The Portland daily press., 1879-01-24
A Kilkenny Fight among the Democra ats.
The Payment 0fthe Southern Claims the
Bone of Contention.

For several days there has been an interest
ing family difficulty brewing among the Demo-
Gratis on the subject of Southern claims. We'd
nesday it broke out openly on the floor 1t was
q continuation of the subject which called out
Mr.. Potter, Tuesday, to demand that the pay
ment of the Southern war claims should stop
Wednesday General Bragg of Wisconsin.
(Democrat) made bold and severe attack up.
on the Southern Democrats, which fixed the
attention of the whole House and stirred the
Democratic side more thoroughly than any
thing that has happened during the present
Congress. He did not confine his remarks
strictly to the claims, but made sharp references
to Southern outrsges. He called attention to
the various halfway intimat;ons which. the
Southern Democrats had seen fit to drop In de-
bate, to the effect that they expected help from
their Northern friends in these matters, and
that if they did not receive it the solid South
might be of less value to the Northern Demo-
Gratis than the latter expected. To this he had
plain answer to make, and that was, If the
price of their remaining in the Democratic
party was the money they could get from the
Treasury, the sooner they left it the better, and
for all who went for such reasons the Demo-
Gratis would have recruits from the Republicans.
he spoke of the thirty-four millions it had been
claimed was wrongfully in the Treasury from
proceeds OF Southern property taken, and said
with forcible language that it would be
we'll for those gentlemen who kept their eyes
fixed on that small amount to turn their gaze
for moment to picture he would present
He then depicted the immense cost 1u life aud
treasure, the wounds and desolatiOn brought on
the country by the action of the rebels, and
then asked them to balance all this, If they
could, by holding mp the trife they had always
in mind. These points give only an indication
of his matter and the tone of his speech At
It's close, half the Democratic side was stand.
ing, and Ellis, Chalmers, Blackburn, Mills
and others were shouting to attract the atten-
ton of the speaker. To close the debate and
end the scene an attempt was made to have
the previous question sustained, but the Re-
publcans helped to vote that down, and Mr..
Ellis obtained the floor. He walked up and
down the aisle and spoke in most excited
manner. He turned his back on the speaker and
walked back to Bragg's desk, and shook his
finger in his face, and was not much pacihed
by Bragg looking up and laughing at him.
Ellis declared that the money now IN the
Treasury, as the proceeds OF Southern property,
was money obtained by robbery; tnat IL was
taken Illegally, uniustly and in violation Of the
Constitution. He tsunted Bragg with the
assertion that the South went into the re-
bellion under the teaching aud countenance of
Northern Democrats. Ali this time there was
a great commotion on the Democratic side, and
several gentlemen seemed on the point of COM
ing to blows. Chalmers declared Bragg had
made personal attack on him, and demanded
a chance to reply, but this he was denied on
the ground that his claim that the question was
one Of privilege was not sound Just as affairs
had reached a white heat the whole discussion
was closed on point of order that the morn
ing hour had closed.