National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-02-05

600 which was evidently sufficient for the needs Of
| the country, Hc was opposed to The doctrine that
because there was little bread riot In Baltimore
or elsewhere the Federal arms must be called IN to
| suppress IT, That duty belonged TO the State mi
| lltla.
| Mr.. WHIrTHoRNE moved to reduce the number
10 loOOO and argued IN favor Of better organiza.
ton of the militia which was the sure reliance OF
| n popular government
After considerable debate MIR. whiuhones
! amendment was rejected
| Mr.. Cox (N. W moved to amend by fixing the
| force AZ 1000. His friend from New York tNlr.
! Hewitt had given as the reason why the bill pro
vided for % 900 that the Senate would not agree to
| what the House demanded. lie (Mr. Cox did not
lay much emphasis on that sort Of reasoning.
a long and animated discussion Of the. general
! policy Of reduction Of the army ensued, during
which Mr.. Mills strongly opposed the proposition,
charging the Democratic majority with cutting
down the army on q plea Of economy TO- secure
their reelection, while the borders were left un-
protected and the massacre OF Custer and his three
hundred men by two thousand savages permitted.
NJ. KEEPER spoke satrically of the family quar-.
rel that had broken out on the Democratic side of
| the House, on the troubled waters of which he
said he would like to pour oil. He reminded de, ! !
Governor of that State had In July, 1877, appealed
most pteousy to the President for troops to be sent
controlled by the militia. He also asserted that If
had not been for the few troops gathered In Wash
g n * E, two years go e bse
| overturned by violence aud revolution. and man
would have been put IN the Presidency who had
| not been elected by the people For himself. he
was In favor of larger army than one of 25.0O0
men.
OH the floor who did not understand very well that
but for n certain menace and but for sending out
orders for troops and artillery to come TO Washing
| ton, the Electoral Commission would never have
| been created. Timid citizens, money lords, and
| bond holders linen who are constutlonally afraid
| OF revolution, and who would rather submit to
| fraud and wrong than resort TO violence or revolu
| tom. when that menace came from the Chief EX.
| ecutive, aud when all the arrangements had been
| made. as they were being made now for $780, had
| been frightened. and that fright had been the pro
create cause of the Electoral Commission. ,
This menace had made some members otnhe
| House forgetting their manhood and all that Is
| dear to American citizenship succumb to power
that was merely physical not moral, That was
n part of the history of the country. The bill APP
propriated some s2GO)OOOO for 5000 soldier men.
The same average had existed for the last ten years.
so that more than s2GOOOO0OO had been spenton the
army In the last ten years. Wbonoy What good
/ had 1t ever done? Had II settled the Indian ques-
| ton? No Had II given protection on the Rio
| Gmnde? No. 1t had only, rs expressed In The
Declaration OF Independence, eaten out the sub
stance of the people. The old Democratic thought
Of Thomas Jefferson of reliance on the militia,
| power who would Oyershadow the Liberties OF the
| Republic had been forgotten.
| The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Mills) had caused
smile on the other side of the House by ridicui-
| ing Democratic apprehension of standing army.
Where had that gentleman got the right TO eau ne
| Democratic side of tho House TO account for its
| proposed action?
Mr.. MIIIs-I got II from my constituents lap
| plause on the Republican sidel, and | Will never
| fail to exercise II. either.
Mr.. Cox IN. Y. Jmtimated playfully that whereas
other members represent the United states the gen.
| tleman (Mr Nils seemed to represent only the
| Lone Star State. He appauded the gentemanS
patriotism, but twas local. Thcgcntleman should
| enlarge his views should read history and study
| Jefferson, and then he would DO not only q Demo-
crat, but Republican.
An effort was made to put stop to the discussion.
but principally by the vote OF the Republican sde)
IL was defeated
Mr.. pAystN c( argued that a large standing
| army had always been the instrument of despoic
dependence of freemcn. That had been the view
of the founders of the Government who had de-
clnred II to be the duty of Congress to organize the
militia. When General Washington wrote the lines
quoted to-day against the efficiency of the militia
he had not the experience of that force which the
people had since then. The war of 1872 the war of
| Mexico. and the last war had been fought chiefly
by militia; II the States of Pennsylyania, and
| Maryland had had properly organized militia In
1877, they would not have had to call OH the regu-
| lar troops.
same now as In i7g2-S200OOO.
