The National tribune., 1886-06-17

and again when he spoke Of the
"JACKALs, HYENAs AND GHouLs
who utter their vile ISLANDERS upon the dead"
When Mr.. Kelley produced a letter, never
before made public, written by Mr. Stanton in
1862, he did not follow the usual custom in Con-
gress by sending it to the desk to be read in q
perfunctory way by the clerk. Notwithstand-
ing its length Mr.. Kelley read it himself slowly
and with great effect, bringing out its impor-
tant points in the most impressive manner. It
was like voice from the dead and was listened
to with the closest attention. At its close
storm of applause swept over the Republican
side of the House, in striking contrast to the
perfect stiffness that prevailed on the other side
of the main aisle.
MIR. Kelley based his question Of privilege on
conscious, deliberate, persistent abuse of an
order of the House by the Representative from
the Eighth District Of Alabama. In lieu Of the
motion made the day before, he submitted a
resolution reciting that Mr.. Wheeler had been
guilty of an abuse of the order Of the House,
inasmuch as his speech had not been made upon
any pension bill, and declaring that as the de-
livery of the speech was without the sanction
of the House and in contavention Of the spec
ial order, said speech be expunged from the Re-
cord, and prohibiting the public printer from
Publishing it in pamphlet or other form.
Mr.. Kelley 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 for three hours lis
teniug to the slanders which had been refuted
for D years, and many of which were
NOW ABSOLUTELY PUTREscEST,
on one of the most unselfsh patriots the coun-
try ever produced and one Of the most beloved
friends he had ever known in his long life. He
was unwilling that posterity should be told
through the Congressional Record that the Re-
publican party had sat quietly in the hours of
midnight to hear these ISLANDERS on Lincoln and
Stanton poured out hour by hour. The country
owed something TO the illustriOus dead, and he
did not believe that such scandalous matter as
was embodied in % columns Of this paper wOlld
be sent 10 postority with the sanction Of the
American Congress.
The speech had been made at night session,
when the House was acting under a special
order. Was this nOxiOus matter uttered IN day.
light and in the hearing Of the House? The
House was falsely said TO have given unani-
nous assent to those SANDERS. He asked the
gentleman TO listen, and he should hear voice
coming from the other side Of thesilent river
voice OF patriot wearing away his life day
by day and hour by hour in the service of his
country, for whose destruction the Member from
Alabama had been arrayed aud busy on the
| battlefield. The gentleman would learn that
as early as May, 1562, Edwin VI. Stanton knew
that he was assailed and knew that whether
his life should be longer or shorter he would be
/ seeking objects Of SANDER in the grave would
rehash the seandalous stories that must bring
! pain to his family and his friends. Stanton
| then made his protest against
THIS SECRET MIDNIGHT ASSAULT,
| which was to be published as having been made
/ in the halls of Congress, and by unanimous
/ consent. If the gentleman found himself any
where described in this letter. he must remem-
| Der that he Mr.. Kelley made no accusation.
/ lie only asked that the slandered dead be heard
/ in his own defense.
/ Did that letter-said Mr.. Kelly, after he had
| finished its reading-Written under such cir
t eumstanees, need corrobOratiOn against these
/ midnight slanderers? No; yet it should have
/ confirmation, and it should have il from one Of
/ the men to whom garbled quotations OF false
/ phrases were attributed in the course of this
/ yillainOus diatribe. He then read short ex-
/ tract from letter of Gen. Grant TO show the
/ high opinion in which that officer held Stan
+ tons character. lie asked the House to vindi-
cate its orders TO protect them against such
I conscious, deliberate, persistent invasion. It
must be a modification TO every honorable
man who knew Stanton that there should be
possibility Of pOserity believing that, as Mem
/ ber Of Congress, he sat quietly by aud listened
r 10 the Member from the Eighth District of Ala
/ bama make his speech on Edwin u. Stanton.
When Judge Kelley sat down there was
t another Outburst of applause, which continued
until the gavel Of the Speaker brought the
I Republicans to order. The leaders upon the
other side had watched the proceedings with
/ evident anxiety They seemed to fear the ef-
/ feet upon the country of Wheelers ill-eOn-
/ sidered speech and the powerful rebuke ad-
minstered by Mr. Kelley. Wheeler, in a state
| of great excitement, arose and tried to reply,
/ but MT. Morrison raised q point Of order.
1 Speaker Carlisle sustained it, and raped
( Wheeler dcwn, and motion to refer to the
Committee on Rules 3ir. KeIIey's resolution TO
! expuHge Wheeler's speech from the Record was
carried.
Mr. STATIONS LETTER.
The following is the full text of the letter
referred 70, written by GIr. Stanton TO Rev.
Hammond Dyer, of New York:
WAsHISGToS, ID. c., May IS. 1862.
/ My DEAR FRIEND: Yours OF the lOth Is welcomed
as evidence of the continued regard of one whose
| esteem / have always been anxious 10 possess.
have been very well aware Of the etIumnies busiIy
| circulated against me in New York and elsewhere
| respecting my relations TO Gen. Mcclellan but am
the proofs that would stamp the falsehood of the
accusations and the base motives of the aecusers,
who belong to two classes.
l. Plunderers who have been driven from the
/ Department when they were gOrging millions
! . Scheming politicians, whose designs are en-
dangered by earnest, TesOiute and uncompro-
missing prosecution of this war-a5 against
rebels and traitors.
A brief statement of facts on official records,
"
sufficient TO satisfy yourself that your confidence Ia
me has not been misplaced.
When / entered the Cabinet / was and had been
for months the sincere and devoted friend of Gen.
I Mcclellan, and to support him, and far as
might aud and assist him in bringing the war 20 a
close was a chief inducenent for me to sacrifice
| my personal happiness to sense of public duty.
had studied him earnestly, with an anxious desire
to discover the military and patriotic virtue that
might save the country and If ia any degree dsap-
| pointed, had hoped on, and waited for time to
/ develop.
Invent into the Cabinet about the Goth of January
on the 27th the President made his Order No. /,
requiring the Army OF the Potomac 10 move. IL is
not necessary, or perhaps proper, to state all the
CAUSES which led to that Order, but 1t Is enough 20
| know that the Government on the verge OF
| bankruptcy, and at the rate of expenditures, the
armies must move, or the Government perish The
| I'd OF February was the day fixed for movement,
| and when IL arrived there sign oi
movement on the Potomac than there had been for
three months before. Many, very many earnest
conversations had held with Gen. Mcclellan TO
impress him with the absolute necessity of active
operations, or that the Government would fail be-
cause of foreign Intervention and enormous debt
Between the 22d of February and the Sth of March
the President had again interfered, and a move
ment on Winchester and to clear the blockade on
the Potomac was promised. commenced and aban-
doned. The circumstances cannot yet be revealed.
| On the sth OF March the President again inter-
fcred, ordered the Army Of the Potomac TO be or
ganized into army corps, and that operations
should commence
Two lines OF operations were opened-one NOV
ing directly on the enemy at Manassas and forcing
him back on Richmond, beating and destroying
him by superior force, and all the time keeping the
Capital secure by lying between it and the enemy,
This was the plan favored by the President. The
other plan was to transfer the troops by water to
some point on the Lower Chesapeake, and thence
| advance IN RichmOud- This was Csarl