The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1880-10-04
General Garfield as a Know Moth
ing.

hA"NS NOOh III Chl lOliCu NhOW-NoOh-
ing in his time, but on the 22d of
June, 1874, he showed himself to be
a Know-Nothing in spirit. The
House of Representatives on that
day was considering the "Sundry
Civil Appropriation bill," in which
the Senate had inserted ed-"For
the Little Sisters of the Poor in
Washington City, to liquidate
"debt on the building and to COM
"plete said building, $25, ,000." Mr..
Hoar, OF Massachusetts, supported
the item in an effective explanatory
speech, during which he observed:
"The property is held in strict
trust TO be used sacredly as home
for aged persons. II is an incorpo-
rated society of this District under
no ecclesiastical authority, although
to be sure it consists Of Catholic wo-
men. AS we have abolished the
government OF the District its chari-
ties arc now left dependent upon
our action, and it is one equally de-
serving with others that we have
recognized. The managers exercise
no discrimination of sex, color or
religious belief"
Mr.. Garfield Immediately op. osed tie
item in a speech which, as reported in
the Globe of the date (p. 5,394), was
longer than the speech Of MIR. Hoar
General Bu Ter next began to catechise
General Ga, field as to whether lie had
not voted for all appropriation for tbs
| Women's Christian Association of the
| District, and General Garfield admitted
that he La :, but claimed tuat there wa
an obvious distinction between giving
an appropriation " society composed
a many sects and TO society composed
of only one sect. Mr.. Cessna, OF Penn
sylvania, "Asked the theologian from
Ohio whether ''Protestants as well as
Catholics are not "alowed the benefit
of the institution for (which this appro.
priation is asked.' General Garfield
answered affirmatiyely, when Mr..
Cessna added: "Then say they ought
TO have the money" Mr.. Parker, ol
Missouri, who was afterwards Chief
Justice of Utah, followed with what has
been described by its auditors as one ol
Tie most eloquent and touching speeche;
ever delivered in Congress, and in the
course of it he said:
, 81 am no Catholic, and practically
an not much of a protestant, but, sir,
want to call the attention of this Hous'
to one tact, and especially that OF ny
, friend from Ohio tMr. Garfield), VIII,
calamity led one of the divisions of ou
; | army duTiHg the late war, and that Is
: when the noble wOme II of these different
/ orders were upon the.battle-ields of oul
country gathering up the wounded and
! dying and pouring consolation into theii
souls, moistening their lips with colo
water, talking to them of home, mother
and friends, cheering their dying mo
ments by leading their minds to tbt
mercy OF that God who was so soon tt
Judge them-when they kneeled before
| our brave soldiers-npon their dying
, beds. did the gentleman or the loya
people ever stop to inquire what wa:
the religious faith of these people? Did
they stop TO inquire whether they Wete
Catholic or Protestant, Jew or GENTLE
When the white bonneted nuns were
seen carr, ing consolation to the gallant
soldiers of the Republic upon every
battlefield where our patriots struggled
for the national existence, they were
+ not asked as to their religion. Now fol
the American Congress, made up of dis
tinguished men from all parts of the
| ryaAHa1 n inlfifutinng de-
voted to the cause of liberty, after wha
we have doue already here to-day, to re-
fuse to give this Institution what Is asked
here, must be done upon grounds which
We cannot Justify. II Is too narrow a
. view to take of 1t. Patriots and gallant
men cannot do this. No citizen or this
republlc can undertake to maintain any
: such position as this. Do you know
Mr.. Speaker, that it Is fact that these
"Little'Slsters OF the poor" are not per-
mittei under the obligations OF their or
der to partake of single mouthful oil
| rood until the Inmates of their asylum
are first fed? Do you know they go to
the hotels and restaurants and wherever
they are permitted to go i'll this city,
and gather what Is left sof the crumbs
Which have fallen from the tables for the
purpose Of feeding these poor aged,
| outcast men and women who are not
| Able TO take care of themselves? L ask
| the House to stand by this approprta-
| lion. L ask the House to give this
amount of money to this worthy OBJ
ject."
General Butler then followed with a
similar eulogium upon the services OF
Catholic women during the battles and
among the hospitals as he had observ-
ed them, and when he had concluded
there was closing scene which is
thus officially recorded in the Globe :
Mr.. Randall--What is the question:
The Speaker-Concurring in the
Senate amendment.
Mr.. Randall-If we concur that
leaves it in.
'rhe Speaker-It does.
Mr.. Randall-That is all right.
Mr.. Garfield desire to say single
sentence in reply.
Cries of "Vote p "Vote p "Vote p
The question being taken-without
yeas and nays-on coucurring in the
Senate amendment, there were affirma-
tive 162 and negative 43.
From all this it appears that Cen
eral Garfield was impatiently "choked
oo-, NV the House. Not even his Re-