Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-04-03
Congressional.

section l,2l8 Of the revised statutes. This is
the section wbioh prohibits tho appointmen,
to the army ofeny person who served in any
capacity in tho military, naval or civil service
of the Confederate States.
Conger made point Of order against the
amendment.
germane. lIe trusted that tho amendment
would meet with universal appreciation on
both sidos, and that tho stigma which rested
on a very largo class Of the pooplo Of tho
Southern States would be. rs matter OF
justice, wiped out from tho statute books.
After somo discussion between Messrs.
Tucker and Conger the latter stated that his
party friends desired to meet the issue in q
manly way, and therefore ho withdrew his
point CT order.
Sparks, Of Illinois, renewed It.
Tho Chairman sustained tho point on the
ground that tho amendmont was not in tho
direction Of economy and changed tho existing
law.
An amendment to amend the act granting
pensions to soldiers md sailors Of tho war Of
1912 was ruled out of ordor.
McCook, of Now York, moved to strike out
tho section prohibiting promotions or appoint
monts in tho army beyond tho rank Of captain
except in tho engineer corps. In the discus
sion which followed some sharp remarks wero
intcrchanged bctwoon Sparks, Of Illinois, and
Conge:, of Michigan, rs to the services rem.
dcrcd by them respectively during tho late
war, Sparks stating that, like tho gentleman
from Michigan he had been littlo too COW.
ardly to fight on either side. Congcr replied
that he had served as member Of tho State
Military Board Of Michigan. After debate
the amendment to strike out was defeated.
The consideration Of tho bill having been
concluded, with tho exception of section 6,
repeating the sections allowing the military
to preserve the peace at the polls, that section
was read.
Upon this thoro commenced q long and
interesting debate, tho Republicans insisting
that the section c!,anged existing lnws and
did not retrcnch expenditures.
The Democrats contendcd rs one Of their
members argued, that the power to make
rules and regulations for The army and navy
was u fundamental power Of Congress, ard he
had never heard that power questioned.
Tho debate is regarded rs the preliminary
skirmish to u long battlo between DO III sides
in tic House.
Mr. Carlisle, Of Kentucky, made tho lead
ing arguments on tho Democratic side to>day,
the polls, and was argued with by Robson,
Frye and other Republicans. Late in tho
afternoon, Stephens, Of Georgia, obtained the
floor md will address the House to- morrow
WAsuINoroN, March -lIoUsE-At
1910 the House went into committee Of tho
whole on the army appropriation bill and the
discussion was resumed, Stephens. Of Gcol gia,
opening it. IIo argued in favor Of the relic
inl1natcd his dshsiesne dihise Ifoh, the theory
that the rules Of one House governed tho
succeeding House unloss readoptcd. There
was no question in his mind but that the
pending section was gcrmane and was in the
direction Of retrenchng expenditures Re-
trcnchment was not only possible and proba-
bic but certain lIo discussed the laws Of
1895 and 1907 and argued that they did not
apply to tho uso Of troops in civil cases, but
in cases OF invasion and insurrcc,ion. In
civil eases troops were furnished on the call
OF the marshal as a posse comitatus. but such
provision as authorized the presence Of troops
at polls never existed on the statatc book
until 1865, and all tho change of legislation
proposed by the section in question was n
repeal of that law. Public sentiment North
md South was against the employment OF
i:nops at the polls. There was no need FOR
such thing. The country had got along
without it for three .nuarters Of century
There would be no har..! done, the: clore, by
the repeal Of the law. Mr.. Stephens sp;ef
for over twenty minutes in u clear voice, and
attracted great attention
After argument By Reed, Of Mainc, against
the section and in support Of tho point OF
order, tho chairman mado q decision over
railing the point Of order, and holding that tho
section was germano and would retrcncl,
expenditures. An appeal was taken and
tho decision sustained by " vote of l25 to l07.
general discussion was then opened bY
Garfield, his argument being that no vote
would bo taken to-day. Garfield made q
yory strong speech against tho policy of the
Democratic party in Congress, declaring it
to be utterly revolutionary and tending to the
subycrsiop Of tho government lie showed
how, by the abstcntion Of tho majority in
either House from tho performance Of their
legislative duties, the government could be
broken, and declared that this was tho first
timo in American history and the first timo
in two centuries in England tina! it had been
proposed or insisted upon that those volun~
tary po7ers should DO used for tho destruction
Of the government, and yet that was tho pro :