Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-01-28
BoUTELLE AND WISE.

Boptelle, OF Maine,i in regard to the efface-
ment, in the South, of memorial inscrip
tions to Union soldiers. The New York
Sam gives the following account of the
debate between Boutellc and Wise:
Mr.. Boutelle (Rep., Me.,) opened the ball.
His resolution, he said, related to allegations
that an officer of the United States Govern
ment, at one of the navy yards of the Gov
ernment, had ordered the obliteration of
honorable inscriptions on cannon captured
by the Union army, and had caused to be re-
moved from the dry dock a memorial tablet
setting forth that it had been destroyed by
the rebels in 1862 and reconstructed in 1868.
He did not understand that the facts had
been contradicted. Mr.. Boutelle then re-
ferred to the removal of the Superintendent
of Machinery at the navy yard because of
his demurring to the DETACHMENT of the dry
dock and the appointment of a man whose
title to the position rested on a service in
the Confederate army. He had found evil
dence that since the 4th of March, 1886,
there had been repeated and systematic re-
movals of wounded and disabled veterans
of the Republic to make place for the men
who had sought to destroy it. He deemed
that a fitting matter to call to the attention
of the House and country.
"If the time had come or should come,"
he continued, 'to obliterate the great memo
rials of the rebellion, the monuments of the
IL.
Let not the work be begun by taking down
inscriptions commemorative of the victories
of the armies of the United States The
soldiers who came to Washington might
wander in vain through the great art repos-
itory of this city looking for the counterfeit
presentment of one of the heroes who sus-
tanned the flag of the Union. Ho would find
that the only men who were memorialized
and remembered in the Corcoran Art Gallery
were Robeat Il. Lee and Stonewall jackson.
-. AI,x n.
broad patriotism required the obliteration
of the records of the grandest triumph ever
made for humanity since first the morning
stars sang together. Applause on the Re-
publican side.] The people of the country
ought to say as old General Dix said in re-
attempts to pull down memorial of the
great triumph of the loyal people of this
country, shoot him on the spot" Pro-
longed applause on the Republican side.
Mr.. Wise Dem., Va.) was glad that he
had an opportunity, to state that the dry
dock at Portsmouth had never been de-
stroyed. He would inform the gentleman
from Maine that no cannon with such in
scriptions had ever been in the Portsmouth
Navy Yard. [Applause on the Democratic
side. The gentleman from Maine wanted to
know if n Union soldier had been discharged
md q Confederate put in his place. He
would inform tho gentleman from Maine
that the man who was discharged had never
been in the Union army; had never been
within n thousand miles of n line of battle
had never heard the music of a minnie
bullet. Applause and laughter on the DEM
ocratic side.
Mr.. Brady (Rep., ya.) rose and asked per-
mission to PROFOUND question.
"No, sir; no, sir;" exclaimed Mr.. Wise.
II will give my attention to you in one
minute. The Confederate, or the one whom
you (Mr. Boutelle) alleged was appointed on
account of his service in the Confederate
army, was appointed after competitive ex-
animation and the man to whom you refer
was removed for beastly intoxication."
[Applause and laughter on the Democratic
side. One other fact / commend to your
consideration. During the Arthur Admins
tration the postmaster at Portsmouth, a
moted for gallantry, was removed at the die
tation of William Malone. Applause on
the Democratic side. All! Mr.. Speaker, it
is good thing to raise fuss over this is it.
Your fellow citizens of Maine Undressing
Mr.. Boutellel are anxious to know if Con-
Navy Yard by this Administration? Have
you forgotten that during the Grant Admin
istration, and during the Administrations of
Hayes and Arthur, you sent the Captain of
the Confederate guerrillas (John S. Mosby)
to represent the Government of the United
States in n foreign country? Applause on
the Democratic side.l Have you forg often
that Longstreet, Confederate Lieutenant
General was selected by your Republican
Administration for the most important office
in Georgia? Why is it, Twill ask the gentle
man from Maine, that we have not heard
howl from that ice-bound region about these
appointments?" Laughter on the Demo-
cratic side.
"Does the gentleman desire a reply?" in
quired Mr.. Boutelle.
"No, sir" exclaimed Mr.. Wise. $50 read
the speech of the Senator of the United
States who, with all kindness, is, in the esti-
nation of the whole country, a better man
than you are. Go read the speech of Char
les Summer of Massachusetts,
"If Charles Summer knew that his
magnanimous suggestion would be quoted
by you for such purpose he would turn in
his grave" exclaimed Mr.. Boutelle amid
much confusion.
$50, read the speech of Charles Summer
of Massachusetts," continued Mr. Wise.
"If mistake not, he was the first in the
country who declared, some fifteen years
ago, that the time had come for peace, and
that the bitter memories of the war should
be removed. And mark the contrast be-
tween the leader of the Federal army and
the gentleman from Maine. The last words
spoken by that great leader on his dying bed
at McGregor were that he thanked God that
he closed his eyes on the world believing that
peace had returned to a distracted country.
Applause on the Democratic side.l And
yet, and yet the halls of legislation are to be
annoyed by the backbiting of such men as
the gentleman from Maine. Now, Mr..
Speaker, want to say one word more to
him while wevote pensions to your soldiers"
sour soldiers" eqclaimed Mr.. Boutelle.
YES" replied Mr.. Wise, ''our soldiers.
We are in the house of our fathers, and We
have come to stay. Applause ON the Dem
ocratic side. While we are ready and
willing to vote pensions to honorably dis
charged soldiers who served their country in
time of war, we will never consent that it
shall held and proclaimed on high that one
who happened to have been in the Confed-
crate army is forever disbarred from the
service of his country. protest that these
honorable soldiers of the Union army shall
never again be subjected to the treatment
they were subjected to under the last Ad-
ministration, when men who had fought
brayely for the Union, under the circular
bearing the name of William Mahone as
chairman and James ID. Brady, the present
member of this House, as secretary"
"Ihere was no such circular" interrupted
Mr.. Brady. 81 challenge him to produce
the circular"
"When," continued Mr.. Wise, not needing
the interruption, "they were required, under
the whip of a master, to give money for par
tisan purposes, required like slaves to hold
their ballots up that their bosses' minions
might see whether they voted right. Oh !!
what an attitude in which to place a dis
charged soldier of the Union-under the
whip and the lash of a Confederate Briga-
der" Loud and continued applause on
the Democratic side and in the galleries.l