The National tribune., 1886-03-11

only in relation to this question, but in his whole
administration of the Pension Oice-that he is the
true friend of all honoraby discharged Union sol
diers. Applause on the Democratic side. More
claims have been allowed, more work has been
done with less complaint from the soldiers of the
country, during his administration than ever before
during the administration of any Commissioner
of Pensions since the war, and no politics dragged
into it either lRenewed applause ON the Demo-
cratic side.l
Mr.. Hammond (Ga.) vigorously assailed Mr..
| Henderson Iowa) for his attack on the 62
Southern Members who voted against the wild
ows' incrcse. During his speech Mr.. Browne
! Ind) said:
During the last Congress the Senate appended to
| the Mexican pension bill an amendment by
which the widows pension was put at the same
amount at which it is placed by the legislation re-
| Gently passed in this House.
Mr. Hammond:
And that done with the express purpose of
| defeating the Mexican pension bl-nothng else.
! They knew and the gentleman knew that the meas
ure never could be passed in that shape When the
session nearly at an end an immense amount
of pensions was piled on that deserving bill for the
| purpose of crushing it. Now, when money Is
worth in everything that takes to feed and clothe
the widows Of the soldiers, twice as much as it was
| when this rate of IS month was established. the
| gentleman from Iowa Mr.. Henderson, arraigns
| the Southern Members of this House for voting
against the increase, though his party has kept the
| pensions at IS per month all this while.
| These facts answer his argument Such stuff in
| his speech that the Constitution is thrown in
our faces shield to cover an almost solid vote
against that little pension bill needs no answer.
| No constitutional question arose in that matter
| The bitter gall in that speech against men whom he
takes by the hand daily his friends does not need
| reply. The spirit of the speech not only In man
ner but in the cold printed words, carries its own
| condemnation. He needed no more reply when he
| himself consigned the Confederates to hell and
then intensified their hell by his expressed nten-
| ton to be there with them. lGreat laughter and
| applause
Mr. Butterworth (Ohio) made an eloquent
speech in which he pleaded for the soldiers,
defended Col. Dudley, and repelled the charges
| of corruption and intimidation made by the
Democrats against the Republicans of Cincin-
natl in the Presidential election of 1884 and
which Mr.. Warner (Oho) had made the subject
of speech. There was lively tilt between
| these two gentlemen, and the sharp repartees
| elected uproarious laughter.
II am glad do not live in Cincinnati" said
Mr.. Warner
$50 are we !" was Mr. Butterworth's reply,
| that set the House in roar at Mr.. Warmers
expense.
During his remarks Mr. Butterworth said:
Those who participated in the great civil conflict
| who once in the yigor of manhood, have come to n
time when their strength has failed and their steps
| public, which their children saved TO ask it in
prayer. if not in petition addressed to this House.
TO keep the promises that the young republic made
when the boys went forth TO do battle. No father,
no husband, no son at the breaking out of the war,
when called upon to do battle for his country. but
heard ringing in his this call and promise from
| the Republic: Go fight my battle and will be
husband to your widow if n widow she must be;
will be father to the orphans if orphans they must
be-" And to this hour the young republic has, over
your opposition, not by your willing aid, kept the
faith. Like Eiijahs ravens il has brought bread to
the hungry the feeble, the sick, and the old. What
ever the for this delayed justice it is not
| want of devotion of this side of the Honse to the
Union soldiers of the country. utsuppose, for any
purpose, good or bad, this generous bounty. this
righteous justice had been withheld. What is that
| to you? Is that reason why you should oppose
| II now?
Is that the reason you do not record more than
half hundred votes for it? If il is just and gen
| erous why withhold your votes? If the justice is
tardy it comes at last with a solid vote the Re-
| publican side of the House and with ma jority
| against it-possibly not "A majority, but half the
not calling in question your right to exercise
| your judgment. 1t is your right. This is our
| common country and free country and no man
| should be trammced in the exercise of Id judg
ment here elsewhere.
If we may rely upon the statements made upon
| that side of the House the men who guarded this
Republic in its hour of greatest peril, the who
tore the fingers of ds!oyalty one by one from the
throat of the Republic are not now to be trusted
even TO guard the ashes of their dead. To the
tender solicitude of those who made pensions
essary in the hundred thousand homes of this
country-to their tender mercies the widows, the
orphans the MANNED and the crippled throughout
the land are to look with generous and hopeful
confidence rather than to those from whose fire.
sides those saviors of the Nation went forth in
sponse to their eountry's call A beautiful spec
tace, is it not? beautiful pictured Applause
Mr.. Norwood (Ga.) made very witty and
good tempered speech defending the Southern
members from the arraignment by Mr.. Hend-
erson. He was often greeted with great
laughter and applause from both sides of the
House. Quoting from and paraphrasing por-
tions of Mr. Henderson's speech he said:
The gentleman from Iowa Mr.. Henderson, says
Notwithstanding you stuff baIlot-boxes and kill
negroes and don't read the Constitution, still de-
clare unto you Confederaes that respect you, and
ever shall respect you, and would rather dance
Irish jig on burning Goals in hell with you for
han tn hp l1y in with Nnrth
ern Copperhead." tGreat laughter.l
Mr.. Henderson, of Iowa:
That is pretty stiff but stick to 1t.
Mr.. Norwood:
SMr. Chairman, the compliment paid by the
gentleman from Iowa to that ballot-box -stufing
and shotgun brigade has equal in its sentiment
Of devotion. In history Or fiction there has never
been but one instance which approached il, and
that when Dame Quickly narratng TO
Pistol and Bardolph the circumstances of the death
of Sir John Falstaff tlaughterl, when Bardolph, in
the enthusiasm of his roguish soul, cried out,
Would / were with him. wheresome'er he is,
whether in Heaven or in hell" tLaughterI
Speaking for rayseif only. while return my pro-
foundest Acknowledgements TO the gentleman from
Iowa for the offer of his society if should be SO un-
fortunate as to take the wrong road and join him
down below tlanghterl. and while do not doubt
that he will not be much worse than the average of
the nauraized citizens of that country populous
with involuntary immigrants, yet here and now
enter my solemn and vigorous protest against
ccpting his delicate cOmpanonship laughter for
am persuaded, notwithstanding his peculiar deli
cacy in approaching subject. and his tendency TO
fraternal feeling. that no engagement, however
pressing il might be upon those who would be
going through the very rapid evoutions supposed
to be incident TO that torrid Cline could prevent
the gentleman from arresting the column and
mounting upon red-hot stump and insisting that
should listen TO him declaiming that stale piece
of political lore. That would be punishment
greater than could bear. Laughter and applause
would be in favor of inaugurating another rebel
lion renewed laughter even with the certain fore
knowledge that the gentlemen in ten minutes
would be found fighting first for the devil and then
for laughter.
= thought also how many valuable lives
could have been saved if in the beginning of the
war the gentleman from Iowa had approached the
Confederate lines with his peculiar dclicacy, and
decorated himself with one of his sweetest smiles;
for every Confederate soldier would have inconti
nently fled daughter And when they might
have recovered their senses if they could suf
ficienty consider what il they had seen, the
mystery would have remained unsoved, like
another mystery recorded in an old song:
Some said il the red moon,
And some said nay;
Some said il the devil,
And they all ran away.
lGreat laughter and applause.
Mr.. Henderson, of Iowa.
never met them but they did run away before /
got through with them. Applause the Repub-
cratic side
| Mr.. Breckenridge (Ky.) spoke in favor of
| just and reasonable PENSIONS but against such
| an increase as would make the burden too
| great upon the people who pay them He