The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-04-10

voted for that law, and every Democrat ir
the House and in the Senate who voted a
all voted for it.
Mr.. Wood want to ask the gentleman
whether, in 1865, at the time Of the passing
| of this law, the war had really been subsi-
ded-whether there was not a portion Of this
country in condition where it was impos-
sible to exercise an elective franchise unless
there was some kind Of military interior
ence and whether, ar the expiration OF Il
years after the war has subsidized, that gen.
tleman is yet prepared to continue wal
measure in time of profound peace in the
country?
Mr.. Garfield have no doubt that the pa.
triotic gentleman from New York took all
those things into consideration when he voted
for that bill, and may have been unpatri-
otto in voting against it, but he and must
stand on our record as made up. Let 1t be
understood that have not at all entered into
the discussion of the merits Of the case.
am discussing method Of revolution against
the constitution of the United States.
THE PEOPLE NOT coERCED IN 1860.
desire to ask the forbearance of the gen :
tlemen on the other side for remarks that I
dislike to make, for they will bear witness
that have in many ways shown my desire
that the wounds of the war shall be healed,
aid that the grass that God plants over the
graves Of our dead may signalze the return
Of the Spring of friendship and peace be-
tween all parts of the country. But am
compelled by the necessity of the situation
to refer for moment to chapter Of history.
The last act Of the Democratic domination
in this House IS years ago, was stirring and
dramatic, but it was heroic and highsouled.
Then the Democratic party said, ''If you
elect your man as President Of the United
States, we will shoot your Union to DEATH"
And the people Of this country, not willing
to be coerced, but believing that they had
right to vote for Abraham Lincoln if they
chose, did elect him lawfully as President,
and then your leaders, in control of the ma
jority of the other wing of this Capitol, did
the heroic thing of Withdrawing from their
seats, and your Represent atives withdrew
from their seats and flung down to us the
gage of mortal battle. We called 1t rebel
lion, but we admitted that it was honorable,
that was courageous, and that it was noble
to give us the fell gage of battle, and fight it
out in the open field. That conflict, and
what followed, we all know too well and
to-day, after IS years, the book Of your
domination is opened where you turned
down your leaves in 1860, and you are sig
nalzing your return to powe: by reading
the second chapter mot this time an heroic
one) that declares that il we do not let you
dash statute out Of the book you will-not
shoot the Union to death as in the first chap
ter-bus starve it to death by refusing the
necessary appropriations. Applause on the
Republican side.l You, gentlemen, have it
in your power to kill this movement. You
have it in your power, by Withholding these
two bills, to smite the nerve centres OF our
Constitution to the stiffness of death !; and
you have declared your purpose to do it il
you cannot break down the elements OF frt e
consent that, up to this time, have always
ruled in the Government.
LESS HONORABLE THAN THE SECESSION
PLAN.
In 1856, in Cincinnati, in the National
Democratic Convention, and still later, in
1860, the National Democracy in the United
States affirmed the right Of the veto as ore
of the sacred rights of our Government, aud
declared that any law which could not be
passed over veto by two, thirds vote had
no right to become a law, and that the only
redress was an appeal from the veto to the
people at the next election. That has been
the Democratic doctrine on that subject from
the remotest day-certsinly from General
Jackson's time until now. What would you
have said in 1861 if the Democratic majority
in the Senate, instead of taking the course
which it did, had simply said, 1--WE will put
an amendment on an appropriation bill de-
claring the right of any State to secede from
the Union at pleasure, and forbidding any
officer OF the Army or Navy of the United
States from interfering with any State in its
purpose to secede ?" Suppose that that
Democratic majority had said then, "Put
that on these appropriation bills, or we will
refuse supplies to the G overnment." Per-
haps they could have killed the Government
then by starvation. But in the madness Of
that hour, the leaders Of the secession Gov
eminent did not dream that it would be hon
orable to put their fight on that ground, but
they walked out on their plan OF battle and
fought it out. But now, in way which the
widest OF secessionists never dreamed of
taking, it is proposed to make this new as
sault on the vitals of the nation.
Gentlemen, addressing the Democratic
side of the Housed we have tried to count the
cost. We did try to count it in 1861, before
we picked up the gage OF battle q; and al
though no man could then forecast the awful
loss in blood and treasure, yet, having start
ed in, we staid there to victory. We simply
made the appeal to our sovereign-to that
great omnipotent, public opinion, in Ameri
cato determine whether the Union should
be shot to death. And now, lawfully, in
our right and in our place here, we pick up
the gage of battle which you have thrown
down, and will appeal to our common SOW
ereign to say whether you shall break down
the principle Of free consent in legislation at
the price of starving the Government to
death. We are ready to pass these bills for
the support of the Government at any hour
when you will offer them in the ordinary
way, and if you offer these other measures
as separate measures, we will meet you in
the spirit of fair and fraternal debate. But
you shall not compel us-you shall not CO
cree us-even to save this Government, I'M
til the question has gone to the sovereign te
determine whether it will consent to break
down any of Its voluntary powers. And or
that groul d, gentlemen, we plant ourselves
Loud applause on the Republican side an(
in the galleries.1
We remind you, in conclusion, that this
great zeal Of yours in regard to keeping the
officers of the Government out of the State
has not been always yours. remember
that only six years before the war your law