Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-01-31
Southern War Claims,

The Democrats in Congress have family
fight on hand. The bottom cause Of the
trouble was the Southern war claims, and it
was the unwillingness of Mr.. Bragg, of
Wisconsin, good representative of the War
Democrats Of the North, to vote for bill
that may become an entering wedge for
claims amounting to more than one hundred
millions of dollars, that specially enraged
them. After expressing the hope that
Southern Democrats would 90 over to the
Republicans if the South was kept solid
only by the hope that the Northern Demo
Gratis would aid them in getting money out
of the treasury, Mr.. Bragg said
LOYAL men i'll the South had been very few,
and the evil done by letting them stand AS they
We're bore no comparison 10 the great evil that
would be done if Congress opened the door
and alowed'millions 10 be appropriated under
the plea Of Loyalty. He had heard 4 taunt
thrown al the Democracy which he thought It
necessary TO answer. lie had heard il said
that unless the Democrats of the North were
more liberal, unless they opened their hands
and gave more lavishly, the solid South on
which they relied would 90 over TO the other
side. He, representing the Democrats of the
North, would say that if there was aman who
protested TO belong TO the Democracy OF the
South simply for the reason that the doors OF
the treasury were TO be opened 10 them, the
sooner they went over the better for them and
the better for the Democratic party. When
the people of the country felt that they could
trust the treasury and the interests OF the Gov
eminent with the Democratic party, with no
danger of the Democrats Of the North selling
out body and soul TO the Democrats Of The
South. that party could gather recruits IN the
Northern States that would tllup its ranks TO
the maximum, and it would have no need of
that class of gentlemen whom it could hold
only by giving them all they wanted.
The scene which followed this speech is
thus described by Washington correspon-
dent
Half the Democratic side of the House
was standing, and Ellis, Chalmers, Black
burn, Mills and others were shouting to at
tract the attention of the Speaker. To close
the debate and end the scene an attempt was
made to have the previous question sustain
ed, but the Republicans helped to vote that
down, and Mr.. Ellis obtained the floor. lie
walked up and down the aisle and spoke in
a most excited manner. He turned his back
on the Speaker and walked back to Bragg )
desk and shook his finger in his face, and
was not much pacfied 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 that it vas taken illegally, IN
Justly and in violation of the constitution.
lie taunted Bragg with the assertion that
the South went into the rebellion under the
teaching and countenance OF Northern Demo-
Gratis. All this time there was great
commotion on the Democratic side, and
several gentlemen seemed on the point of
coming to blows. Just as affairs had reach
cd a white heat discussion was closed or a
point of order.
The Associated Press quotes Mr.. Ellis, who
comes from Louisiana, as saying:
A Southern man, who had been born
there, who had been reared there, and who
had been identified with that people, could
only have been loyal when he entered the
Confederate Army and did his full duty as a
soldier they had been the only loyal people
in the South they had been loyal to their
country, to their God, and to the noblest,
highest and manifest sentiment ever breath
ed by human soul. Here and there there
might have been n few persons who had
espoused the Union cause, but be did not
know more than three men in his State who
had been loyal to the Union. He was will
ling. here and now. to vote for a constitu-
tional amendment which should close the
books and forever settle the accounts between
them and the government. The lecture
which Il e gentleman from Wisconsin MIR.
Bragg had seen fit to read the Democrats of
the South came from him with rather bad
grace. No Democrat had proposed to desert
the Democratic party. No Southern Demo-
crat had intimated such proposition. The
Southern people were as true to the Demo-
cratic party as the gentleman from Wiscon-
sin and it was in obedience to Democratic
teachings, as the Southern people had under
stood them, that they had gone into the war.
The Southern Democrats held 4 eau
Gus after the adjournment of the House to
consider what policy to pursue in reference
to attacks upon the Southern claims by
Northern Democrats. The opinion was ex-
pressed that these must be stopped or the
Southern members would make an open wa-
upon their Narthern allies. Mach fscling
was expressed at the caucus, and more music
is expected before the matter subsidies.