Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-04-09
Our Washington Letter.


purpose Of replying to what the General then said
The week has been marked by
a MEMORABLE DEBATE
in the House, participated In by the leading minds
Of both parties, closing this afternoon by the pas
sage of the army appropriation bill with the dem
ocratic amendment repeating the statutes author
izng the Of troops at the polls in elections II
has been especially noticeable that the democrats
have confined their efforts almost entirely to the
speech Of Garfield referred to in our last letter.
and while oratory and brilliant flights OF elo-
quence have been brought into play, logic and
sound argument have been lacking. A resume
of the leading speeches Of the week will perhaps
be of interest at this time, as showing not only
the law cxpounded upon the subject, but also the
spirit manifested between the two parties which
this political debate has served to call ont.
The democrats had two days in which to get
ready their biggest guns and prepare their
weghtiest arguments for a return fire to the
speech made the Saturday previous, and on Tues
day they put forward the rebel General Chalmers
Of Mississippi, one OF the doughty "heroes Of
the Fort Pillow massacre, as the first gun. This
gentleman, though small Of stature and somewhat
weak Of lung power, is terrible in expression and
mighty in the use OF the Anglo-Saxon. He proved
himself, in n two hours haranguc, to be one Of the
readiest and most fluent Of speakers the demo-
cratic side. Such language as he used, in speak
ing Of the Union, has not been heard on the floor
Of Congress for the space OF eighteen years. II
was the old cry OF the South at the usurpation"
OF the North. AN the South wanted" he said,
was to be let alone" Instead OF the democracy
attempting to shoot the government to death, as
claimed by General Garfield, it was the North in
sistng on shooting the South to death; instead Of
the democracy trying to starve the government
to death, 1t was the iron heel of Northern despot-
ism pressing down upon the PROSTATE South
When asked where the first gun was fired in 81,
he replied, " BY John Brown at Harper's Ferry!'
The speech throughout was an attempted vindi-
cation Of secession and a denuncation OF tho
whole North for its treatment Of the Southern
States since the war. 1t was just such a speech
as cannot fail to do great harm to the democrats
as a party, and the South rs section of our
Union. Mr.. Frye of Maine responded The
other side, he said, did not dare to meet square
in the face the issue, whether not the majority
was attempting to coerce the executive. lie read
an extract from the Okolona Miss, paper which
" thanked God that the South had captured the
Capitol" etc, and, continuing, Mr. Frye said,
" You have never yet put your hand upon the
Capitol and, under God, you never will. You are
not as near to capturing it as when you were
camped out here on these hills in our very sight"
lie further stated that the only way in which the
democrats could pass these hills in the manner
attempted would be "to get rd in some way of
the present executive" which remark was APP
IaI Al u. 4
not shadow of doubt Of the constitutionalty OF
the law now sought to be repealed and until he
became satisfied the South will not murder
negroes when they go to vote, he was in favor of
keeping it there, and keeping the troops near
the polls.
THE LINE OF ARGUMENT
used by nearly all the Republican speakers was
that enunciated by General Garfield in opening
the debate. Williams, OF Wisconsin, however,
differed in the opinion that the attempt to forbid
the presence Of troops at the polls was a fight on
the skirrnish line. He regarded it as the centre
OF the whole question, because upon 1t depended
the whole question Of federal authority and ma
tonal perpetuity. Belford, of Colorado, charac-
terzed the action of the democrats as an attempt
to force Mr. Tilden into the White House In 1880
General liawley, in one of the best arguments OF
the whole debate, claimed that the danger in this
county was not from the element of force it was
from the weakening of the executive power and
from the drawing into the legislative body of all
the functions OF government II the Republicans
had done anything wrong it had been from zeal
(Which he hoped God would PARDON for liberty,
freedom and II free ballot. Chittenden, of New
York, said that the present policy of the demo-
Gratis was in favor of desperadoes and bulldezers
and blacklegs at the polls. Houck of Tennessee,
charged that to-day the majority of the Southern
States were Republican, when not intmdated and
bulldozed, and that whether the law allowing the
army to be at the polls was constitutional or not,
he should refuse to vote to repeal it until the peo-
pie all over the South, black and white, had fair
chance at the polls; while Lowe, the Alabama
greenbacker. offered an amendment, striking out
the political section OF the bill-whch proves that
the South is not entirely :" solid " ON this ques-
ton. Ex-Secretary Robson made strong legal
argument proving that the action of Congress in
forcing the repeal of the law by Withholding sup.
plies was unconstitutional. Referring to Hurd Of
Ohio, that the Presidents tite and tenure of Of
flee was in doubt, he said that the responses all
over the country to-day are but the mutterings OF
a storm which will increase in vigor and in fury
and in resistless power until the men and the party
who epdeavor IN urset,Ie tho ,i,lo ,ha p.o.d,,
will ba syant iorever from ,be ol,,co, hori,,,, ;,
The only INSTANCES of real
No.. Wv 'psoN"e' VI 'nNe' VI '"s'"i" anu
Blackburn Of Kentucky. These gentlemen are I'M
doubtedly the best takers ON the democratic side
in the House and on this occasinn h,tb oaVe fnlI
u, '"e muse '"" 'n ','' '''''s'on oo'n gave iu'
pHS " 'nei' ""o9 III Aansu"se vi 'he most I'M
P"ssioheu eha'"o'oi. iuoNei poror"'ioh was par
tcularly Striking. lie would, he said, have law
on the Judgment seat wearing the civic crown
and o.,,,ino a,d o,,,, o., ,,;,, ,,,,,,
"' VI ''"'' 'u Sonny anu WIN u"''''eu ""nu'
reading iorth liberty as his welded wife lie
would have the army and navy to be willing
servitors of liher,v IN ex,eI nm her cali all In
N' "0' '', "'' ."
Nauers upon her sacred precincts OF 10 put down
the despotisms of centious mobs. II his aspira-
tons and homes his dreams and visions could Ina
reaii]eu' iee'hs' as ne uiui tna' the scar ana
his life was coming to its close. he might then
,,,h hrvbIo ra,ara,oo ronoa, ,ha ,,,,,a.s ., ~,
WIN ""''''' ''.''"1e ''P''' '"o prayer No"'
U LORD, lettest thou tiny servant depart In leace,
for mine eyes have seen the salvation of NV peo-
nla,s in,ar,v and saan ra,,o,od ,h, ,,r,a 1 80
:, - -"
Die system oil the constitution oil our ioreiathers.
Mr. Blackburn assumed defiant attitude
throughout and made the most impassioned
sneech Of all Tho democracy were i'm nower and