Mr.. MILLS replied 70 Mr., Cox, and suggested sar.
casticaly that he tMills) was not so extensively
known as that gentleman. and did not as he, feel
the burden resting on his shoulders of representing
all the people of the the United States. That gen
teman proposed to Withdraw military protection
from the people of Texas, and to offer up that peo-
pie MS sacrifice to appease the thirst OF economy
For himself he was merely the local representative
| of his own constituents but he would not consent
TO the sacrifice. He rldicued the idea OF an enec
tive militia force and said that in the last war the
militia troops were the laughing stock OF both
Mr. HARRISON commented on Mr.. Refers speech,
saying that that gentleman had spoken out III
school, and had let out what he had not expected
to let out That was that but for the army Mr. TIL
den would be the President of the United states.
was what the % ma had Ge zen f Yen Ge
that troops had been gathered in the Washington
arsenal, and that guns had been trained upon the
Capitol for the purpose Of intmi lating members OF
the House. The present Executive was following
in the footsteps of his iron predecessor while the
latter was carried about from country to country on
| fripntpg learning
so that he might come back with an army behind
him to govern the people of the United States
tDerisve laughter on the Republican, side.l
Mr.. TOWNSEND IN Y,l l confess there were two
great wrongs done In this country two years ago
first, when the people Of the United states refused
to elect the sage of Gramercy Park President
[Laugher 1t was great and biting wrong. The
second wrong was tina! the, people of Oregon and
South Carolina and Florida refused To- be bought
by Grover by Kelley by Peton, by Weed, or by
any other man sent into the field. Laughter It
gTSyToHs + was iG I be Sog6
fraud. Then scheme was decided upon In this
House, by which the people were to be thimbie-
sion was forced upon us 1t was forced down the
throat of the Republican party. siNty-ninc OF us
and then the machine that was got up wouldn't
work 1T would not go the way they wanted 1t TO.
Here was fraud, fraud. Loud laughter " made
our ears ring with the sweet sound OF fraud. Not
that merely; but when 1t was found that the
thimblerlgging machine was not going to do its
lucky Calluding to Mr, H. NJ Wattorson) proposed
TO bring 100 600 raganuiins here to overlwe and
take possession Of the Government They didn't
come. [I.aughter.] II was great wrong. II was
fraud. loud laughter
Still, will say no more on the subject But there
Is one subject on which have feeling. am salts
fed that what has been said about "Imperiaism"
will alarm the good people of this country but l
want to say to those good people in order TO soothe
| and soace them, and to give them reliance in case
any man undertakes to assume the imperial pur-
pie that there is one family that will furnish them
with protection. These TOwnsends are wonderful
fellows, whether they have an 'h" In their name or
not; tlaughter and L undertake 10 say for my
cousin from Illinois (alluding to Mr. Townshend)
that If any man attempts to assume royal purple
here my cousin shall play Brutus. Loud laughter.
Mr. CoX's amendment was defeated without Il
division, and Mr. Durhans by q vote of66 L. 1l6.
Mr.. BUTLER offered an amendment authorizing
and requiring railroad companies which have tel
egraph lines TO transmit kilograms for the Govern
ment and for the general public at rates to be fixed
by the Government according to the provisions of
the Revised Statutes. Adopted
MIR. MCCOoK offered an amendment making an
appropriation for the construction of heavy ord
nance for coast deenses, Rejected,
Mr.. McCooK also offered all amendment provid-
ing that the posse comitdtuS clause of last years
army appropriation bill shall not apply in the
States Of Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado Oregon, Ne.
vada, Minnesota, and the Territories subject to In
dian incursions.
A point of order having been raised, Mr.. Cook
proceeded 10 discuss It. but directed his remarks
| nf,,gt 10 nn1l In MI In al