Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-04-17

WASHINGTON, March 2S.-After some
regarding therules, the House,
at II 40 p. m. went into Committee of the
Whole--Mr. Springer, of Illinois, in the
chair-on the army appropriation bill.
Mr.. Garfield, of Ohio, took the floor.
He began his speech by referring to the
gravity and solemnity of the crisis that
had now been brought upon the country,
and declared that the House had to-day
resolved. to enter upon a revolution
against the Constitution and the Govern
ment, and that the consequence of that
resolve, if persisted in, meant nothing
short Of the subyersionf of the Govern
ment. He sketched the point at issue be-
tween the two houses at the close of the
last Congress, and read from report of
one of the Senate conferees, to the effect
that the Democratic conferees on the part
of the House were determined, unless
the action of the House was coneurred
in, to refuse making appropriations to
carry on the government, and he also
quoted from the speech of Senator Beck
(another of the conferees), to the effect
that the Democrats claimed the right
which the House of Commons in England
had established after two centuries of
eonquest, to say that they would not
grant the money of the people unless
there was redress of grievances. These
propositions, continued Mr.. Garfield, in
various forms, more or less vehementIy,
were repeated in the last House, and with
that situation of affairs the session came
near its close. The Republican majority
in the Senate, and the Republican minor
ity in the, House, expressed the deepest
possible solfcitude to avoid the catastro-
phes here threatened. They expressed
their strongest desire to avoid the danger
to the country and to its business of an
extra session of Congress, and they ex-
pressed. their willingness to let go what
they considered the least important of
the propositions-not as matter of CO.
ercion at all, but a matter of fair adjust
ment and compromised they could be
met in the spirit of adjustment on the
other side. Unfortunately, no spirit of
adjustment appeared ON the other side to
meet their advances. And now the new
Congress is assembled, and after ten days
of deliberation, the House of Represent
atives has resolved substantially to reaf-
firm the propositions of its predecessor,
and on these propositions we are met to-
day.
The question may be asked why we
make any special resistance to PROPOSE
tions which a great many gentlemen have
declared are to be considered of no i'm
portance. So far as this side is concerned,
I desire to say this: We recognize you,
gentlemen of the other side, as skilled
paliamentarians and skil1ful strategists.
You have chosen wisely and adroitly
your line of. assault. You have put for
ward, perhaps, the least Objectionable of
your measures, but we meet that as one
part of your programme. We reply to
it as an order of battle, and we are as
much compelled by the logic of the situ-
alton to meet you on the skirmish line as
+ we would be if you were attacking the
| intrenchments themselves. And, there
fore, on the threshold, we desire to plant
our case on the general grounds on which
I we choose to defend it. Mr.. Garfield
4 then referred to what he had said on the
last day of the last Congress, as to the di
vision of the government into three part!
1.-THE nation, the Senate and the people
i and he said a. foreigner could point
dozen ways in which the governmen
! could be killed, and that not by violence
1 Of course, all governments might be over
turned by the sword. But there wer
some ways by which this Government
4 might be utterly annihilated without tn
1 firing of a gun. The people might sa,
that they would not elect Representatives
That, of course, was violent supposi
. ton, but there was no possible remed
for such a condition of things, and with
: out House of Representatives ther
) could be no support of a government
5 So the States might say through their Leg
islatures that they would not elect Ser
: ators. The very abstention from electin
! Senators would absolutely destroy tn
: government, and there would be no pre-
cess of compulsion. Or, supposing tn;
r the two houses were assembled in the
; usual order, and that a bare majority
4 one in either house should firmly bin
: itself together and say that it would vo
TO adJolrA al Cle htoulehI VI nleeIlhS eaS
day, and would do that for two years
e succession. In that case what would ha
d pen, and what would be the measure
n redress? The government would die:
There could not be found in the who
Fl range of Judicial or executive authori
y and remedy whatever, The Executi
\ had no power to destroy the GovernmeI
20 | 7 of the Eyaoutive travail hut one inch l
1t yond the line of law, and there was t
/, power of impeachment. But if the ele
ct ors among the people who elected Rep
sentatiYes, or if the electors in the ST