The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-01-28
XIV CONGRESS.
Senator Hill of Florida on the
Southern War Claims,
NO CLAIMS TO BE ALLOWED
LOYAL OR DTsLoYAL
SENATE.

SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. .27. After the morn.
ing hour the bill to pay Warren Mitchell
for cotton taken during the war. was taken
up and long discussion followed.
Senator Edmunds moved that it be in
definitely postponed. Rejected-yeas q, |
nays %.
Senator Hill in opposing the bill said he
would vote against it because it was war
claim. He was opposed to the payment of
all war claims. whether they be from loyal
or disloyal persons. He might probably
except few religious and educational in
sututlons whose property was destroyed.
10 pay these war claims would BANKRUPT
the government, and as we could not pay all
it would be an unjust discrimination to un-
dertake to pay some. The senators on the
Republican side said Warren Mitchell was
disloyal and should not be paid, while the
Senators on the Democratic side said he
was loyal and should be paid What was
meant by the word loyalty? Did it mean
man devoted to the States under the
constitution? 1t was an easy matter for a
man in Maine or New York to proclaim
hs devotion to the Union during the war.
bat farther down, where the SUMS warmer,
il required courage for man to say he was
devoted to the Union. Thousands and tens
OF thousands Of men iu the South stood up
and proclaimed their fidelity to .he Union
to the very last moment. There were many
men who fought secession until 1t became
u TACT, and submitted to Gisurion as they
submitted to the death of a father or son.
When secession came the only thing they
could do was to go with their people, This
IQuestioD of loyalty had not received the
j proper definition. He knew a thousand
men in the South who would at any time
during the war have terminated it upon
basis of honest reunion. He believed the
greatest possible calamity which could
happen to this country would be one sec
ton exercising the powers of couqueror
lover another Since he hau been in Con-
Igress be had heard men deuounce theSouth-
!, ern people as disIoyal thirteen years after
the war, aod he believed Oh his part that
!, If these men had been South they would
!, have rivalled Wm. L. Yancey in their devo-
ton to secession, because they were men of
the same temperament. The people of this
country ought to wake up TO the conviction
that the late war was an honest war; it was
a war fought on account Of the conviction
that they we're right This perpetual talk
' tabout rebels and fidelity to the Union did
mot come from magnanimous spirit. The
, | war is over; the Union is restored, and it
was time that we should leave the passions
Iof var behind. The MANNED Southern
soldier would never ask Congress for a
a pension. His widow and orphan would
e never ask for it. They accepted theil
j. losses as penalty for a failure, as brave
O men should do. The sooner the people o.
a the South were taught to repair theil
!. losses by work, by frugality and Industry
i the better it would be tor them and th,
= lcountry. Let the losses of the war gn,anC
K if the people desire to avoid such losses il
t. the future they must avoid war.
nj Senator Hill continuing said he was tn
II humblest man in the democratic party
D That party was now about 10 return iul
e fiedged TO power, because the people wer
satisfied that the republican party was d
fl longer competent to remain in power
% There were four things which the Demo
of cratic party ought to proclaim to the worl
to and adhere to them with fidelity: first
TX he would not pay any war claims, whethe
the parties were loyal or disloyal; seconC
he would vote no more public money c
lands to build up railroad corporations
n third, he would in good faith pay ever
dollar of the public debt, principal and il
al terest, in good money of the standar
W value; fourth. he would restore the const
ef tuition OF the country, and honesty ID /
as administration Do these things and
ke his Judgment the child was not born wi
lin would witness the termination of Dem
T. cratic rule in this country
an Senator Beck in reply defended Il
on claim of Mitchell ana had read the Critic
est den resolution adopted July, 1861, to she
that the war was not waged for conquet
r. but to preserve the Union. He kne
that there were many fraudulent claim
there were men here now making affid
Wits of loyalty, men whom they had
al Union officers arrested during the war I
'ho disloyalty, and they made af6davits nj
~. simply because they were to get share
-, the claims.
th The Senate then, on motion OF Sena'
. IL Conkliug, went into executive session.
.ao When the doors reopened a message "
- received from the House of Represen
tives in answer to the request of the 81
ate, transmitting the testimony taken
tore the committee of that body in regs
ote to Stanley Matthews, Senator from Oh
Se. 1t was not laid before the Senate to-day
the Adjourned.