Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-05-19
General Mahoue's Exclamation.

Dear Major | have not had an earlier
moment when could reply to your letter.
Briefly the matter is this | was not in the
Senate at any time during the proceedings on
the so-called Tebbs case, until the morning
when the resolution proposing to refer the
bill and all the amendments which had been
offered to the Judiciary Committee was
called i'll regular order. Without word of
debate the vote was taken. voted for the
resolution Of reference. | had meanwhile
run my eye over the proceedings as they are
given in the Record, and thought then, and
do now believe, that understood the mer-
its of the question.
voted without hesitation, and am now
the more assured Of the correctness and the
wisdom Of that vote. The reference was
strictly the legislative thing to do, and it
was the thing to do to arrest further i'll
tempered line of discussion which had been
unhappiy provoked. You will observe
that the original proposition was to relieve
DIR. A. Sidney Tebbs Of the disability i'm
posed by certain statute of the United
States. ! am quite sure there would not
have been a word Of objection to the dis
tnct proposition. Uniformly, believe, all
and singular, the applications heretofore
made for such relief have been granted
even i'll times when there fingered preudices
OF the war as to individuals and sections
This simple proposition, however, was made
the occasion of u bill, repeating a statute
practically dead in the form of an amend
ment to the Tebbs bill. 1t was the absolute
conversion of an individual bill of relief into
one repeating u statute, No one on the
Military Committeeman Il republican Sena-
tort appears, objected. In this form the
bill came up for consideration when II dis
cussion followed which evoked bitterness and
lnstigated the Offering ofseveral amendments
1t was here and in this condition found the
subject, and voted for the reference to the
Judiciary Committee, whose province right
July Is to formulate any act repeating Il
statute, and the more SO when the PROPOSE
ton was now encountered with proposed
amendments, i'll some respects incongruous,
and i'll some respects, ifnot absurd, falling,
rs it occurred to me, below the dignity OF
the subject. AS to the statute which eXclu-
DIES those who were i'll the confederate mill
tary service from holding a commission in
the military service Of the United States
broadly stated-my opinion, my Judgment,
and my feeling are that it involves nothing
practical to the confederate soldier nothing
more than sentiment, and that he with
becoming selt-respect would only desire and
appreciate the removal of such disability,
when it comes of the voluntary motion of
the representatives of that section and side
IN the unhappy struggle by whom it was
imposed: The power, and the right to i'm
pose such disability, were concluded fully
and finally ut Appomattox, and the confed-
crate soldier, in my opinion, will proudly
bear every consequence Of Lees surrender,
not in anger, nor because there fingers with
him any hesitancy in his obedience to the
laws, which his parol at Appomattox honor
ably bound him to respect, nor any reserya-
tons i'll his allegiance to reunited country,
l cannot permit myself to aid in making the
graves OF confederate soldiers, nor their
widows and orphans, to become the stakes
and pawns in the game of politics. | will
not become party to proftless discussion
OF initiating questions that are calculated to
freshen issues which are naturally closing
anG when the whole country is drifting
surely and earnestly to the safe anchorage Of
peace and fraternity, under the guidance OF
President whose policy towards the South
is one of friendship. But why this latter
day anxiety for declaration of zeal in be-
half of confederate soldiers q? Mind. YOU it
comes from the political associates ofthose
who, from 1879 to 1881. held control of both
houses Of Congress. Why not take that op-
perfume occasion? 1t is not a violent sup
position that the many gentlemen in Con
gress who had been confederate soldiers
were then, and will not doubt are now,
unwilling to make an humanity request
for this supposed high grace. 1 will by no
word of mine check the pacifying and liber-
alizing influences upon the whole country
which Virginia has set in motion. Let us
thank the patriots who are helping us in
that great work, and move on heroically to
our high purpose.
| am, very truly yours WM. MALONE.
Major. NJ. MooRMAN, Lynchburg, Va.