The daily gazette., 1879-06-13
WILMINGTON. DEL. FRIDAY JUNE 1s l819
PASSING THE ARMY BILL.

PASSING THE ARMY BILL.
MIR. GARFIELD CoRNERED BY A FELL
Low REPUDLICAN-MR. cox MAKING
POINTS AND PROVOKING LAUGHTER
AT THE SAME TIME-rHE VOTE.
WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE House
passed the Army Appropriation bill TO-
day. When the bill was laid before the
Committee of the Whole it was under
stood that the section preventing the ex-
penditure of money for the equipment,
subsistence, transportation or payment Of
officers or men to be used as police
force to keep the p ace at the polls at
elections in tile States should be laid
sside until after the o her sections of the
bill had peen passed upon. 1t was also
agreed that debate Oh the section in ques-
ton should be limited TO one hour, the
time to be equally divided between Re-
publicans and Democrats. The only
change Of Importance made 10 the body
Of the bill was striking out section 8.
This section suspended promotions and
appointments in the array above the RANK
OF capt ain, except In the Engineers Corps
provided that the actual time of service
In the army or navy should be allowed
all officers In computing their pay that
NO officer below the rank ofmajOr should
be transferred to the retired list except
upon the report Of duly constituted
board of officers to the effect that such
officer is no longer fit for active service
and that any officer hereafter retired by
reason Of wounds received in action
should be retired upon the highest rank,
exclusive of brevet rank, actually held
by such officer In the regular or vOlunt, er
service before retirement. The section
was one which should have been support
ed by every Congressman having any re-
gard for the interests of taxpayers. Gen.
Joe Johnston made the motion to strike
it out of the bill, and the motion was
adopted without divisions
The Republicans consumed the first
half hour Of debate on the sO-called pO-
litical section. Baker of Indiana made
q short speech In opposition to the sec-
tion, closing his remarks by saying that
he ebould vOto for the bill, as It was an
appropriation bill prepared in constitu-
tional manner. DE Golyer Garfield oc-
cupied the rest of the time. His speech
was disappointment to bis friends.
Yesterday he called the Democrats null
lifiers because they refused to make ap-
preparations for the payment of super
visors Of elections and deputy marshals.
To-day he said that he would vote for a
bill refusing money for the payment of
expenses of troops to be usep at the polls.
With q vast amount of verbosity he dis
claimed for the Republican party any in
tention to use the army as police force
to run the elections in the States. He
said that it never had been done nor nev-
er would be done. The Democrats greet
ed these astonishing statements with
sneers and derisive laughter. As an il
lustration Of his theory that it is impos-
sible to use the army 10 influence elec-
| tions, Garfield MADE the sta e argument
that it was impossible 10 station an army
of 25,OOC men at 10000 polling places
There was great applause by The Repub
lie ms when Garfield told how he hat
once voted under the shadows of Mission
Ridge in Chattanooga, when the shell.
from the rebel army were falling among
the voters. Garfield might have finished
bis little effort in respectable manner,
if it had not been for Mr.. Williams OF
Wisconsin, very stalwart Republican,
who asked permission to PROFOUND a
question.
"Are you now in favor, under any cir
cumstances, of using any portion Of the
army at the polls 7" asked Mr.. Williams.
Garfield attempted to avoid giving a
direct answer to the question. Williams
pressed him for reply.
81 am not in favor of using the army
as q police force at the polls" shouted
Garfield in desperation, "but l am in ia
vor of using the army, navy, or militia
of the United States to enforce the laws
of the Union, any one Of them and all
of them everywhere, including the pres
ervat:on of the peace at the polls"
| Williams resumed his seat, shook hi!
head sadly, and assumed an expression
Ut respondent glo )m. The Democrats
observing the differences thus manifested
between the extreme and moderate stal
warts, applauded vociferously, and som'
time elapsed before Garfield could con
tinue his remarks. He concluded b,
intimating that Hayes would not regal {
the restrictive clause placed upon thu
bill i it became necessary at any tim
to use the army for the purposes 10
which no money provision is made.
Mr.. Cox replied to Garfield. II
created roars of laughter by the sarcastic
manner in which he condOled with tn
Republicans upon the diversity of opin
lou existing in their ranks, as manifesto
by the actions of the member from Wis
consin.
Mr.. P:ice of Iowa arose to inject re
mark. 'sWbO spoke to you ~ shoute
Mr.. Cox. ~ always like to hear m
reverend fri nd talk upon temperate
or religion, or something Of that sort
he added soto voice.
"If you listened to lecture on ten
parance it might do you good" retorte
Mr.. Price.
"If you had a little more generol
Bourbon blood in your veins you woul
be better man," said Mr.. Cox.
He praised Garfield for the extreme
able manner In which he had covert
the Republican retreat. Mr.. Cox sa
that he was opposed to the maintenan
of an army of rs 900 men, and especial
to the maintenan e Of an army to
u ed in conjunction with Supervisors
Election and Deputy Marshsls to car
cleo ions by force and fraud. He W
opposed to gtanting supplies until Il
: obnox Gus laws we've repealed, becau
elections mean free will, If they mei
anything, and 1t was impossible to ha'
free elections so long as the ObnOxio
f laws remain on the statute books. II
) fallacy of Garfield's argument abo
!. using 25, 900 troops at 10000 pollil
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