Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-02-05


the House, Mr.. Cox, reminded the House that
the standing army had overturned the liberties
of the people on one occasion. That was when
there had been about 1 800 men in the District
effected the same purpose. He, Cox, had said
that it had been occasioned by the threat of
Grant. If that was SO, he, Mills. thought that
Gen. Grant could have done it without any
troops. If that gentleman wanted to get re-
lief, he had better abolish Gen. Grant The
army was an essential feature in all govern
ments. There was no government on earth that
had not any army for its protection. An army
Of Is, 900 men would be a menace against the
liberties of the people, if that army was in
the District of Columbia, but the United States
had territory lying from ocean to ocean, COW
ering 1900, 900 square miles, and inhabited by
As, 900, 600 of people. scattered throughout its
border. It had an army which could not main
tain skirmish line across it. Yet gentlemen
said the liberties of the people were imperiled
by an army of $4,000. The border had been
running, bleeding wound ever since Texas
had beensadmitted into the Union. It had al
ways been so.
Mr.. Townsend made some remark which was
not heard by the reporters.
MIR. Mills-Yes, you would have Texas bleed
ing until every man, woman and child had been
slaughtered, if you could make $4,000 in
economy and go before your people for your
reelection. When Texas was admitted to the
Union there was treaty, by which the govern
ment bound itself that it would protect her
against foreign enemies. It bound itself to do
that thing, and ever since we have been assum-
ing our own defense. Talk about economy
daughter on the Republican side.)
MI Townsend am glad to find the laugh
ter comes from that side.
Mr.. Mills-Let it come from where it will
stand by my constituents.
Mr.. Townsend-Of that $4,000 how many
were kept the Texas border?
Mr., MillS-NOt enough to protect it.
Mr.. Townsend-How many men were kept on
the Indian border?
Mr.. Mills-Not enough to protect it.
Mr. Townsend-There were only 800 with
Custer when he was destroyed.
Mr.. Mills-Then he did not have enough, and
it was because of your false economy that
Custer bled. Talk about your economy, when
your border is laid in blood and ashes.
Economy seems to be the only idea which has
an existence in the craftsmanship Of the
House. government is an institution to pro-
tect the people, and cannot fail to do it with
out being guilty of distonor. (Applause on
the Republican side.
Mr.. Townsend said the laugh came from the
same quarter as in 1851 in France it came from
the friends of imperialism. cloud laughter
and applause on the Republican side.) His
friend from Texas, Mills, had charged the Dem
ocratic party with being the cause of Clusters
death, because of its economy. Notwithstand-
ing that there was army of Is, 600, Custer
had been compelled to face nearly two thousand
red devils with three hundred men. Where was
the balance of the army? In the Southern
States binding up imperialism. daughter and
applause on the Republican sidc.) When Gus
ter had been compelled to face the Indians with
three hundred men there had been brigadier
| the bayonet at the Threats of the people of that
State. It came with i'll grace from the gentle
man from Texas to accuse the Democratic
party OF being guilty, by economy, of the
death of Custer and his men, when the living
| fact remained that there had been an army Of
| twenty-five thousand men with no use for it
| save on the Indian border.
Mr.. Durham insisted an army of twenty-five
| thousand was too large.
MIR. K,mmel suggested that the real point of
| objection was no. much to the strength of
| the army as to the uses which the army WA
| applied, and he called attention to the fact
! that the present secretary of war was endeavor-
! ing to have the posse cOfnitdtus clause of the
| last army appropriation bill modified or re-
pealed. The object of such appeal was to es-
tablish military despotism pure and unde-
| filed.
MIR. Keifer reminded the gentleman from
Maryland that the Governor of that State had
| in July, 1877, appealed most piteously to the
| President for troops to be sent to Baltimore to
put down riot that could not be controlled by
the militia. He also asserted if it had not been
| Tor the few troops gathered in Washington by
President Grant two years ago the decision Of
| the electoral commission would have been
| overturned by violence and revolution, and a
man would have been put in the Presidency
who had not been elected BY the people. For
himself nse he was in favor of larger army than
! rs. 600 men.
| Mr. Cox, of New York, said that there was
not a member on the floor who did not under
stand very we'll that but for a certain menace
but for sending out orders for troops and artil-
lery to come to Washington, the electoral COM
| hove
citizens, money lords and bondholders, men
whe are ccnstitutionally afraid of revolution
and who would rather submit to fraud and
wrong than resort to violence or revolution,
when that menace came from the chief execu-
| tive, and when all arrangements had been
made, as they were being made now for 1850,
had been frightened, and that fright had been
| the procreate Of the electoral commission. This
menace had made some members of the House
| forget their manhood, and all that is due to
American citizenship, and succumb to power
| that was merely physical, not moral. That was
a part of the history of the country. More
than $3.50, 1000, 900 had been spent on the army
| IN the last ten years. Cui bonos What good had
| it ever done? Had it settled the Indian oues-
ton? No. Had it given protection on the Rio
Grande? No. It had only, as expressed in the
declaration of independence, eaten out the sub
| stance OF the people. The gentleman from
| Texas, Mills, had caused a smile on the other
other side of the house by ridiculing the DEM
ocratic apprehension of standing army.
| Where had that gentleman got the right to call
| the Democratic side of the house to account for
| its proposed action?
Mr.. Wells-I got it from my constitu auts,
applause on the Republican side,) and will
| never fail to exercise it, either.
| MIR. Cox 5 amendment was defeated without
division. and Durham's by vote of 66 to 11S.
] Mr.. Butler submitted amendment author
! izing and requiring railroad companies who
have telegraph lines to transmit kilograms for
the government and for the general public at
| rates to be fixed by the government. according
to the provisions Of the revised statutes.
| Adopted.
! Without further action the committee rose
| The House then took recess until 7:3O, the
evening session to be for consideration of
| Mississippi levees,
! EreHing SiSsiOn.