The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-02-14
RENEWING AN OLD FIGHT.

RENEWING AN OLD FIGHT.
INTERESTING DEBATE GROWING OUT OF THE
MILITARY ACADEMY BILL-INcIpENrs OF
THE PRESIDENTIAL COUNT REvIvED-THE
ALLEGED BARGAINS AND OFFERS.
WASHINGTON, Feb. Is, 1875.
In the House OF Representatives to-day Mr. RICE
(dem OF Ohio. chairman OF The Committee on Invahd
Pensions. reported bill granting pensions on account
OF wounds. &c. contracted In tho service OF the United
States since March 1861 for the pay ment of arrears
Of pensions and for the restoration TO The rolls of the
names Of invalid pensioners stricken thereirom on
account OF disoyalty Referred 10 tho Committee OF
the Whole and made the special order for this day two
weeks
TIE MILITARY ACADEMY BILL.
Tho House then, At halfpast twelve, went into
Committee OF the Whole, Mr.. Blackburn, OF Ken.
lucky, In tho chair, on the Military Academy Appro.
priaton bill, the pending amendment beng to strike
out .hs section prohibiting the appointment civil.
ians to the rank Of second neutcnants whom no more
vacancies occur than be filed by the gradu-
ating class Of the academy.
Mr. HAYES, trep.) Of ILL.,. supported tho amend.
ment II he understood the section Alright IL would
tend TO prevent promotions from the ranks. He
wanted some means by which personal merit could
be recogn zed.
Mr.. HALE, rep Of Me-, opposed the amendment.
The great fault with our army was that 1t was over
ofAcerod. This force small and was not in creas.
ing, while the numoer OF ofhoers always on tho
increase. THIS section Of the bill would keep down
the npnber OF such officers
Mr.. WHITE, (rep.) Of Pa, offered an amendment pro.
vidng ihS. nothing in the bill should prevent the ap
pontnent for commissions Ia the army of mertor.
rAd nN6~
Adopted.
The motion to strike out was then defeated.
APPOINTMENT OF CADETS
The section having been reached which provides
that when q cadet has once matriculated At West
Point other appointment from the same TOO Sc.
iOnal district shall be made during tho term for
which said cadet was appointed II q vacancy should
occur from any cause other than death or physi.
cal disability was stricken out. on motion OF Mr..
Durham, OF Kentucky.
Mr.. CLyMxR, (dcm.j Of Pa, offered an amendment
providing that only such number Of tho graduates
the Military Academy in any one year shall be entitled
10 fill the vacancies oil that gradc existing Juiy
OF each year Those entitled 10 such appointment Is TO
grad uatinx class and hereafter no supernamerarv
officers shall be attached any corps OF The army
and all graduates OF the Academy not attached
army under tho provisions OF this act shall BIO dis.
charged on graduation from the Academy.
Mr.. REAGAN, (dem.) Of Texas, offered as substitute
an amendment providing that as vacancies occur in
tho academy every alternate vacancy shall remain va
QUO academic term SO that there shall be Tor
the future onc-haif tho present number OF cadets
IRRITATING OLD WOUNDS.
Mr.. SoUrHARD, tdem.) OF Ohc, IN supporting Mr..
Clymer's amendment referred TO the evil of . large
standing army. II Was the history Of the world that
standing armies sapped the Liberties Of the people,
This country had seen instances OF The tyranny and
PRESIDENTIAL election. Ten thousand men would be
sufficient to protect our ,border, while Congress had
Of the roUpis and sr lbs d ovo
riding constitutional privileges.
Mr. CoNeER, rep Of Mich, said that he did not
know why his friends on she other side bent on
destroying the army and kept nibbling at IL all
OCCASIONS He bad often asked what the motive was:
but had answered him, sheltering the
behind tho beautiful cry OF ECONOMY" His friend
from Ohio (Mr Sou,hara) had let out tho lit
tie way, ana said II because tho army had been
used 10 Tho soulh in Presidential elections. under
the presenoe OF economy the democratic party
cutting down the army.
down OF the army. He thought that largo standing
army protected The liberties OF the people. wncro
would those liberties have been last II II had
not been for the standing armys
Mr.. HALF, Of Name, reiterated the charge made by
Mr. Conger that the democratic party determined
Mr.. ATKINS, (dcm.) of Tenn.-Therc is no such mo-
tive. II is ialss assumption on the purt OF the gen.
on this side OF the House 10 destroy the army
Mr. HALE said that no had listened day BY day to
speeches tending in that direction That was
the current oil things The gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Southard) had directed to the army because It
mad been used in me south. Those troops had been
withdrawn as Il measure of reconciliation and tho
answer 10 that measure OF reconciliation that the
kniie was put into tho army.
DAY OF RECONCILIATION
Mr. CHALMERS, tdem) OF MSS, said that he had
hoped That the war was over. He believed that this
governmen could afford 10 do justice us citizens ON
both sides in the firm conviction that both were
welded together In strong bond Of union. Gentle
men on his side had come back 10 the Uuion bearing
in their hearts NO malice lingering feeling
Of i'll Will TO the gallant gentlemen whom
lie saw those s.ian. men ' before. bss si."
and around him. Men who had fought on the South
ern sido were not jealous Of the wreaths OF fame
which were worn BY those gentlemen who had fought
the other siae. He contrasted the honor done to
the men who has been killed on either side, but no
not have tho slightest feeling OF dsloyaty toward
Onion. (Appause)
lsughter the democratic SIDE, stated at some
longth that the real motive which the democrats had
IN cutting down the army was In order that when It
got The appointing power tho army might DO nllcd
with old officers who had loft the army iGr reasons OF
their own.
REMARKS OF MR. HEWITT
Mr. HEWITT, (dcm.j OF N. T., sent to the clerks
desk and had read, the remarks which he mad made
last Monday IN regard to the selling OF West Point,
and the charge which had been lnade against him by
MI House, OF Tennessee, that he had slandered tho
people of the South. Hc had felt deeply grievod at
~ The moment ana attempted to get the
floor in order to correct the misrepresentation
under ., which tho gentleman from tennessee tNir.
House, was evidently iaborlng II there was any,
thing la tue language which he had used
which could be construed into any slander
oil tho Represcn ta!ives OF tho Southern States he
would take II back but he psisted mat MS motives
were 10 ueicnd tho representatives, OF the South from
the SANDER which had been against good
name by the gontiemsn IRON South Carolina (Nr.
Aiken) when he had declared tnat West Point was
incubus on ihc country.
Mr. HOUSE dem OF Tenn, replied TO Mt Hewitt.
Ii thai gentleman INTENDED reflection Southern
Representatives he (Mr. House, MAS glad 10 hear
The remark which he had MADE had been based ms
understanding OF the gentle mans remark II he haa
msunderstood II, Then justice inpellei HIM 10 say
that he should not have made the reply which he had
made. He had UNDERSTOOD IT, however, as u reflection
On every Southern member AS statement
that tho remark oil the gentleman from
south Carolina (Mr. Aiken had been inspired by
Southern hostility to West Point because, through the
skill and prowess OF Vest Pout officers, South Caro-
lima and tno other southern States had been WI ppsd
back into The Union. is thought that SOuEIefn Rep
rescDatvcs sbouid be permitted 10 discuss questions
OF pubc policy without having the TACT that they had
participated IN tho robeInon flung oncnsively into
Their races. They had fought ike mon aud had sinco
the surrender behaved IKE men. Hc did not deny
Sc O "A oil he Inan