Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-01-29

committee had declared that by his conduct h
had saved the Union army from disaster, whih
in the pending case Walker had acknOw ledget
his guilt.
Mr.. Mills opposed the bill on the ground i
was doubtful whether Congress had the con
stitutiona power to interfere with and disturb
the decision of a court martial.
Mr.. McGinnis thought the great misfortune
| about this case was that the findings of thu
court martial had reached the administration
| during one of its spasms Of reform. The ad
ministration had come TO the capital with thu
sanctity of the Sunday school around it ant
had promised to make up for the ways by
which it had gotten into power, by reforming
| the civil and military service of the country
Every one remembered the first civil order
and the weak outcome of it. The army was
also 10 be reformed in some Sunday school
and pickwickian way. An order had been is
sued for the discharge of any army officer
convicted of drunkenness, and Ii was the mis-
| fortune of Walker that his case had come uI
| while The President was in a yirtuous and in
dignant mood.
The bill was finally laid aside for favorable
recommendation.
The next bill was one for the relief of Mrs
T. P. Page, widow of Capt. Page of the United
States navy. The amount involved is $1S6,
which was due Capt. Page upon his resigna.
tlOn from the navy III Ooutn CaIoIiuu, tuc
reason of his resignation being that his Sta te
had seeded from the Union.
Mr. Conger opposed the bill and drew pic
ture of Capt. Page raising his sword which
had been given him by his country to sweep
down that country, daughter on the Demo-
cratic side.)
Mr.. Conger-Gentlemen laugh and sneer.
don't. Every smile that gathers over the
faces of some gentlemen on the other side,
the smile of derision at the picture l have
drawn, is a becoming exhibition. daughter
on the Republican side.)
Mr.. Conger continuing said he had never
heard of proposition to repeal the statute
which prevented the payment of the pending
claim except the remarks of the gentleman
from Kentucky, Blackburn, made inadvertently.
He believed, that when the Democrats obtained
control of both houses and the Presidency
they would repeal laws which and which and
which, etc, ETC., etc.
Mr.. Blackburn asked the gentleman not TO
garble the record as some lesser lights of the
Republican party had done before him.
A long and amusing cOlloquy ensued be-
tween Conger and Blackburn as to the precise
words used by Blackburn, at the conclusion
of which Conger finished his speech in oppo-
sition to the bill.
Mr.. Goode said he desired to make Il correc-
tlou of the reportsubmitted by the naval COM
mittee. That report stated that Capt. Page
had entered the confederate service. He hadn't
done so, but he, Goode, had no doubt he would
have done so but for his advanced age. Capt.
Page would not thank him for representing to
the American Congress that he, Page ,wouldn t
have gone into that struggle with his native
State.
Messrs Cox and Chittenden supported the
bill.
Mr.. Bragg said he had been charmed with
the beauty of the speech of his friend from
New York, but that he regarded this question
as one of principle, and he was not to be de-
ceived from the views he maintained by any
general ideas. He compared this case to the
case of Benedict Arnold. Benedict Arnold
had fought nobly, Eravely and well, but
he had deserted the flag of his country in try
ing hour. Capt Page had fought bravely on
Lake Erie 1t had been far better for him had
he died sustaining the flag of his country in
the glorious battle of Lake Erie than 10 have
in his later years spat on that flag by tender
ing the resignation of his
commission in the hour OF his county'rs
peril. [Applause on the Republican side.] If
Congress did away its principles here, where
WAS 1t to ends If this woman was to be paid
because she was old and poor, that was one
thing; but if Congress was to pay her because
she was the wife of an officer who had re-
signed from his country's service, that was
another thing.
Mr.. Hooker replied to Bragg's speech. Ben
edict Arnold, if history taught Alright, was
traitor to the government for money con-
sideration. He knew of no man in the South
who took side for his section, of which that
could be said. 1t wasn't the first time in the
history of the English speaking people that
war of words had eliminated in a wager of
battle. The war of the rebellion had occurred
from q conviction of right on one side and
right on the other side, and he argued that
Capt. Page in his resignation had done. moth
ing to absolve the government from its obli-
cations to him at the time of his resignation.
The debate was continued at length, and
participated in by Messrs. Hawley, Goode,
Bragg, White and Others. During the discus
sion Wright, of Pennsylvania, remarked that
if the bill could be withdrawn he would give
his check for the amount, to which Goode re-
piled that the widow of Hugh N. Page, the
hero Of Lake Erie, was not asking aims, but
asked the passage of the bill simply as a mat
ter of justice.
At the end of the discussion without action
on the bill, the House adjourned until tomor
row.