The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-04-17
Mr.. Blaine's Speech.

Senator Blaine addressed the Senate on
Monday last on the army bill. as it passed
the House 1t Is said to have been bril-
liant and powerful effort. He began by
char ging the Democrats with raising dis
honest issue and placing the country in a
false position before the world. They were
endeavoring to make it appear that there
was danger of our elections being interiered
with by the army.
10 shDw how ridiculous and baseless this
assertion was, Mr.. Blaine read a statement
showing that all the troops east of the Mis-
sissippi river, embracing an area of territory
which contained ferty-one million of people
was only 2,797 men, or sixty soldiers to every
millions of PEG pie. He then proceeded TO
read from the list the number OF troops in
each Southern state, which the. speaker ac-
companied by observations that teemed with
cutting satire, In Delaware, whose two SEN
ators manifested so much alarm lest the mil
ltary might overthrow republican instittl-
tions, there was not single soldier. In
West Virginia, the junior senator from which
state (Hereford) had flown off into passion
over the iron heel of military despotism.
there was not a soldier. In Maryland there
were 1872 artillerymen employed to man
Fort McHenry, at the entrance OF Baltimore
harbor. In Virginia 2S2 men attended a
school of practice at Fortress Monroe, and
| there was not another federal soldier in the
state. In North Carolina there were 80 SOL
diers guarding the fort at the mouth of Cape
Fear river; $50 men guarding the forts at
Charleston harbor were all the troops now
| in South Carolina; 20 soldiers were stationed
| in Georgia; in Florida there were 1872; in
Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Mississip-
pi there was not a solitary federal soldier.
There was but 81 in Arkansas, 80 in AL
ALBANIA 239 in Louisiana, and in Texas, apart
! from those that guarded the Rio Grande,
| there was not soldier. One thousand one
| hundred and fifty five soldiers, Mr.. Blaine
sarcastically observed, were all that Cypress
ed and destroyed the liberties Of fifteen
millions Of the Southern people. He further
| analysed this list and made the picture still
more ludicrous by showing that there was
not even a soldier to a county, only one SOL
| der to every seven hundred sqnare miles
| OF territory and one soldier to every thirteen
polling places. These figures of Mr.. Blaine
ELECTED the greatest merriment all over the
| chamber at the expense of the Democrats.
| The climax of this part of the speech was
reached when Mr.. Blaine, in the most ear
| nest manner, and addressing himself to the
Democratic side, said that there were not
| two Democratic senators who could low go
| into the cloak room without enjoying smile.
The appropriateness Of this double entendre
appeared to be duly appreciated. How Eu-
rope would laugh, when told that a territory
larger than England, France, Spain, Italy,
| Switzerland, Holland and the German En-
pire combined, could be ruled by military
force that was not as large as the Democrat
| ic police force of Baltimore, and not half as
| large as the Democratic police force of
New York. Mr.. Blaine then proceeded to
| inquire into the motive for this legislation.
| This issue on troops, he again boldly de-
clared, was false land charged that the real
purpose of the Democrats was to get rid of
| the civil power of the federal government
over the election of representatives to Con-
gress. The army bill! was intimately con-
| nected with another bill, the Legislative, now
| being considered in the House, and both
| measures were the ofsprings of Democrat
! ic caucus. This brought Senators Withers
| and Davis to their feet, who controverted
| this assertion. and tried to make it appear
| that the bill had come through the usual
| channels OF legislation. Mr.. Blaine being
closely pressed by these gentlemen for his
authority for the statement, quoted Senator
| Beck's declaration early in the session, ard
| supplemented this by revealing some Of the
secrets of the Appropriation Committee,
where it seems that the Democratic members
| approved of some of the amendments that
| were offered by the Republicans, but were
| not willing to have them incorporated in the
bill, saying that they had no objection to
have them passed as separate measures.
This little depression was greatly enjoyed by
the audience.