The daily gazette., 1879-04-05
THIRD EDITION
WashinglOn.

CLOSE OF THE DEBATE ON THE ARMY
BILL-spKECHEs BY THE GREKNBAck-
ERs-A VOTE TO BE TAKnN TO-DAY.
WASHINGTON, April A, 1879.
Io-day's debate was worthy of the
best days of the House. Mr.. Singleton,
of Mississippi, opened. Mr.. Weaver, OF
Iowa (greenbacker), made an amusing
speech, declaring that the greenback
party wanted no marshals to help them
carry elections. They wanted to get
done with this useless discussl on and 60
to work helping the starving people by
new currency legislation. Mr.. Jones, OF
Texas, and Mr.. Wright of Pennsylvania,
followed land then came General Hawley,
who made forcible speech, made up in
part of an argume ut on the question and
in part of orlatory remarks to the demo-
Gratis. He followed the general republi-
can fashion of denouncing the riders on
the Appropriation bills as "reyolution-
ary," not guessing that General Garfield
would, before the session closed, sweep
all that rubbish away and bring up the
real question at ssue.
After General Hawley came Mr.. Ran
dolph Tucker. Mr.. Tucker is an able
lawyer an eloquent and polished speak
or, and man who, as General Garfield
later said of him, always gallantly and
openly says precisely what he thu nks.
To-day Mr.. Tucker, with grace of
manner and expression which delighted
both sides, and with an eloquence which
carried away his own side, delivered his
mind and declared what, If the democrat
ie applause he received Is evidence, must
be regarded as the mind of large part
of the democratic Representatives.
What he said, in brief, was that Cong
rsss has the constitutional power over the
appropriations; that there Is nothing in
the constitution or rules to prevent the
houses passing the Army bill with its
riuer that the legisla.ionit was proposed
to repeal was grievance; that when vi
sious legislation has passed the House is
bound to say. "No more money" until
such legislation is repealed. "If there is
no money appropriated for the army by
the 3Oth of June the army dies. There
will be no money to support 1t, and il
shall die before We give money for it to
preside At our ballot bex-s."
General GARFIELD replied to Mr.. Tucker
In brief and statesmanlike speech, and
really broke the democratic line. He
evidently felt that the time had come
to stop the mere ,stump speaking OF
the republicans and take up the rea
question, ana he knew that Mr.. Tucker
had given him good opportunity. He be-
gan, therefore, by sweeping away all the
republican rubbish about the wrong OF
placing riders on an appropri alton bill
He said:-"The House has the constitu
tional right to put a rider on the Army
bull; 1t has the constitutional right to pas,
the bill 50 loaded and send 1t to the Sen
ate; the Senate has the constitutions
right 10 pass it also with the rider 1t car
be constituuonally sent to the President
and he may, in accordance with the con-
stitution, sign it, or he may veto it., and
when he does that the constitution pro-
vldss that unless two-thiIds of botI
houses pass it over his veto 1t shall not
be law"
Mr.. fuckers grievance, be reminded
him, was law now on the statute book
not an act of the President, but an act o
Congress, and said he 81 say it canno
be got rid of only in the manner pre-
scri bed by the constitution. In fre
government the powers of all branche
are limited by the constitution, an
when the gentleman speaks OF letting tn
army die in case the President vetuss thi
bill he proposes to remedy what he think
agrievance, not in the manner pr,
scri bed by the constitution, but by vi,
A~s'oo "a INV SOiioeitutioAJ Rbu bbas
wrong and not TO be done. We are her
to work ander and not contrary to th
constitution" He then said :-"If tn
gentleman of the other side will offer I
repeal the whole of the two statutes
sections 2,002 and 5, ,528-I tell here franz
ly will 60 with them. l have not fl
vored the retention of this legislation b.,
warn you that if these sections shoul
now pass simply with the five word
struck out, as you ask that they shall, "
will by that do much more than keep H.
troops from the polls; you will depriv
the civil power OF the right to summon
posse or use the army for any purpos
whatever;you will make 1t penitentiar
offence for any army officer, at the ca
OF the civil power, TO put down rit
anywhere for any cause" He explaine
tnat the proposed that the propose
democratic action would make what r,
manned of the statute book the late
statute on the subject, and would ther
by repeal other statutes conflicting vii
IT and thus make couflision. "Yt
would do an unheard of thing In u
shape you have put this it is the woI
rider of ALL If what you now propo
were enacted you would leave the go
erumeut without power to enforce 81
gle civil process by armed forces witho
making the officers liable to the pepite
iary."