The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-04-12
POLITICS In CONGRESS-.
Lively Partisan Debate In the House Over
the Election M Doorkeeper.

nomination Of Gen. Shields there is nomina-
ton pending Of a gentleman named Field, a
good, true, loyal Confederate soldier, who did
his duty, as he understood il, faithfully and
well, who fought well. happen to know an
occasion where he fought we'll. 1 have not a
word to say against his services for his country
as he chose it, but il was not for my country,
and, therefore, l cannot reward that servant.
/ am willing that he shall have all the rights In
this country which he forfeited, but 40 not
think the time has come for his having the
honors till our soldiers who fought 10 save the
country have passed away. When that time
comes, l shall be glad to vote for such man.
Mr.. Yeates-You said last Friday that, il We
would not elect Gen. Shields, and would nomin-
ate 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 Recorder not.
Mr.. Butler-Pardon me; did not, but
did say would vote for such a man against
any civilian.
Mr.. Yeates-That is right.
Mr.. Butler-That is all / said, and / stick
to it.
Mr.. Yeates-Then why do you undertake to
| say that as Gen. Field did not fight for your
Mr. Butler-It is the difference between 10y
| atty to the flag and Cow rnment which edu-
Gated him and brought him up aud treason TO
that flag, for which treason he ought to have
been hanged. BY all laws human and divine,
he ought to have been hanged but the Glenn
ency Of the country saved him from that pen
atty, and 1 have the unfortunate pre-eminence
of being about the only man who
ever did enforce that penalty, and
l stand by the 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, be-
cause the Sultan Of Turkey does not allow any
man to go into his army who does not swear
allegiance to him, and most Of them have to
swear allegiance to the prophet Mohammed be-
fore they get in. Now, within the last two
months, we have relieved the political disa-
bilities of this Gen. Field, and, having relieved
his disabilities, / am waiting (before vote for
him) to hear whether the Sultan of Turkey or
the Khedive of Egypt have removed his disa-
bilities as their subject l want to hear from
the Khedive whether he is willing to give us
this subject of his because do not want a man
to forswear part Of his country and get par
doned and then forswear the whole Of his
country and take service under foreign Prince,
and then return hot-footed from that service TO
be made Doorkeeper in the House Of Repre-
sentatives, which ought to be next to being
Doorkeeper in the House Of the Lord.
| b6IllSu0u VI tuo OlucE bluc,
/ ask you in closing not to do this thing.
We are a little sore yet, some Of us up North.
There are great many graves dotting the
| hillsides Of our villages with the grass grown
green over them, which we are going to
decorate on the Both Of May next-the graves
of men who fought to save the Union. Do
not send 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. Donot press us no fast.
We will get along pretty soon. Be little ten
der with us for a while. We have not got
quite to that point yet. l speak in all friendli-
ness. Inever have attempted to excite before
about this question any unkind feeling. / tell
you, men Of the North, that this seems a small
matter but so was the first gun fired at Sump-
ter. 1t did not harm, but it lit up flame that
almost destroyed our country, the effects Of
which we are feeling yet. Men Of Pennsylvania,
so true, 30 stanch to the flag in the time of its
troubles let me say to you that this will light up
among the glorious old hill-tops Of that State
and among her loyal citizens flame which,
| like the red cross of Roderick, will spread from
hilltop to hilltop. This will not be, after a
while, political question. l pray you, in all
sincerity and in all friendliness, do not do this
thing. You have shown by the election Of your
| Postmaster, in the regular course Of business,
| that you chose to give recognition to the
Confederacy, and we bore with that because in
that matter you were organizing your House in
your own way at first. But now, by the vista
ton of God Of the vo in this House the other
day can be called that, you have cut down a
| Doorkeeper, and a Union manned soldier,
| whom if you do not like to honor for what he
did in the war you must honor for that glorious
! charge at Cerro Gordo, is before you for that
Office. III you do not wish to stand by him on
account of the wound which he received from
Stonewall Jackson's brigade, you can stand by
him on account Of the copper bullet which he
received from the Mexicans / say, when such
man is presented to you do not try to strike
| him down.
Mr.. Clymer said the immediate business be-
| fore the House is the election of a Doorkeeper
| to fulfill the responsible duties connected with
| that Office. Our experience in the past has not
been fortunate, aud we are here to endeavor to
repair past misfortunes The gentleman from
Massachusetts would have us elect the person
Of his choosing. will join with him in doing
all honor to the man vine served in two wars;
who was a Senator from two States, and who in
every relation Of life has performed his duties
faithfully and well. Let US ask the gentleman
who has spoken about the pension to be granted
to Gen. Shields whether he knows the fact that
within the last five weeks, while the mat or was
pending in the Senate committee, the pension
was increased from $50 to $50 on the ground in
proof before the committee that Shields was
not only personally disabled &c that he could
not earn q livelihood, but in addition he re-
quired the services of some one to take care Of
him. Does he not know that that was the
ground on which the pension was increased?
Now l say to the gentleman from Massa-
chusetts, that when that bill shall come up
will join with him in granting the
request OF Gen. Shields to make II 800; and
will go farther-I will, if the gentleman will
Join me, vote for the bill to restore him to his
place on the retired list of the army, which
will give him SO, 900 year for his life. will
go farther, and vote to pay him for the service
which he would have rendered In that Con-
gress from which he was turned out, though
elected by q majority Of thousands, by the Re
publican party, headed by the gentleman from
Massachusetts, l wish to say to the gentle
man that fear the Greeks bearing gifts, and
l do not propose, AZ q member Of the majority,
that he shall dictate who shall be our officers
When, in the past history o. the gentleman
has he honored the soldier, when that soldier
was Democrat? Did not you and those that
followed you drag Mcclellan in disgrace and
shame from the army? Did not you cast Han
cock into exileP When all along the whole line
Of glorious men who suffered for the Union
cause have you ever honored them if they were |
Democrats? Never IN all your history, and |
never would you il you did not conceive that |
at this hour you could drive wedge into the |
Democratic party and rend it in pieces. We are |
neither to be controlled nor frightened, and, |
when the gentleman appeals to me and to 9TH |