Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-02-22
NUMBER 35.
A Field Day In the House.

There was an exceedingly lively debate in
the House, Wednesday. growing out Of re-
mark by Mr.. Conger, of Michigan, in the
debate on the Military Academy bill, to the
effect that the purpose of antagonizins the
Military Academy bill and tho blow at the
army was to so reduce its effective force as
to make places in future when the Democ-
racy was in power for officers who had left
the army to 20 into the rebellion. Mr.
Hewitt, Of New York, replied, and then the
fun commenced. On Monday, Mr.. Hewitt
made reIiark in reply to Aiken, of South
Carolina, which the Southern men generally
regarded as slander upon their sec
tion, and Mr.. House, of Tennessee,
denounced him as a demagogue. Mr.
Hewitt tried to explain matters by de-
ciarlng that his remarks had been misappre-
hended. Mr.. Hewes, of Tennessee, accepted
the amende, but at the same time insisted
that he was justified in his Interpretation of
the language used. lie objected to having
the iact continually thrust in their faces in
an offensive manner that they had been in
rebellion, and he did not care whether that
thrust came from Democratic or Republican
source Mr.. Hewitt then defended his course
pending the electoral count, and proclaimed
himself the particular friend Of the South.
Mr. Aiken replied by accusing Mr.. Hewitt
of garbliag his speech. and making a text of
such extracts as suited his purpose, intimat
ed that he was the Esau OF the party and
Benedict Arnold toward the Democratic
cause, and plainly and unmistakably accused
him of having sold the Presidency.
Amid cries OF "Go on from the Repub-
licsn side, Mr.. Hewitt proceeded to detail
circumstantially what he testified to before
committee of the last Congress, of how
Gen. Pickett had come to him and on behalf
Of j. Madison Wells offered to sell Loui,i-
ana's vote to Tilden for $500. 900. He had
Indignantly spurned the offer, and then
turning to Mr.. Aiken asked him to say
after that what reason he had for his asser-
tion that he had sold the Presidency. Mr..
Aiken replied that repetition of testimony,
which all could read, was not an answer or
the way to disprove his assertion, and the
debate was getting pretty hot, when Mr..
Luttrell, of California created laugh by
suggesting to the two gentlemen that Blad-
ensburg was only eight miles distant, and
that the road to that point was good.
Mr.. Foster, Of Ohio, disclaimed any bar
gain in connection with the Presidency, and
was not exactly complimentary to Hewitt.
The latter had intimated all through his
speeches that he was the pivot upon which
the arrangements relating to the electoral
count turned, and Foster informed the House
that after the Democrats began to oppose FL
clustering he did not recognize Hewitt as a
factor in the fight, but supposed the mantle
of leadership had fallen upon the other gen.
tleman from New York. Mr.. Wood, Mr..
Garfield defended the Democrats who had
opposed filibustering from the charge of bar
ter and sale. They were all honorable men,
who had acted as patriots and who were i'm
PEELED to their course by high sense of JUS
tice. In not strictly parliamentary language
he asserted that those who proclaimed bar
gain were either fools or liars. The troops
were withdrawn from Louisiana not as a
matter of Cancellation, but in the perform
ance of grand constitutional duty.
Then somebody made prosy speech on
the merits Of the bill, and the bcar-garden
was peace once more.