The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-03-31

bill declaring the light OF any state to secede from
the Union at pleasure, aud forbidding apy officer of
the army or navy of the United States from inter-
erDg with any state in its purpose to secede? Sup
pose that the Democrats majority had said, then
Put that On these appropriation bills, or we will re.
fuse supplies to the government" Perhaps they
could have killed the government, then, by starva-
tion But in the madness of that hour, the leaders
of the secession movement did not dream that it
would be honorable to put their fight on that ground,
but they marked out their plan OF battle and fought
1t out But now, in a way which the widest of Sc
cessionsts never dreamed Of taking it is proposed to
make this new assault on the vitas Oh the nation.
Gentlemen addressing the Democratic side of the
Housel we have tried to count the cost we Gid Try
TO couut it in 1864 before we picked up the gage of
blttle. and, although no man couia tnen forecast
the awful loss in blood and treasure, YET, having
started in. we stad there to victory we simply
made the appeal to our soveraign-to 'na' great ON
nipotent public opinion in Amerlca-to oeterhine
whether the Union should be shot 10 death; and now
,oue,lv q, onr right and in our place here, pick
nm tbe gaoe of battle which you have thrown down,
and will onpeal to our common sovereign to say
whetber Won shall break down the principle of free
consent in LEGISLATION at the price OF starving the
government to death. We are ready to pass these
bills for the support of the government at any
bour when YOU will offer them in the ordinary way
and. if YOU offsr these other measures as separate
measures. we will meet you in the spirit OF fair and
fraternal debate But you shall not compel us. you
shall not coerce U.S. even TO save this government,
until the question has gone to the sovereign to de-
termne whether it will consent to break Gown any
of its voluntary powers. And on that ground, gen.
tlemen, we plant ourselves. loud applause on the
Republican side and in the galleries We remind
you in conclusion that this great zeal of yours, in
regard to keeping the officers of the government out
of the States, has not always been yours. L remem-
Der that only years before the war, your law au
thorized marshas of the United States to 60 through
all our households and hunt for fugitive slaves It
| did not only that, but it empowered marshals to
call for posse conaGtus, and to call upon all the
bystanders to join in the chase. And your Demo-
cratic Attorney General declared in an opinion in
1854, that marshal of the United States might call
| to his aid the whole posse, including soldiers and
sailors and marines Of the United States, join in
the chase aud to hunt down the fugitive. Now, fell
low-members of the House, if, for the purpose of
| making slavery etern al, you could send your mar
| shals and could summon posses and use the armed
forces OF the United States, by what face grace
can you tell that in order to procure freedom in
election and peace at the polls you cannot use the
same marshal with his armed posse? But / refrain
from discussing the merits OF the proposition have
tried in this hurried and unsatisfactory way to give
my ground Of opposition to this legislation.
AS Mr. Garfield 1esumed his seat, he was again
loudly applauded on the Republican side and in the
l galleries.