Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-04-06
Mr.. Folks Soldiers Roll.

| WASHINGTON, April 3.-The consideration Of
Door keeper Polk was resumed in the House to.
day. Several democrats made lsbored attempt,
TO explain away the shortcomings OF their Door
| keeper, but they made little impression on the
House. Whatever favorable impressions were
made by Mr.. Folks defend Is were entirely efaced
by the able speeches made by Messrs. Frye OF
Maine, and Cox, of Ohio. The speech of Mr.
Frye was the event of the day. and annoyed the
democrats more than any speech that has been
made in Congress since Blsine's celebrated reply
! TO Ben. Hill during the amnesty debate. Mr.. Frye
had little to say about the door keeper directly
but devoted hmsel # to N analysis of what is known
as the soldiers roll. and succeeded in showing
that of the IA men on that list, only two three
had any legitimate claims to be there by reason OF
having been crippled III the military service of the
United States. Mr.. Frye referred to the declara-
| tions of the democrats, pnbhcly made in de bate
during the last session, aud their promises to
keep up the crippled and disabled soldiers roll
| by turning out republicans and substituting Grip
pied and disabled democratic soldiers IN their
places. He made no objection to that, and com
! pmented those democrats who went into the ar
my, and who, in spite of party, buckled on their
armor and went forth to battle for their country.
| Mr.. Frye called over the names the soders'
roll. The first name called Mr.. Holt, of
Massachusetts,, who had been placed upon the
roll at the request OF the democratic members
from New England Holt swore before the
committee that he had been three years 10 the ser
vice as a soldier from Massachusetts,, but, upon
cross-examination admitted that he had not been
in active service, but belonged to an ndepend-
ent company in Boston. Commenting on this,
Mr.. Frye said
Holt. to-day, is in the employ of the demo-
cratic party of this H ouse, notwithstanding that
he committed. in spirit at any rate, perjury; and
every man of that committee and every many IN
this House knows tn at in spirit he committed per-
jury. When he put upon that roll he either
deceived the members from Connecticut and New
| Hampshire, or else be deceived Mr.. Polk, and
thus got himself put on the soldiers roll. Is it
worthy of the democratic party to keep that man
from that time TO this in the employ of the House
Is it New England democracy to do so Oh,
you New England Statesmen, could you not
| hunting all over the democratic ranks of sol
diers in all New England find a single crippled
and disabled democratic soldier aud were you
compelled to take this man Holt. who served
three years in an independent company 10 Boston
What became of your promises Were they
| ropes OIL sanu FOLK informed the statesmen from
| New England that Mr. Holt must go Oft the roll
and they held a meeting. They were terribly
erclsed. They consultt d as to what should be done
upon this quota to which New England was en-
titled. What wa the quotai One laborer, one
fireman, one soldier. Gol ious old New Eng
| land stick for your quota. To be sure, you have
not single Craftsmanship, but you have quota
Meet together and consult about your quota. To
he sure, each of you represent 10000 people
each of YOU represent millions of capital you
interested more than any other part of the country
in great financial questions. The tariff is a mat
ter OF life or death to the industries of your
district. But, for Gods sake, gentlemen, forget
finance, forget the tariff, and stick to your quota
of three employees. Oh, one legged democrats,
marching up TO the polls vote for nv friend from
Connecticut, Mr.. Ladders; oh, one armed demo
cratic soldiers, fighting all day long in the besut-
full old city of Portsmouth for my friend from New
Hampshire, Mr.. Jones the next time you hob
bic along up to the polls ask the Cong ressmen you
voted for how their rabbit hunt for crippled sol
der ended thus tamely. So much for New Eng
land.
What comes next | will not take delegation
by delegation now-I shall not have time. There
was a vacancy on the soldiers roll and gallant
horse-marine stepped for the place-Wilham S
Dun. Crippled, No. Disabled No. Demo
crat Yes, every time. You served, | suppose
in the Union army. No, Sir in the NAVY. You
look quite young; when did you enlist in the Ma
wy In 1863. as apothecary's clerk. On you
utmOtTHts, WHO bouuu 10 Hi up tDls soldiers
roll with crippled and disabled soldiers, where did
you find Dun, who almost babe at his
mothers breast when the war broke out Couldn't
you find one wounded democratic sodleri Were
you reduced TO this marine druggist William
NJ. Patten-Crippledi No. Disabled? No
Democrat Yes. Confederate Yes. All, then
YOU democrats cannot find crippled and disabled
Union democratic soldiers, and you res sorted to the
Confederacy. Well, gentlemen, if You cannot
succeed auy better than you did in your grand
hunt through old New England for crippled and
disabled soldiers, thank God, you turned your eyes
to the Confederacy, where you can find thousand.
OF poor, broken, crippled soldiers of the Confeder-
acy. blame you not for gong, face about, after
such luck as that ames g. Knight was soldier in
1861 sprsined his ankle while drilling: served
until 1864, after he had sprained his ankle;
crippled and disabled soldier Z. J. Larry never
soldier, always democrat, put on the crippled
and disabled soldiers roll. Jacob Foulke-oh
what terrible necessity there was upon NV dem
ocratic friend who too valiant for the soldier,
Of the Union-Jacob Foulke was in the war OF
lSl2. They could not find crippled and dl. abled
soldier of the late war aga inst the Unisn, but were
actually driven to the extreme necessity of gong
away back to the war of 1872, and bringing here
venerable old gentleman, so, 80. 100 years OF
age to help NIL up the crippled and disabled sol
dlers roll"
Mr.. Butler-He may have served in the Mex.
can war
Mr.. Frye-Oh, no he was not in the Mexican
WhtI 100 olu IoI tuat lney got one MEXICAN sol
der They went rolls Of all disabled soldiers
They took the Revolutionary roll but could
not find a man who was able to go TO Washington.
They got the roll Of 1872, and examined that and
they hit man who was in that war They took
the roll of the Mexican War; and hit man in
that roll and yet they were not happy and vet the
roll was not full, and yet the hunt continued
Mr.. Frye continued his rol-call of democratic
crippled soldiers, quoting from the testimony ia
ken by the committee: "' Hermon J. Scheeics,
were you in any way crppledF No, not BY
wounds received. had fever and was dis
charged Since the war, have YOU been in toll
erably good health : We'll, suffered ever since
partcu larly from the asthma What business
have you followed Il have been in the General
Land Office. The Doctor in Wisconsin told me
| ought TO 20 TO q warmer climate, to cure the
asthma i suppose In what capacity were you
in the Land Office ? First class clerk-I went
there in 1866, and was discharged in 1871 Were
you a soldier in the United States Army during
the of the rebellion yes Sir; was sworn
in for 80 days in the Thirty-niuth Pennsylvana
state NJ ilitls, Company G, Capt. Samuel Harri
son. We were sworn in for 80 days'service when
Lee came into Pennsylvania. am sure we were
sworn in and mustered, and have got a copy OF
the muster.roll. But you didn't go out Of the
State NO, Sir Where were YOU during the
30 days" Around Chsmbersbufg and down by
Greencastle Your command, then, did not
meet the enemyr No, Sir you were not
disabled Z NO, Sir, / was not wounded, bu,
| have had disease far anna aa.s