The Rock Island Argus., 1879-04-04
Last NIGHTS Dispatches.
XIV CONGRESS.
HOUSE.

HOUSE.
WASHINGTON. April 3.-Mr. Blackburn
SAID be was but a poor student of his coun.
Try history who was not able to satisfy
himself that from the foundation of the
constitution down tO the present time. il
had ever been held, aud that by the high
est authorities 10 the land, that il was in
the power OF the house to coutrol the en-
ployment OF the army by Withholding sup
plies. In the very nature of things the
proposed repeal could cot be revolutionary.
Negative legislation was never revolution
ary. The constitution did not give a right
to the president to send armed forces into
any state. even to suppress domestic VIC
lence. More than one-third of all the per-
manent legislation affecting that arm of
the government had been put upon the
statute books as riders upon an army ap-
preparation bill Did Mr.. Garfield remem-
| Der the record he had made in 1868 on an
amendment offered by MIR. Wilson, Of
Iowa, to an appropriation bill, proposing
to revoIutionize the judicial system of the
country? In the seth congress that had
occurred which would never fade from the
minds of the American people. He re-
| ferred to the effort which came SO nigh
|
the chief executive Of the country There
were two principal counts in this indict-
ment on which it was proposed to impeach
the executive. One was the exercise of the
veto power, and the other bis interference
not in elections but to prevent the inter
ference Of the army power in elections
The counts had been voted upon
more than once, and The gentleman from
Ohio was on record every time as voting
in their favor, aud he had been supported
in his action and had standing BY him ,vot-
ing side by side with him, to impeach the
President for the exercise of the veto pow
er, one then comparatively obscure, and
who, but for a combination Of accidents,
would have remained TO this day and un-
til his day in that Obsurity which nature
and his creator seemed to have designed
him-side by side with the gentleman from
Ohio had stood and voted Mr.. Hayes, Of
the sama State. Applause Oh the Dem.
ocratic ,ide and in the galleries Let il
go to the country that one party in this
Congress asserts that the msnacles shal
fall from the limbs of treemen, and tha
the army shall not hold its mailed hand or
the throat of the sovereign, and that tht
other party declares that rather than re
lease its grasp it will bring the government
to starvation l. and these With whom
. stand identified. are willing to accept tht
? issue, Aye, more; VIC 60 farther and ad
q nit that we are the ones who make the is
. sue, and we are ready for you to accept it
p For the first time In eighteen years De
mocracy is back in power in both braDche
Y of Congress. We propose to celebrate ou
return to power by wlping from the Stat
ute book those degrading restrictions O
freemeD, and by striking away the shack
4 els which partisan legislation has imposed
a We do not indend TO stop until we hav
q stricken the last vestige of your war meas
s ures from the statute book, like thos
which were born Of the passions incident I
q civil strife, and which looked alone to a
. abridgement OF the liberty OF ciizens, VI
: til we have an untrammelled election a
, unsuperviSed ballot, and an absolute fire
>, right for citizen to deposit his ballot. ;
,,F the conditions precedent which we offer
4 you for the passage OF this bill.
~ Speaking of the veto threatened b
- some republican:members, Mr.. Black bul
continued | ask whether may not
warranted and justified 10 employing equ
l.. candOr 10 assuring the opposition that Il
/
a' equally determined, until its just demand
'h sanctioned by all laws human and divin
t protected and hedged around by preC
, dents without number, demanded by {
L. L people of this land without regard to Sc
- tiou-clamored for not only by the Sou
g alone but in Philadelphia as we'll as
81 New Orleans, in San Francisco and be
"a Va ton as we'll as in Charleston aud Savann
ue are complied with, this side of the cha
,s' ber, which has demonstrated its pow
oi never means to yield or surrender unlt
o9 this Congress shall have died by virtue
GU its limitation. Wild applause on the
mocratic side, We cannot yield and
will not yield. Applause and sensation
1t was his deliberate conviction that not
er- man on his side would abandon one j0t
ess title of the faith that was 10 him. II
ln- would stand on their convictions. he "
dalies is bastard, aud he who denies
om damned Loud applause.
1es At the conclusion Mr.. Blackburn's
tue leagues warmly congratulated him on
on speech.
an Messrs. Gibson and Turner discus
the the constitutional question involved, ;
the the House took recess. In the even
ose Mr.. Barber said he took this opportuU
'alt to speak because from the present indi
as tons it seemed this would be the last sG
ro- ion of Congress ever held. Ii the Pr
dent signed the pending bill he would
cur the lasting execration of an overwhe
- ing majority of the people of the North
v. Mr.. Bright alluded TO Secretary ST
OF man Presidential aspirations 10 huu
na- Gus view, aud after some pleasantly
her tween members the House took a reC
en- mill IL tn-1nnrrnu