St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-04-04
Congress.

| GEN. GARFIELD ON THE ARMY BILL.
Gen. Garfield made a telling speech
in the House of Representative on the
Doth, which was listened to with great
interest. The most telling passage in
the speech was that in which he com
pared the last act of the Democracy
when in power in the Senate in 1861
with the first of its return to power in
Congress in 1879, and showed how the
same spirit of hostility to the Govern
ment marked them both. The earnest
ness and force with which the follow
ing words were spoken will not be for
gotten by any who heard them:
''Then the Democratic party said If
YOU elect your man us President of the
United States, we will shoot your Union
to death > and the people of this coun-
try, not willing to be coerced but be-
lieving they had right to vote for
Abraham Lincoln if they chose, did
elect him lawfully as President; and
then your leaders in control of the ma
jority of the other wing of this Capitol
did the heroic thing of withdrawing
from their seats, and your Representa-
tives withdrew from their seats and
flung down to us the gage of mortal
battle. And to-day, after eighteen
years, the book of your domination is
opened where you turned down your
leaves in 1860, and you are signalling
your return to power by reading the
second chapter mot this time an heroic
one) that declares that if we do not let
you dash statute out of the book you
Will not shoot the Union to death, as in
the first chapter, but starve it to death
by refusing the necessary appropria-
tons. Applause on the Republican
side. You gentlemen have it in vour
power to kill this Government. You
have it in your power, by withholding
these two bills, to smite the nerye-
centres of our Constitution to the still
ness of death; and you have declared
your purpose to do it if You cannot
break down the elements of free con-
sent that up to this time have always
ruled in the Government
The Democrats have the physical
power to carry their measure through
the House, but they have no power to
meet the Republicans in debate, for
there is no comparison to be made be-
tween the ability in this regard to be
found on the two opposite sides of the
chamber.
A Southern Democratic Senator ad-
united this evening, while discussing
the present situation in the Senate. that
the more discreet members of his party
are somewhat troubled at the attitude
in which the party has been placed by
General Gartield's speech. He said ::
The Northern Democrats have put us
IN this hole. We did not seek it. We
only cared really for the repeal of the
test oath, but the Northern Democrats
SAID IN caucus that they could not carry
Ohio and New York unless the election
law was repealed, and we were forced
into this business
Washington, April l, 1879. - The
Oreenbackers held a meeting tonight
and came to decision which NAV ma
terially interfere with Democratic plans.
I.hey have been undecided for some
time as to their final position on the
question of the political legislation.
forsyth OF Illinois and one or two 9TH
ers have been disposed to permit the
questioh to drift and not to make anv
action as an organization, but strangely
enough Lowe of Alabama, an ex-Con-
federate and anti-Republican, is the
most radical in opposition to the Dem
ocratic policy.
A meeting was held tonight to come