Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-06-10
oogaRBssI0xAI.


ton of privilege, stated that remark
made by him in q colloquy with Mr..
Wheeler (Ala.), when that gentleman was
delivering the speech attacking Edwin nj.
Stanton, had been "by some mysterious
mistake" misplaced in the record.
Mr.. Wheeler stated that the misplace
ment was entirely accidental and he had
no objection to the correction being
made
On motion of Mr.. Reed (Me.) Senate
bill was passed for the relief of Chester
A. Arthur and William Il. Robertson, late
collectors Of customs for the district of
the city of New York.
Mr.. Kelley (Pa. called up as priv
LEGGED question the motion submitted by |
him yesterday to expunge from the record
the speech of Mr.. Wheeler (Ala.) upon
Edwin M. Stanton. lie based his ques-
ton of privilege on conscious, deliber-
ate, persistent abuse Of an order of the |
House by the representative from the |
Eighth district of Alabama. In lieu |
of the motion made yesterday he |
submitted resolution reciting that |
MIR. Wheeler had been guilty of nm abuse
of the order of the House inasmuch as his
speech had not been made upon any pen
sion bill and declaring that asthe delivery
of the speech was without the sanction of
the House and in contravention of the
special order said speech be expunged
| from the record, and prohibiting thepub-
lie printer from publishing 1t in pamphlet
/ or other form.
Mr.. Reagan (Tex. raised point of
order against the resolution. The speech
had been made by unanimous consent of
| the House and therefore could not be an
Il
| The speaker replied that it was not in
the province of the chair to decide
whether il was abusive or not. II was
alleged to be an abuse by the gentleman
from Pennsylvania and the question was
to be decided by the House.
MIR. Kelley then proceeded to speak
and his remarks were listened to with
great attention by the House. He was
unwilling, he said, that future readers Of
the record of the proceedings of this
Congress should by any possibility be
able to suspect him of having sat by,
through what must have involved three
hours, listening to the ISLANDERS which
had been refuted for 25 years and
many of which were now absolutely
. putrescent, on one Of the most unselfish
patriots the country ever produced, and
one OF the most beloved friends he had
ever known in his long life. He was I'M
willing that he should be suspected of
listening to paper which feebly regretted
, that in a moment of heat its author had
|, denounced Abraham Lincoln and Edwin
/, M. Stanton as conspirators and Stanton
as an arch-conspirator or against the
, \ character of particular American citizens
I and as combining TO thwart the success
of the union army. He was unwilling
, that posterity should be told through the
Congressional record that the Republi
I can party had sat quietly in the hours Of
= midnight to hem these ISLANDERS on Lin
: coin and Stanton poured out hour by houl
= and that no man either Republican or Dem
u ocrat who had pcrilled his life undei
: the administration of the war powe
. by Lincoln and Stanton for the supper
= of the union should have failed TO 50.
% ''these ISLANDERS are now offensive to tn
olfactories of all honest, loyal union mel
having festered in heaps, breathing
noxious odors or being consigned score
of years ago to the cesspools of gossip.
." The country owed something TO III
., illustrious dead, and he did not believ
v that such scandalous matter us was en-
81 bodied in % columns of this paper woul
n be sent to posterity with the sanction q
e the American Congress which if il Wind
" Gated its own order must declare tina
" there was no warrant for uttering I'll
y speech, and none for declaring throug
p, the congressional record that it had bee
III made with the unanimous consent of IL
., House.
I'd THE LETTER WHICH CAUSED THE DISCUSSION
a. Following is synopsis of the letter
II. l LII 20 uats, .
~ the discussion
L. The letter is dated May 18th, 1856
o. Stanton, referring to rumors about h
eI relations with Mcclellan, says he is con
no PEELED from public considerations TO wit
g. hold proofs that would show base motiv
st- of the accusers who belong TO two class
Up -plunderers who have been driven fro
~ the department where they were forgiI
~ millions, and scheming politicians, Sta
- ton then makes coniidentially stateme
~ which is in brief as follows:
rs "When he entered the cabinet he VI
~ the sincere and devoted friend of McClt
nc Ian. He (Stanton) entered the cabin
", about January Goth and on the 9th Il
hu President ordered the Army of the +
Vi tomac to move. At that time the go
eminent was on the verge of bankrupt'
IS and at the rate of expenditures the arm
y" must move or the government peris
w February 22d was the day fixed for u
ps. movement and when that day arriv
nv ne there was no more sign of n movement
"; the Potomac than there had been I
hu three months before. On March Sth I
~ President again interfered, ordered t
az Army of the Potomac to be organized in
-, army corps and that operations shou
'"e commence"
9y' Stanton then details two plans for pl
: tecting the capitol-one favored by Pre-
N@ dent Lincoln TO move direct on the eneI
'he at Manassas and the other, Mcclellan
nh, own plan, to transfer troops by water
nv the lower Chesapeake and thence move
~ Richmond. The President yielded
'roi own views and McClellan's plan "
mia adopted. Every facility was placed
his disposal, but when part of the fol
had been transferred 10 Fortress Nom
it was seen that adequate force had 1
been left to defend the capitol and IL
the enemy might capture il before McCl
the Ian could render assistance. High militia
iar authorities reported that the Capitol "
cry not safe. The President then direct
are that one army corps be retained at Wa
anu ington, and Mcdowell remained. Do
uVe to this period there had never beer
| BlhuOW OF ulHerence DeLWben McOlell
ah- and the secretary. But when the Pre-
ies. dents orders had thus been disregard
J., tne and the Capitol left exposed, the secrets
lt'S' was bound TO act even if he had not be
ien required TO do so as by written order
Una, the President. When this order was co
oau municated to Mcclellan il provoked
'lBe wrath, and the wrath Of his friends v
I .ne directed on Stanton. But the entreat
W of Mcclellan induced the President
pest modify his orders to the extent d
l. FTanklin's division (part of McDowe
non corps that had been retained) was,sent
my ward to Mcclellan. This was agai
ahg Stanton's Judgment. He believed tina
s g force had been sent according to MoC
Ior lan's design, Washington would now I'll
~, ~, of writing this letter. be in the hands
hll1 the rebels. With the exception of the
eral tention of Mcdowell in Washingt
mug Mcclellan never made request or
M pressed wish that was not promp
e.A, complied with if in the power of the g
'he eminent, and Mcclellan in his dispatG
pe repeatedly expressed TO Stanton persona
mig his confidence and thanks.
se1' Stanton's letter then goes on to disc
' nv his possible political motives. Nv
iiin- motives" he asks, "can have to thv
70 Mcclellan 2 ! am not now, never h
lueu been, aud never will be n candidate
lhny any office" This letter cannot be m
we're public, he says, for obvious reaso
llore NMcClellan is at the head of our cl
rnse army. He must have every co
~, dence and support, and l am