Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-04-11
The Debate on the Army Bill.

Gen. Garfield, on Friday, made a very /
effective rejOinder to Messrs. Blackburn,
Chalmers, and the other Democratic orators
who have enieayored to assail the positions
taken by him in his recent speech. lie said
that he had never claimed that it was either
revolutionary or unconstitutional to put
rider on an appropriation bill. No man on
the Republican side had claimed that. The
most that had been said was that it was
considered bad parliamentary practice.
All parties in the country had repeatedly
said that. The gentleman from kentucky
(Nlr. Blackburn) had thought that he was
making severe point, in showing that hc
(Garlield) in 1872. had insisted on the pas
sage of an appropriation bill that had rider
to it, and had said that it was revolution
airy in the Democratic party to resist It,
What he said on that occasion, and what he
said now, was that it was revolutionary IN
the gentleman party to refuse to let the
Appropriation bill be voted on. For Tour
day, gentlemen ON the Democratic side hal
said that the House should not Vote On the
appropriation bill because there was a rider
on it. lie had tried 10 prevent that RIDER
being put on, but when the minority INSIST
el that the House should never acs upon
it, he had said that that was an unparlia-
mentary obstruction. The majority had
RICH: (howeyer indecent it might be rs
matter of parliamentary practice) to put
rider on the appropriation bill and pass it.
Nobody on the Republican side had brought
VI the question of veto. II had been
brought up by the proclamation OF Demo
| cratic caucuses, that they would bind together
these elements Of legislation and send them
to the President, and that il he did not APP
prove them the Democratic party would not
vote supplies for the Government. You,
(said he, addressing the opposite side)
"thrcatenod him in advance, before You let
him have an opportunity to say yes or no
| You threatened in the index, il remains to
be seen whether in the body Of your work
and in the concluding sentences your thun-
der will be as loud as it was in the opening
chapter. Applause on the Republican side. !
| Let no gentleman say that have threaten
| ed a veto. Ii would be indecent for any OF
Us even to speak Of what the Executive in
| tends, for none of us has the right to know
that. NV friend from Virginia (Mr. Tucker,
who has come nearer meeting this case than
any man on this hoor, has made point which
| respect. Tie says that under our Constl-
tuition We cal vote supplies for the army Tor
but two wears and that in a certain way the
army ceases to be if the supplies are not
voted. lie is mistaken in one thing The
army as an organization, is independent oil
aprropriation bills. The mere supply of it,,
Of course, Comes through the appropriation
bills. If You refuse supplies to the army
it must perish of hamilton. The gen.
tleuan from Virginia says: unless You
let Us append a condition, which is to
as redress Of grievances, we will let
the army be annihilated on the Goth of
June next by lack of food and shelter.
That is fair in argument that is brave.
Blu. what is the grievance OF which the
| gentleman complains? \ law a law OF
The land, law made By the Representatives
of the people. made through all the proper
forms OF consent known to our Constitution.
and it Is his grievance that he could not get
rid of it in the ordinary and constitutional
way CT repcaling a law. II the gentleman
from Virginia wants to take before the
American people his proposition of letting
our army be annihiated on the Both of june
next unless the President, against his con-
science and his sense Of duty, shall sign
what he sends him, We will debate that
question in the forum of every mans mind,
If what the gentleman from Kentucky calls
the return Of the Democratic party to Its
birthright is to be signa!zed in it, first
great act By striking down the grand army
of the United States, the people OF this
country will not be slow to understand that
there are "reminiscences about that army
which these gentlemen would willingly gel
rid Of" Loud applause on the Republican
side and in the galleries