Louisiana
and South Carolina, who afterward told him
| they were satisfied with the assurances re
| ceIyed from Mr.. Foster. and on that he eXerted
| his influence to complete the count. If other
men made improper bargains he (Mr. Hewitt)
| knew nothing of them.
| Mr.. Foster said that il had not been his good
fortune TO hear the opening remarks of the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Hewitt). but
| In the remainder of his statement there was
| really nothing which had not been published
to the world time and again. unless it was the
| statement that he had reason to believe that
some bargain had been made with Louisiana
| he never knew of any.
Mr.. Garfield said he did not believe that the
democrats who stood by the electoral count
stained their honor by doing what they did as
a matter of trade: and if there be a mortal
| man In this world who said they traded he be
| lleyed that man lied, and if there be a man Oh
| this side OF The House. or the President, OF
any man for the President made a trade,
| hope he will exhibit the trade and lei the
| ScOundrel who made it, or who authorized it
be lashed naked through the world.
| MIR. Garfield diSclaimed that the troops were
| withdrawn from Louisiana as a matter OF
| policy but as matter of constitutional duty.
| But the evils which have followed, and the
| truculent spirit exhibited by some gentlemen
| in Louisiana, is poor recompenSe for the
| efforts OF our people to restore to the whole
| country the spirit of peace and reconciliation.
| Applause on the republican side
| Mr. SOuthard.-Wfll the gentleman say what
| that truculent spirit is?
| Speaker Randall lin a low tone from the
| clerks desk. furnishing the guilty.
Mr.. Garfield.-The persecution, the outrage.
| Gus persecution, which is following the mem
| bers OF the returning board i'm the city of New
| Orleans. tContemptuOus laughter on the
| democratic Side.l
Mr.. Ellis. who had been out of the hall dur
| ing the discussion, and who had evidently been
| ill-lnfOrmed OF the purpOrt of Mr.. Hewitt's re-
| marks about him. obtained the floor and las
| Stunning that Mr.. Hewitt had held himself and
| his colleagues responsible for the Presiden.
| tial bargain) declared that the lip which ut
tered the assertion that Louisiana, or any rep
| of I.