National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-02-07
CURRENT CAPITAL TOPICS.
Almost a Political Debate in the
House.
Delicate Allusions to the Late Unpleasant
noss-Nr. Conger's Ideas of Rebellion
The Cabinet Meeting Yesterday
Another Raid Into the In
dian Territory Threat
ened--The Census
The Conrcderncy in tho House.

The Senate was not IN session yesterday, and
IL being private bill day there would have
been nothing of importance in the House had
not tho petition of John Owens, Of Virginia,
for a removal of his political disabilities pro.
voked a discussion, which came near assum-
ing an interesting political phase. 1t appears
that Mr. Owens petition spoke Of the war of
the Confederacy instead of the war Of the re.
bcllion.
Mr.. Conger objected to this language of the
petition, when Mr. GOode, of Virginia. replied
quite warmly that while it has been the prac-
tice of Congress to require every person to
make an application for relief in respectful
terms, no form of petition had been prescribed.
He said it seemed to him too late fifteen years
after the war, to take departure and make u
man write himself down as traitor or rebel
with his own hand, and get down in the dust
and cry unclcan, before great Government
would consider his petition for removal of
political disabilities
Mr.. Congor, of Michigan, met Mr.. Goodies
argument and asked why tho petitioner came
here, if not to say he had been engaged In re-
bellion against his Government and ask to
have his political disabilities removed. Has
II como to this, that there is n statute of linn
itation on rebellion aud treason ? said Mr.
Conger. Why not let every man come and
say that lie has been engaged in the late "un-
pleasantness ~ The House had too often
heard these rose-colored names for rebellion to
have them reprinted in the public records.
There was constant effort being made on the
Democratic side of the House to incorporate
in the literature Of tho House smooth-sound-
ing words for rebellion, treason aud insur-
rccticn, until, IL any one used the good, old
fashioned words, lie was Immediately re-.
buked He expressed himself as surprised
that so many of his Republican colleagues had
on last Friday voted for disability bill sim.
| liar to the present one. lie thanked God that
he was not one of those who had such a
record. lie thought his remarks would call
| the attention OF the people and the soldiers of
the North to the tendency even on the Re.
publican side of the House to forget all the
dismal, horrible past, and smooth it all over
| by the application Of new kind of literature
| in the proceedings of tho House.
These strong remarks of Mr.. Conger brought
Mcssrs. Young, of Tennessee Ellis of Lou.
isiana, and Goode, of Virginia, to their feet
for reply, but Fernando Wood, Of New York,
seeing that his party friends were losing
their temper and were likely to precipitate a
bitter debate, objected to any further discus
sion. and the bill was passed by avote OF yeas
| 1866, nays 49,
| A number of unimportant measures were
presented during the hour and a halfthe House
was in session, and at lao it went into Com
mittee of the Whole Oh the private calendar
| and finally adjourned.