The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-13
A WAR ISSUE.

CoHBItSS has DeeIl ehRdSeu tnIS Se3slOH ~ I'LL
doubtedly the contest over the position Of
Doorkeeper, which terminated only few days
ago. The issue involved In this contest
threatened at one time to become the worst
sectional fight that has arisen In Congress
since the war; and the defeat of sectipnallsm
and the final triumph OF the Democratic par
ty In the fight are more to be welcomed from
the fact that at one time the Democratic par
ty itself threatened to split on the issue in
voved
That ceaseless agftator and sensationalist,
Ben Butler, was the originator and discov
erer of a scheme which proposed to reawake
| the dead issues of the war and to split the
Democratic party itself wide open on sectional
! issues.
| In the organization of the House of Repre-
sentatives the Southern Democrats, although
forming q large majority In the Democratic
caucus, claimed but few offices. Among
| those awarded them was the petty position
| of Doorkeeper, an insignificant and poorly
paid Office, with far too much work and respon-
| sibilty attached to 1t. When this Office be-
came vacant, q few days ago. by the removal
| of Polk, the then incumbent, a Southern
man. Gen. Field who had commanded the
rear guard OF Lees army and who had expa-
triated himself after the war and sought ser
vice under the Khedive Of Egypt was chosen
by the Democratic caucus to fill the position.
Here was Buffers opportunity, When the
| nominations for Doorkeeper were called,
Butler sprang first from his seat and nomi
mated Gen Shields, MANNED Union veteran.
Shields was a Democrat, but, as Butler ex-
planned he was willing to overlook his poll
tics and to consider alone the service he had
rendered his country on the field of battle:
and thereupon Butler proceeded to relate
these services and to tell the destitute condi-
ton In which Gen Shields found himself
after devotlng his life to his country. He
appealed to the Democrats to vote for
Shields; he tBulerl, though Republican,
would do SO; 1t behooved the Democrats
not to slight and neglect man who had held
high Office in the Democratic party, and who
was crippled during the war.
There Is no doubt that this action OF Butler
took the Democrats by surprise and greatly
demoralized some Of those from the Northern
States. Here was q plain issue squarey
made between manned veteran Of the Union
army, sound Democrat with an honorable
war record, and an ex-Coniederate officer
The Northern papers, Republican and in
dependent alike took up the matter at once
and threatened the Northern Democrats who
dared TO prefer the Confederate to the Fed
eral soldier with popular vengeance. There
was undoubtedly something Of q panic at
first, and the question was postponed for fur
ther consideration and elaboration. Several
Northern Democrats wanted to avoid the is
sue by staying away from the House during
the vote for Doorkeeper, and pleaded In ex-
tenuation Of this political cowardice that If
they voted for Gen Field as against Gen
Shields 1t would certainly lose them their
districts. An attempt was also made to pre-
vent Shields from becoming candidate. All
these subterfuges, however, failed, and the
direct issue came up last Monday. An at
tempt was even then made to avoid the issue,
but Butler was aroused and forced vote on
the question. His speech was bitterly Sec
tional and attempted to revive all the ami
mosties of the war; he recalled once again
his murder of Mumford-a circumstance
which he seems to delight In bringing up
whenever he wants to prove his courage and
patriotism Field also ought to have been
hung he exclaimed, and now it was proposed
to put him in place that manned Federal
soldier was seeking in vain.
The appeal was made in vain. When the vote
for Doorkeeper was called there was but one
bolter among the Democrats and Field was
elected by large majority. The Republicans
stuck to Shields but failed to make that point
on the Democrats which they counted to enter
the coming canvass with, failed to create that
sectional feeling that they hoped SO fondly
to arouse between Northern and Southern
Dem ocrats. Immediately after this q res
olution was offered placing Gen. Shields
on the retired army list, position requiring
no labor and emitting him to far better com
pensation than the petty position of Door
keeper The ex-Confederate officers in Con-
gress voted unanimously for this resolution
and showed that they at least entertained
no war animosities, no ill-feeling toward
Shields. The Republicans were taken by
surprise. They could not refuse to vote for
Gen Shields on account OF his politics, and
were compelled to vote, much against their
Will. for this Democratic measure.
This, the latest sectional fight in Congress,
was undoubtedly one of the bitterest ever
waged in that body. Its result ought to
cony ince the Republicans that all war issues
are dead.