The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-03-21
The Confederate Archives.
WAs,r1Ncrox March

The Confederate Archives.
WASHINGTON, March s.
The Confederate archives which the
Government purchased some years ago,
played conspicuous and important part
in the legislation of the House of Rep
resentatives to-day; and as the case
stands at present, resulted in the saving
Of several hundred thousand dollars to
the Treasury. The subject under con-
sideration was bill to pay mail contrac-
tors for service in the Southern States
before the war, and which has been pend
ing since the extra session of Congress-
The Republicans have resisted the pass
age of :he bill, mainly on the ground
that it was the entering wedge to open
ing the door for other Southern claims.
In the course of the discussion, from
time to time, party feeling has run very
high; and when the bill was last under
consideration, two weeks ago, Conger of
Michigan, and Reagan, of Texas, had
quite an animated debate, the former
affirming, the latter denying, that the
Southern Confederacy had taken posses.
sion Of postal property of the United
States in the Southern States prior 10
May 81, 1861, the date up to which the
bill proposed that the contractors should
be paid. 1t was also used as an argu-
ment.against the bill that no evidence
had been produced to prove that these
claimants had not been compensated by
the Confederate Government for the very
service for which they now asked the
General Government to compensate them.
The idea that there was any force in that
argument was Indignantly repudiated
by Southern men, who said these claim
ants had not been compensated one dol
lars worth by the confederacy. To-day,
when the bill came up again, Conger
read from the Confederate archives
proclamation issued by Reagan, from
Montgomery, Ala, on May 20. 1861, and
directing all Postmasters in the South to
hold possession of locks, bags and other
property of the United States for the
benefit of the Confederate Government.
Money and stamps were not included in
the proclamation. Following on the
heels of this came Willetts, of Michigan.
He, too, had been delving among the
Confederate archives, and to some pur-
pose, for he made discovery which ex-
ploded with surprising effect among the
Southern members. He read extracts to
show that the Confederate Government
had not only seized the property of the
United States, but presented undoubted
proof that the Confederacy had paid
railroads and individuals for the very
service which it was proposed to pay for
under the pending bill.
Mr.. Reagan was the first to express
surprise. He declared that what had
been read has passed entirely from his
recollection, if he ever knew it. He
would not vote to pay dollar to any
man or corporation that had been paid
by the Confederacy for this service. Mr..
Blount, Of Georgia, declared the revela-
tion entirely new to him, aud affirmed
that be never conceived that the Confed-
eracy had made these payments. In
view of what had been read he would
not vote for the bill unless it was 80
guarded as 10 exclude from its provisions
any man who had ever received dollar
from the Confederacy for that service.
Mr.. Randolph Tucker was also surprised.
He said that which was read was from
the Confederate archives, which had lain
concealed for thirteen. years. Southern
men had not had access to them, but he
thought he had key to the whole mat
ter, and would have more TO say at some
future time. For tho present, however,
he could not vote for the bill. He
wanted it recommitted until further ex-
animation could be made, and he had no
doubt thattbs honor of the Confederate
Government in the matter, and of those
who acted with that Government, would
be vindicated.
The result of the whole affair was that
Southern men abandoned the idea OF
passing the bill at present, and an at
tempt was made to take it from the
Committee of the Whole, and recon-
NIT it the Committee on Post Offices.
This was, however, resisted by the Re.
publicans, who seem determined to make
as much political capital as possible out
of the matter. The bill remains in Com
mittee Of the Whole, and it cannot be
got out Of there for two weeks except by
unanimous consent, or by suspension Of
the rules, neither of which is likely to be
obtained. Of course the Radical Re-
publicans will claim that the Southern
men knew of these things all the time,
and were practicing deception to get the
money out of the Treasury; but in spite
of their assertions, no honest man will
doubt that Reagan, Blount, Tucker and
others spoke the exact truth when they
said they did not know of the existence
of the facts brought out to-day, or that,
if they ever did know of them, they had
forgotten them entirely. Cox, of Ohio,
took occasion to say that, speaking for
himself and for others around him, not
withstanding what had been read to-day,
they could not doubt the candor and good
faith of Reagan. His conduct in the
House had proven his worth, and justi-
fed the esteem in which he was held,
and it was not surprising he should have
forgotten what was done in hours of ex-
citement fifteen or sixteen years ago.