National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-05-12

general had proceeded to investigate, 10 |
report to the commissioner OF the general
land office, and upon these reports the
cases had been brought before Congress.
Now and then claims had been confirmed
for millions Of acres In excess OF the
proper amount Of land involved. Fraud
had been charged and countercharged.
The Maxwell land grant was sample.
These frauds had arisen from the attempt,
which had been farcical failure, to settle
private land claims by the executive branch
of the government, when the claims were
worth millions, and the cupidity Of ring
stcrs and schemers was involved.
Mr.. McAdoo, Of New Jersey, offered an
amendment, which was agreed to, provid
ing that no alien or person not a citizen Of
the United States shall acquire title TO any
land subject to the decision of the commits
sion unless his right to the same is clearly
provided for by one OF the treaties referred
to in the bill. Agreed to.
The committee then rose and the bill was
passed.
The House then went into committee of
the whole (Mr. Springer, Of Illinois, in the
chair on the army appropriation bill.
Mr.. Grosvenor, OF Ohio, moved TO strike
out the appropriation for the Judge advo.
cate generals department He said that
the department decided cases without any
knowledge Of law, and that the system fol-
lowed by the department was outrageous.
IL was ull bNNTtEGtuCb On WIG uTIly, uuuluR
TO 1t nothing Of grace, nothing OF justice,
nothing Of martial efficiency. II II fell to-
day, in one year nobody would remember 1t
except to point to II as monument OF the
greatest error that had ever existed In the
army.
Mr.. Wheeler, of Alabama, admitted that
abuses had existed In the department, and
as an instance Of this he stated that Gen.
Holt had been appointed for the purpose OF
striking down Mcclellan. AS Mcclellan
coul / not be struck down, Porter had been
selected for destruction But now that the
Democratic party was In power the abuses
which had grown up would be remedied.
Mr.. Hepburn replied to some remarks
previously made by MIR. Bragg, In which he
alluded to him (Mr. Hephurn) as "the boil
ing pot from Iowa. The difficulty with
the gentleman from Wisconsin, said Mr..
Hepburn, seemed to be congeuital, and he
ought not to be censured for his language.
When he ventured upon the domain OF the
blackguard (if he did) he ought to be for
given by oil Of those who felt sympathy
for Others who were not amenable to criti-
cism or harsh judgment because OF the
unfortunate manifestations OF Providence
| against them The gentleman from Ala
bama (Mr. Wheeler) had taken upon him
self the role of the slanderer when he made
the charge that he did against Abraham
| Lincoln, who had appointed Gen. Holt to
to Office for any purpose that was inimical
to justice and right dealing There had
been no purpose Of assau'ting Gen. Nc
Clellan or any other general. 1t ill-became
the gentleman from Alabama, 1t ill-became
any man situated as that gentleman had
been, to assume the role of the slanderer of
Abraham Lincoln. Applause on the Re-
publican side.
Mr.. Bragg said that the remarks of the
gentleman from Alabama were not slur
on Mr.. Lincoln, but as he (Mr. Bragg had
had occasion to say once before In this
House the gentlemen who were opposed to
having the drapery of the garments drawn
moral leprosy that existed, always lodged
behind Mr.. .Lincoln's great coat 1t was
Mr.. Stanton and not Mr.. Lincoln to whom
the gentleman from Alabama had referred.
AS to the personal illusions of the gentle
man from Iowa (Mr. Hepburn), 1t had taken
that gentleman so long to get into action
that, out of compassion for him, he (Mr.
Bragg would not stir him up again just
now.
Mr.. Wheeler regretted that the gentle
man from Iowa MIR. Hepburn) had seen fit
to make some illusions to him. In all mat
tiers OF legislation he never looked behind;
he only looked before. Every act Of his
was taken for the purpose OF adding, by his
feeble efforts, to the greatness, the gran
deur, the weight, and the power Of this, the
greatest country that ever had existed OF
could exist upon this earth. No word ever
uttered by him had been uttered against
Abraham Lincoln. 1t had become his duty
in this House to defend Abraham Lincoln
against the assaults made by Republicans in
their efforts to crush aud destroy the BRAY.
est man that mad ever led their armies to
victory. 1t had become his duty to defend
the great general, U, s. Grant, from gross
charges brought against him on this floor
charges impugning his motives, his integ.
rity, and his ability. He had made nc
charge against Abraham Lincoln. The
charges had been against the arch.conspira
tor, Mr.. Stanton--[hisses on the Republic
can side who had sought aud attempted
to break down officers Of the army who had
not sustained the line of policy he had
sought to inaugurate.
Mr.. Hepburn said that this "arch con-
spirator" had been at the head of the fed
eral army. He was the man who had di'
rected the maneuvers Of that army. He
was the man who had brought the confed
crate banner to the dust and who had
destroyed the "lost cause.n He WAS the
man who had whipped the southern states
back into allegiance to the government
and who had made 1t possible for the gen
tleman from Alabama to be here to be hi:
slanderer and malgner. "lle is dead now,
continued Mr.. Hepburn, land you try &c
blacken his memory, though you live to.
day because that man was willing, among
others, that you might live and not have
the halter that you had won around youi
neck.n Applause on the Republican side,
Mr.. IIiscock, of New York, said that he
bad before heard charges and aspersionI
against Edwin NJ. Stanton. Stanton wat
! the able Secretary Of War under whose
J leadership and advice-even If he com
mitted errors-the Union army had marched
, to victory, and now these small men whC
: were here by his (Stanton's) grace, awaited
, themselves Of the opportunity TO Sian lie
, his memory. Ohio had given many abb,
men to the Union, but none Drawer, nom
truer, than the Secretary OF War who haC
come from that state. lie (Alr. Hiscock
, was not willing to stand here and hear tn
memory Of one Of the ablest, one OF tn
, purest, one of the most patriotic men tina
had been given to the service of the country
, slandered by men who had been in oppo
]. sition to him during the war. Applaus
! on the Republican side.
The motion to strike out was lost-S2 b
, 02. Pending further action the hour Of
, o'clock arrived, the committee rose, ant
the House adjourned.
| UNNuAT thing so pood9't IL the uunry of n noe