Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-03-12
Chandler vs.. JEFF. Davis. ;aa.

ly Tuesday morning, on the arrears OF
pensions bill, was decidedly personal
aud caustic. Senator Hoar had intro
duced proviso excepting jeff. Davis
from the benefits of the Mexican sol.
diers' clause OF the bill, and nj <.
I rise to sharp flashes of Southern senti
ment, from Lamar and others on the
Democratic side, which were but a fore
taste of what we may expect at the
coming extra session, when the Con-
federatcs will have obtained possession
of beth houses. Senator Chandler S
speech, in reply to Thurman, Wallace,
Harris, and Lamar, differed from
the others in being respectful aud Who'll.
ly confined to Senatorial etiquette; il
was plain, emphatic, passionate
though not elegant--reAex of his Opt
Mons. 1t was as follows:
Mr.. PRESIDENT: Twenty-Five years
ago tomorrow, in the old hall of the
Senate, now occupied by the Supreme
Court of the United States, [, in com,
pany with Jefferson Davis. stood up
and swore before Almighty God that [
would support the Constitution of the
United States. Jefferson Davis came
from the Cabinet Of Franklin Pierce
into the Senate of the United States,
and took an oath with me to be taitl u
tnl to the government. During the
four years | sat in this body with JET
ferson Davis | saw preparations going
on from day to day for the overthrow
Of the government. With treason in
his heart and prejury upon his lips, be
took an oath to sustain the government
that he meant ttoverthrow. Sir. there
was method In that madness. He, in
cooperation with other men from his
section, and i'll the Cabinet of Buchan-
an, made careful preparation for the
event that was to follow Your armies
were scattered over all this broad land.
where they could not be used in an
emergency. Your fleets were scatter
ed wherever the winds blew aud water
Was found to float them, where they
could not be used to put down rebellion.
Your Treasury Was depleted until your
bonds bearing SIX per cent. principal
and interest payable in coin, we're sold
for eighty eight cents Oh the dollar for
current expenses, and no buyers. Pre-
parations were carefully made. Your
arms were sold under an apparently
innocent clause in an army bill pro-
vidiug that the Secretary of War mi sht.
as his discretion, sell such arms as he
deemed it for the interest Of the
Government to sell. Sir, eighteen
years ago last month / sat in these
halls and listened to Jefferson Davis
delivering his farewell address, infor-
ming us what our constitutional duties
to this Government were, and then he
left and entered Into rebellion to over
throw the Government he had sworn
to support. | remained here, sir,
uurng the whole Of that terrible re-
bellion. | saw our brave soldiers BIZ
thousands and hundreds of thousands,
aye, | might say millions, pass through
TO the theater OF war, and [ saw then
shattered ranks returo. | saw steamboat
after steamboat aud railroad train after
railroad train arrive with the naimed
and wounded. [ was with my friend
from Rhode Island (Burnside) when
he commanded the arTy Of the Pota
mac, and saw piles of legs and arms
that made humanity shudder. 1 saw
the widow and orphan in their homes
and heard the weeping and wailing Of
those who had lost their dearest and
their best. Mr.. President, [ lttlethousht
at that time that | should live to
hear in the Senate of the United
States eulogies upon Jefferson Davis
living; living rebel culosized on the
floor of the Senate Of the United States.
Sir, [ am amazed to hear it, and ] can
tell the gentlemen on the other side
that they little know the spirit of the
North when they come here at this
day, and with bravado on their lips,
utter euloges upon man whom every
man, woman, and child in the North
believes to have been double-dyed
traitor to his government. Applause
in the galleries
The presiding officer (Mr. Mitchell
in the Chair Order must be pre-
erved in the galleries
Mr.. Morgan-If the Senator or any
other man in the Uoited States, be-
lieved that, why did they not proceed
to try him? And I ask, who went on
his bond when he was released from
prison?
Mr.. Chandler-The Democratic
candidate for the Presidency, [ be-
)ieve went on his bond.