Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-03-19

that there sas anything covert in the bill.
The committee then rose and reported the
bill to the House.
The previous question being ordered. Mr.
Bisbee expressed objection to the bill. which
he characterized as a cheap bill, framed by a
cheap party through a cheap committee, upon
a cheap estimate of the people of the country.
Mr.. Townshend took the floor to close the
debate in defence OF the bill. He said that
since the bill had come into the House, every
clown on the other side had been brought TO
the front 20 ridicule it. Every advocate of
extravaganza, every defender of jobs aud
railroad corporations had been brought for
ward. taxing ingenuity to the utmos, in order
to raise false clamor against the bill. He
was not surprised at the action of the gentle
man from Maine (Reed.) He had been
member of the House with that gentleman
for four years and he ventured the assertion
here and now that il that mans course and
conduct in regard TO the pending bill CON-
pared with his whole course in the past. il
would be found TO be perfectly consistent
If peculator had ever been charged on
this floor with maladminist-ation, if ever ex
travagant appropriation were suggested. that
man was found to be its defender; and if ever
the interest of railroad companies was at
stake, the man was its defender.
IlleCDCk utliltudcu Tue NOTus Ut
taken down as unparliamentary.
Oh, no, said Mr.. X. ed, don't " ant to give
them any such significance. but when he
talks about exrravsgance of appropriations
and peculators. if he looks at the record he
will find in the star route case that | voted
with the committee on appropriations and he
was not there. Applause on the republican
side
have never. continued Townshend, heard
a peculatOr assailed on the floor but the gen.
tleman from Maine has sprung to his feet
and defended.
Name one cried Mr.. Reed.
| have not time here, retorted Townshend.
want the gentleman to name one, reiter-
ated Mr.. Reed.
When the gentleman takes his seat and
behaves himself, continued Mr.. Tonshend,
will proceed with my remarks. The gen.
tleman has taken occasion to assail every
member in the House and now propose to
answer him and let him understand that he
is known and that have less regard for his
estimate of myself than have for the opin-
ion of any other member. On last Saturday
he took the floor and imported to me i'm
proper motives in my defense of the bill.
did not have chance to reply then, but
want to say here and how he is playing a
role, which he has played ever since l knew
him. as a defender of every railroad scheme.
Mr.. Reed-Fortunately the observations of
which the gentleman from Illinois has the
kindness to make were made in the presence
of House that knows both of us. Now | say
to the House that my record is open to the
world on any and all topics, and there are
only two sets of people for whose opinion l
care good deal. The one is my constit-
uents who know me, and the other is this
House, which knows him. Laughter on the
republican side. 1t is hardly necessary to
say that | shall stand vindicated before them
both. have never been found vindicating
any improper motive, and | have referred
him to one conspicuous public occasion when
u bad man was being hunted to the ground,
where | was found on the right side and he
was found nobody knows where. If l have
been found at an time on the side of railroad
corporations, which is the term of reproach
on his part, it was because | was defending
the cause of justice. There is no man so
poor and no corporation so rich that ! will
prostitute myself to injustice for temporary
advantage which comes of maintaining
false position because some dishonest men
were clamoring against them. | do not un-
dertake to boast here, but have no occasion
to lower my head in the presence of any man
in the House. no matter to what party he be-
long, and though have had occasion to say
severe things about the gentleman on the
other side, venture to say he is the only
man on that side capable of making the re-
marks which he has made. Applause on
the republican side.
The amendments agreed to in the commit
tee on the whole were then adopted with the
exception of that increasing by S4OO 900 the
appropriations for the letter service, which
was rejected, yeas, 1923; nays, 1877.
The motion to recommit was lost and the
bill passed l60 to Il.
Adjourned.