The daily gazette., 1879-04-03
Federal Election Laws.
SPEECH OF Mr.. CHALMARs ON TUES

Benjamin +. Butler. lie was
glad that there was one act ef Radical
dsspotism Of which the gentleman from
Ohio did not approve. Ii reminded him
of the Methodist sister who did not see
much harm in jeweiry or fine clothes, but
Aho had to draw the line some here,
land, Sister Jones, stands OH feathers"
In the advance Of Tie Republican par
in desputism he was glad 20 Zee the gen.
tlernan from Ohio sands Oh religion"
TIE remarks made by that gentleman
had shown that lie had forgotten the his
tory of She laws which 1t was proposed to
repeal. In the last Congress he had ad-
mitted that bis patty had enacted those
laws, and was willing to have them mus
tered out OF service. In 1867 tue Demo-
cratic party wanted the suspension Of
military domination aud asked for 1t in
the very same language which Was now
in the Appropriation bill. He deprecated
the attempt made to blacken the names of
Senator Powell and keverdy johnson by
saving that they had been advocates of
using the army to keep :he peace ut the
polls. In reference to Mr. Garfield's
statement that the Southern Democrats
OF 1861 threatened to shoot the Union to
death, he declared that they had made no
such threat. The gentleman was Is far
from the truth OF history whom he made
that statement as he was when he charged
the Democracy Of 1864 with having ad
vocated the clause in the law which it
was now proposed to repeal. The South
had claimed the right Of peaceful seces-
sion, and had attempted peacefully to Sc
csde. Tie South had not only made no
threat to shoot the Union to death, but it
had said what Abraham had said to Lot,
"Let there be no strife between US. If
you 60 to the North we will go to to the
South" II was the North that said,
"Y You shall not CO." You sent grand ar
mes alter US. You hemmed us IN by
land and sea. You not only threatened
to shoot, but you shot us to death. With
the battle-cry Of sthe constitution Is IL
is and the Union as it was" you rallied
the whole North, without regard TO patty,
in defence Of the old flag.
Mr.. Chalmers proceeded with hs
speech and asserted that, on this ques-
ton, the republican party was standing
on mere punctIlio with a chip OH its
shoulder), while the democratic party
was standing on one Of the vital prlnci-
Piles Of liberty. If, said he, this govern
ment must die and die at the hand, of
such President, then the democratic
party can look in the face of the dying
Goddess of Liberty and say, "Shake not
thy CORY locks at me; thou canst not say
did It," (Applauss OH the democratic
and jeering laughter on the republican
sids.)
ITO this complexion has it come at
last"-that the majority must go like
supphanls ON bended knee and pray to
their most worshipful highness Of the
minority TO redress grievances, or that
this government must die. What was
meant by the threat Of the gentleman
from Ohio { Mr.. Garfield) that the gov
ernment would be allowed to die without
the firing OF q single hostile gun? That
gentleman knows that his party is power
less in this House and in the Senate
What, then, does this threat mean? Before
| him, when he made 1t, sat the Ssci stary
of State-behlnd him sat the General OF
the Army. We know that the army and
the President are the only instrume nts
by which the Republican party can carry
out its threat. If IL was not mere brava-
do, not q mere galvanic shock of elo-
| auence intended to stimulate the spinal
l
as threat to the American people that If
we dared to redress a NEST grieyous
I wrong by putting its repeal Oh al appro-
priation bill il would be denounced as
revolutionary, and that the President,
with tue army and navy at his back,
would put down that revolution. The
name of revolution has no lerrors for us.
(Sneering demonstrations OH the Repub-
iican side.) We learned TO love it III oui
childhood. 1t brings back to us the grand
struggle for freedom when our revolu.
tionary ancestors left their footprints
stamped in blood In he SHOWS of Valley
Forge, so that we, their children, ''may
take heart again" whenever The hour o
peril shall come upon us. Military des
potism now thre atens us on every side.
Il Troops have been assembled at the poll.
to intimidate free people at elections
Troops have been assembled at the fed
eral capital to intimidats the House ol
Representative in counting the electoia
vote. The battle cry of 1850 has beer
already started-a government OF law
not to be administered by the judiciary
but with all army strong enough to ell
force it. Whenever it comes to the ques
tion between freedom and despotlsm thu
democrats will be found standing wher,
our ancestors stood in 1776.
Mr.. Conger, (rep.) of Mich.-I desr'
! to ask the gentleman from Mississippi
whether the second revolution, of 1861
had any terrors for himP
MIR. Chalmers.-The distinguished gen
tleman is exceedingly witty. Histor.
tells us that English kings were in tn
habit of keeping testers at court with thu
f fools cap and bells. 1t seems that re
, publican Congress has supplied itself II
the Same ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in
stead of the FOOLS cap and jingling bell
(Which might perhaps suit very welD i
has dressed its jester in swallow tails
|Houd laughter on the democratic side.
al Mr.. Conger, of Michigan-I asked tn
S heroic gentleman from Mississippi plain
E civil, simple question, and instead OF an
. swering it, he jumps upon his music boz
b and makes grimaces to the country ant
i The House. Counter denominations Oh
!. the republican s,de-members slappih
= their hands and indulging in loud laugh
i ter for a considerable time.)
Mr.. Chalmers-rhe gentleman is mis-
. taken. l shall certainly not undertak
e to play q game at which any monkey ca
1 at