Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-07

fhaheS uis complaint upOn tuat senator
autobiography. believe it is generally
assumed that the gentleman writes that
bit OF interesting history for himself
( In looking over the short but con-
spicuously brilliant autobiography Of
the Senator from Kansas I find that he
was not IN the army in 1851.
He certainly was not in the army in
1862, because he said he was in the
State Senate of Kansas in that year. But
he was in the army from 1868 to 1865.
And IN what capacity One who had sat
and listened TO the Senator might sup.
pose that he was controlling the great
army operating in the West, if not in the
East also. | saw the bronzed and
weather.b beaten commander of the Ameri-
can army (alluding to General Sheridan,
who had occupied a seat on the floor
during Mr. Iugalls's specify sit here in
this chamber and blush in modesty at
the humble part which he found he had
played In tho war Of the rebellion
in comparison with that of the Senator
from Kansas. What was that Senator's
occupation in military capacity He
was a judge.advocate Of the Kansas
volunteers. [Laughter.1 While Gen
eral Black, Commissioner OF Pensions,
was bleeding on the Kansas frontier /;
while Mcclellan was commanding the
army at Petersburg while Hancock was
weltering in his blood on Cemetery
Heights at Gettysburg. the Senator from
Kansas. always behind the rear of the
army, was prosecuting Kansas jay
hswkers for riiling hen.roosts Loud
laughter and applause Now, what are
you to think OF the arguments OF a
senator who will leave his seat
as presiding officer and come to
the floor in illustration of partisan zeal,
which, ] am glad 10 say, | have never
seen equalled, attacking all decent PEG
pie, from the President Of the United
States down. civilians as well as military
men, and letting no object escape the
venom of his tongue. One would say
that he was acynic, despising mankind
perhaps because he had suspicion that
mankind is not ensmoured of HIM. But
neither President nor soldier, living
or dead, Confederate or Federal,
except he accords with him in
political convictions, is safe from
his unjust and unfounded attacks.
do not want to be put in the position
of an opponent or enemy of pensioning
honest Federal soldiers. / have never
opposed pensioning men who have
served in the Union army, and who were
incapactated from supporting them
selves either by disease or wounds, and
| do not know a Confederate who has
done so. The Senator tells MS in that
haste with which he rushed to con-
illusions that no Democratic CON
stituency in the South had ever
elected a Union soldier TO either house
OF Congress. | do not know that it is
material 10 answer that assertion But
there is not an atom of foundation In
fact for the statement. The State of
Texas sent to Congress term after term
distinguished Union soldier in the per-
son of Governor Hancock. The State
of Arkansas sent in recent years from
Democratic constituency a Union sol
der to represent her in the other house
of Congress. l would like to know if
the late Governor Walker was not a
Union soldier, an honored Representative
in the other branch of Congress from an
overwhelmingly Democratic district in
the Old Dominion ? Did not the Sena-
tor from Kansas remember that
within the last six years land for SIX
years., the State of Kentucky kept con
tinuously in the other house of Congress
a distinguished Federal general during
the war (aluding to Wolford) who was
shot out of his saddle more than half
dozen times, and who always came there
as a candidate OF the Democratic party,
elected in a Democratic district? !
do not care to follow the Senator
time forbids it, through all the
inaccuracies of his utterances. Party
man as 1 am, partisan as | confess myself
to be, / do sincerely trust that may
never find my term OF public service
prolonged to that day, nor my life eX-
tended to that hour, when, without war
rant. without facts to support it, without
truth at my back, will turn deliberately
to traduce and abuse the dead, who
while living were honored by all hon
orable men. Loud applause, which the
presiding officer again checked.
The discussion then ceased At the
conclusion Of Mr.. BlackbIrns speech
the discussion of Mr.. Wilson's amend
ment was resumed, but after half an
hour it was agreed by unanimous )on-
sent. at the suggestion of Mr.. Sherman,
that the pension bill should be taken up
tomorrow as unfinished business that
the debate upon it should be under the
fve-minute rule, and that a vote upon
the pending amendments and bill should
be taken before the close of tomorrow's
session.
Adjourned.
House of Representatives.
The Speaker pro tenn. announced the
appointment of Mr. Mason, of Illinois,
upon the Committee on Claims.
Mr.. Thomas, OF Illinois, introduced
bill prohibiting the use of likenesses, por-
traits, or representations OF females for
advertising purposes without their con-
sent in writing. Referred.
The House then resumed the cOnsid-
Grafton of the Alabama contested-election
case OF McDuffie against Davidson.
After brief arguments by Messrs. Ly-
man of Iowa and Johnston OF Indiana
in favor of the claims OF the contestant
Mr.. O'Ferrall, of Virginia, took the floor
in support of the majority report. He
ridiculed what he called the claims of
the Republican party that the negro vote
of the South was invariably cast for the
nominees of that party. That had been
true in years gone by when the negroes
of the South had been under the domi
nation of carpet baggers who had
convinced them that if the Demo
cratic party came into power they
would be relegated to slavery.
The negroes had learned that their
emancipation was not the action OF the
Republican party, but had been a war
measure. They had learned that there
had been as many Democrats as Repub-
Iicans in the Union army, and that brave
Democrats like Hancock and Thomas
and Rosecrans had been general officers
in that army. In 1884 man of destiny
had arisen, one who knew no section,
but took into his big national heart oil
sections, and extended the @gis Of his
protection over the North and South,
over the white and colored with
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