Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-11-07

| SENATOR CHANDLER's NOTED SPEECH
/ The last notable effort of Senator Chandler
was made late at night on the Sd Of March,
when the Senate was considering the amend
mcnt Of Senator Hoar excluding jefferson
| Davis from the benefits of the provisions of
the Mexican War Pension bill. Senator
Lamar had made fiery speech, declaring
that secession was justiiiablc and that Jeifer-
son Davis was not traitor, but noble and
high-mindcd man. Other Democratic Sen
ators, including Mr. Thurman, had apologiz-
ed for or defended the secession movement.
At this juncture in the debate, Mr.. Chandler
took the floor and ended it by the following
crushing and whitening speech:
Mr.. President: Twenty-Five years ago to-
morrow, in the old hall of the Senate, now Oc
cupied by the Supreme Court of the United
States, |, in company with Mr.. jefferson
Davis, stood up and swore before AL
mighty God that | would support the
Constitution of the United States, and he
took the oath with me to he faithful 10
this Government. During four years | sat
in this body with Mr.. jefferson Davis, and
saw the preparations going on from day to
DAY for the overthrow of this Government.
With treason in his heart and perjury upon
his lips, he took the oath TO sustain the Gov
eminent that he meant to overthrow.
Your armies were scattered all over this
broad land, where they could not be used in
an emergency your fleets were scattered
wherever the winds blew and water was
found to float them, where they could not he
used TO put down rebellion: your Treasury
L.
cent principal and interest payable in CON-
were sold at IS cents on the dollar for cur
rent expenses, and no buyers. Preparations
were carefully made. Your arms were sold
under an apparently innocent clause in an
army bill providing that the Secretary of
War might, at his discretion, sell such arms
as he deemed it for the interest of the Gov
eminent to sell.
Sir, eighteen years ago last month sat in
these halls and listened To jefferson Davis
delivering his farewell address, informing us
what our Constitutional duties TO this Gov
ernment were, and then he left and entered
into the Rebellion to overthrow the Govern
ment that he had sworn to support | re
manned here, sir, during the whole Of that
terrible Rebellion q, | saw our brave soldiers
by thousands and hundreds of thousands -
aye, might say millions-pass through to
inc lHtdlEt bl VIII, anu sdW lHtlT SlldiltItu
ranks return. | saw steamboat after steam
boat and railroad train after railroad train ar
rive with manned and wounded. saw
with my friend from Rhode Island, Mr..
Burnside when he commanded the
Army Of the Potomac, and saw
piles of legs and arms that made
humanity shuddcr. | saw the widow and
orphan in their homes and heard the weep
ing and wailing of those who had lost their
dearest and their best. Mr.. President, | lit
tie thought at that time that should live TO
hear in the Senate of the United States |
culogies upon jefferson Davis, living-a liv- |
ing rebel eulogized on the floor of the Senate
of the United, Sir, am amazed to hear it /;
and can tell the gentlemen on the other |
side that they little know the spirit of the |
North when they come here at this day, and
with hravado on their lips, utter eulogies |
upon a man whom every man, woman and
child in the North believes to have been II |
double dyed traitor to his Government