Morning journal and courier., 1888-03-21

raent. The wise legislation of the
| world was generally that which had public
| opinion behind it. There had been no public
discussion of this subject. There had been
| no wide debate about it either north or south.
| The Senator from New Hampshire had stated
| that he originated the bill and he Daniel
ventured to believe that its origin was entire
| ly confined to the 1ucubrations of the Sena-
| tors own mind While he had great respect
for that Senator he could not feel that in this
| instance he Blair had acted wisely or in
consonance with the public spirit of the
country. All that the Confederate soldier
| asked from the United States was that he
should stand equal before its laws and have q
fair opportunity to work out his own saliva
ton. He would venture to say there was not
| town or hamlet from the Potomac to the
Rio Grande where a Confederate soldier
was to be seen in rags or tatters or begging
his bread. There was not palace or hut
where the Confederate soldier was not al
ways;a welcome and honored guest. =. There
was ne danger of any honorable and true
man, however humble he might be.o how
ever small his fortune, dying on the roadside
because no good samaritan would come by
to lend him helping hand. AL that the ex-
Confederate asked was, not special privileges,
but to be respected in their rights of Ameri-
can citizenship which they had assumed
knowingly and which they intended to abide
by God helping them) in such manner that
no man could justly lift against them the
finger of scorn or apply to them an insulting
epithet.
Mr.. Haw1ey expressed himself as personally
grateful to the Senator from Virginia fer his
manly and statesmanlike speech. There had
been nothing SO disagreeable in connection
with the bill as its introduction by the Sena-
tor from New Hampshire, and if the bill had
been referred to committee without notice
he should not have cared about the question
being raised, preferring to wait for the
report of the committee. But the point had
been made and there was proposition which
could not be as well understood and acted on
now as if there were a long report from
committee upon it. He thought the bill was,
fundamentally, a mistake. He not only dis
claimed any feeling of hatred toward those
who had been Confederates, but would not
do anything to bar their progress to dis
qualify or to dishonor them. The generous
and manly Confederate soldier knew as well
as any of them that the issue had been
Joined before the greatest tribunal of the
world on question involving the very toun-
dations of republican government, that it had
been fought out as great armies of brave men
alone could fight, that somebody won, and
the result had proved it was causeless, I'M
constitutional and wicked war. That had
been recorded by the surrender at Appomat
tox, but should he, therefore, act ungener-
ously toward any person on the other side?
God forbid! Should they try to bar his prog
ress? Not at all. Should he object to meet
ing him in the Senate chamber as his peers
By no means Did he object to the fellow>
citizenship of a Confederate soldier, low
ing him because of his gallantrys No.
Did any man think less Of the State
of South Carolina for sending to the Senate
two of her gallant Confederate generalss
Not at all. On the contrary he should be
ashamed of South Carolina if she did not re-
member such men in the days of her restora-
ton. At the same time he would not by his
vote or without a vigorous protest
permit to be placed on the statute book any
thing which would in any degree reward a
man for fighting on the Confederate side dur
ing the war. He was obliged to the Senator
from Virginia. He hoaored him for rsmem-
bering with gratitude and love the men who
fought on his side and he thanked him for
not asking senators from the North to do
that which in his (h1r. Hawley'sl judgment if
they did they would be making fools of
themselves.
The Senate went into executive session
and at $50 adjourned.