The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-02-21
CONGRESS IN AN UPROAR.
SECRET OF THE GREAT FRAUD.
Mr. Hewtps Reply to Aiken's Charge that lie
Sold the Presidency COlloqules--
Fresh Denlals from Foster and Gar
aeld-Ellls OF Louisiana ina
Fit OF Temper.
Washington, Feb. IS. The Senate
went on with the Silver bill.

Washington, Feb. 19, The senat,
went on with the Silver bill.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
The House went into Committee Of thu
Whole, Mr., Blackburn (Demo Ky.) il
the chair, on the West Point Appropria
ton bill, the pending amendment beini
to strike out the section prohibiting tht
appointment of civilians to the rank o
Second Lieutenants when no more va
cancies occur than can be filed by thu
next graduating class.
Mr.. White REP, Pa.) offered al
amendment providing that nothing il
the bill should prevent the giving O.
commissions to meritorious non-commis
stoned officers or private soldiers
Adopted.
The motion to strike out the section
was lost. The section providing that va
canCies in the academy not arising from
physical disability shall not be filed was
stricken out.
Mr.. Clymer Dem, Pa, offered an
amendment providing that only such
number ofthe graduates in any one year
shall be entitled to appointments as
Second Lieutenants as sre required to
fill the vacancies of that grade existing
on July of each year; no supernumer-
ary officers should be attached to any
corps OF the army, and all graduates OF
the academy, not attached to the army,
to be discharged ON graduation.
Mr.. Reagan (Dem., Texas offered a
substitute providing that as vacancies
occur in the academy every alternate va
Cancy shall remain vacant for one aCad-
emic term.
Mr.. Southard (Dem., o. spoke of the
evil of large standing army, This
country had seen it notably in the last
Presidential election. Ten thousand men
would be sufficient to protect our bor-
der.
Mr.. Conger (Rep., Mich. said that he
did not know why his friends on the
other side were bent on destroying the
army.
Mr.. Hale rep, Me- said the troops
had been withdrawn as measure OF re-
Cancellation, and the answer to that
measure of reconciliation was that the
knife was put into the army,
M. Hewitt (Dem., N. ~ said that if
any language used by him on Monday
could be construed into SANDER of the
Representatives of the Southern States,
he would take it back. His motive had
been to defend these Representatives
from the slander which had been utter
ed against their good name by the gen.
tleman from South Carolina, Mr.. Aiken,
when he had declared that West Point
was an incubus on the country. He
knew that they were to-day as loyal and
true to the Union as any sci of men in
the country. 1t was for that reason that
he had devoted two years Of his life to
the effort to haye the constitutional
rights of the South recognized, and the
strong arm of military power withdrawn
from the South. No matter what might
have been the result of that struggle on
his part, the country would bear him
witness that it was due to it that militia
ry power did not to-day dominate in
Louisiana and South Carolina. II, in the
final hour of that terrific scene in which
his party and his country had been rob-
bed of their rights, assurances had not
been given that military domination
should cease, he had reason to know
that the electoral count would never
have been completed within the halls of
Congress.
Mr.. Aiken (Dem., S. GILT has been
directly asserted here, without any quail.
ifCation, that / have said / would vote
to have West Point put to the block
That gentleman (Mr. Hewitt knows as
well as | do that he might as well take a
single phrase out of any chapter of the
Bible to prove any doctrine, as to make
5he assertion which he did from what l
said. l felt it my duty to say what l did,
and he could not answer it, and he could
not rebut it. But the gentleman from
New York gets up here, proving that he
Is what the gentleman from Tennessee
Mr.. House asserted that he was.-
Loud laughter. l have nothing to say
against West Point if properly conduct
ed. l know that West Point has made a
record for ITSELF have only to point to
men like Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee,
Jackson, Joe Johnston, Sgd.
ley Johnston, Gems. Bragg, Hardee, and
4 whole host of others from West Point.
And / know that my Union friends can,
On their side, point to a line of noble,
gallant spirits, who came from West
Point and fought on the other side, l
honor them. l know their worth. I
met them and measured steel with them,
and l never saw him meaning Mr..
Hewitt there. Loud laughter and
great excitement West Point has pro-
luced great men. But West Point has
never produced an Esau. 1t has never
DrodaCed a Benedict Arnold. Excite
nent. 1t has never produced man
who put up the Presidency and sold it.
Continued laughter and excitement. J.
[ hope that the gentleman from New
York has the intellect to appreciate what
[ mean. Laughter,
Mr.. Fort, Rep, Ill.-In view of the
harmony existing on the Democratic
side, demand the regular order of bust
ness. Laughter and cries of "No, no,
1o."]
Mr.. Hewitt have received hard hits
in my time, and have learned to take
5hem; and now l propose only to say
This: There were brave men before
Agamemnon. There were brave men
before the member from South Carolina
Mr.. Aiken). But 1 have never known
Of fany brave men coming home from the
war and boasting of their deeds of valor.
A brave man leaves that to the historian,
and to that record l consign the gentle.
man from South Carolina. The gentle.
man insinuates that somebody sold out
The Presidency. No Northern man sold
out the Presidency, The proposition to
sell the Presidency was made to me, and
contemptuously refused it. Excite
ment and shouts of "Name! name !"
Mr.. Ellsworth, Rep, Mich.-1 want to
know who it was that proposed to the
gentleman to sell out the Presidency.
Mr.. Hewitt-If the House desires to