The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1884-09-09

Z0U,OUU disabled soldiers and T0,O0l
widows. Such laws / have never op
! posed, but / did oppose private bill.
which gave fifty dollars month to the
widows OF regular officers while bul
eight dollars is given to the widows o
soldiers. While he was introducing bills
he never wrote and printing speeches he
never delivered, | was at work trying to
amend the laws. He may say in the lam
guage of Hudibras, Dogberry or some
body else:
In mercy spare me. for I've done my best
To make as much waste paper rs the rest.'
Laughter
But he has no right to demand the
same OF others. What good would it do
to print long speeches? Nobody reads
them. l have told what the House in
this Congress has done. What did the
previous Congress do? Lethim show.
But come back to the one issue here.
charged that the gentleman did not
speak in the House the speech which he
printed in tile Record nor any part OF it.
There is the proof. [Cries OF "h hold him
to it," You can not and you shall not
get away from that on issues. / charge
that in that pretended speech Won falsi-
fed the Record, in that you said that but
one bill was reported from my
committee. That the committee
did nothing. I have shown that we
passed two bills through the House,
and reported third which contained
the substance OF most of the Senate
amendments, relating to Union soldiers.
These bills in their first form l penned.
! 1t should be understood that the PEN
| sion laws are the most complicated sys-
tenn OF laws on the statute books, and
the work OF revising and amending them
is work that statesmen must under
take and not demagogues, il we ever
expect to have any consistent legislation.
Mr.. Taylor has spoken again OF bill /
introduced giving land to officers and
soldiers. My recollection now is that it
is copy OF an old revolutionary bill,
which introduced at the request Of
some soldier association, and it is not
mine at all. Ils is a bill, which, Of
course, will never pass. If there were
any lands to be distributed, / should be
glad to see the soldiers get some, as /
said before, but NEST of the lands that are
good for anything have been given TO
railroads.
| The question, however, and the only
| question here is: did Mr., Taylor deliver
his speech, or any part OF it, in the pres
ence Of the House and crowded gal
leryp Did he speak one sentence OF it?
No; he did not. Did he in that speech
tell the truth, or did he get behind the
printing house 10 send out what was not
true? / have produced the Record. He
| did mlsrepresent; he did mis-state the
facts, and he did it from the printing
house, after Congress had adjourned.
And the verdict-and there can be no
other verdict-must be that the charge !
made is sustained.
Gentlemen, the evidence referred to
will be printed. / cannot take the time
to make further comparisons, but you
will see it for yourselves.
| Now, am arraigned by Mr.. Taylor as
the enemy of the Union Soldiers, be-
cause l opposed the provisions in the
Mexican pension bill that Disseminated
in favor OF the soldier OF one war as
against those OF another. believe that
the soldiers OF the Mexican war should
4 stadd on precisely the same footing as
other soldiers, and the one is as much
entitled to pension as the other. in
sist upon the same justice being done.
Tremendous applausel.
| Fla says am an enemy to the Union
Soldiers! Where was he, ask, at the
time that his services were needed
! (Deafening applausel.
Mr.. Taylor: i object to the gentleman s
going outside of the record. The shouts
and cheers at this point of the speech be.
came so loud and long-continued, that
the chairman was compelled to insist
upon order being observed. After the
noise had subsidized somewhat, General
Warner then continued:
i Where was he when the country need.
ed the services Of its young men2 deaf.
ening applause. Where was he?
| turn aside then, before forget it, tc
tell you that General Garfield, in every
form in which it came up in the 45tt
Congress-. voted against the bill-tht
identical bill which have yoted against
| Mr.. Blaine voted against the same thinl
in the Senate and he is your candidate
| for President. A voice: = and will bt
elected" many voices: "no, he wont
not much."l III these men and hosts o
others | could name were enemies to tn,
Union soldiers, then l have missed my
mark. Is there, ask you, any hardship
endured by the Union soldier which
have hot endured with you. any danger
/ have not shared? No, there is none
Loud cheering.l / have shared tn
winter campaigns, the midnight watch
duty on the picket line, stood with you
on the battle field "shot sown an,
bladed thick with STEEL" During all tn,
war / was with you at my post. l hav'
been with you in the bayonet charge, il
the assault upon smoking guns. and hav,
felt the terrible wrath of bursting shells
have shared with you the lingerin,
J hospital and endured the tortures of tn,
} surgeons knife, and now / am charged
with being the enemy OF the Union sol
diers! Soldiers with whom / hay
! shared every hardship known to war
II there are any men whom l honor OF
the face of the earth, they are the sol
, diers who have carried their country
flag through the battles of the war-fron
Atlanta to the sea, from Gettysburg t
Richmond, down the valley with Sheri
! dan, through the wilderness witt
J Grant, on every battle field where thei
country has called them. [Applause.
Can / be justly charged with being al
enemy of the Union soldier? Voices
"No, No."l But would make q dis
+ tinction between men who enlisted for tw
! weeks and never saw battle field nor ha
t any active service, and men who for fou
sIt was Introduced by request. as appear