The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-12-31
Nor A DISSENTING voloE.
The Senate Passes the Bill Removin
Confederate Disabilities.

Ih0 Senate Passes the Bill RemOvin
Confederate Disabilities.
The United States Senate engage
In work of reconciliation on Christ
mas Eve by passing the bill removin
disabilities of Confederate soldiers
The proceedings were as follows:
Mr.. Hill lDem. of New York aske,
the Senate to take up and pass th
bill introduced by him last week t,
repeal the statute which prohibits ex
i Confederate officers who had ,previousl,
been commissioned officers in tn,
United States army or navy from hold
in~ positions in the army or navy.
fr, Sherman (Rep. of Ohio declared
himself as heartily In favor of the bill
but thought that 1t should take the
ordinary course and be referred to the
committee on military affairs.
Mr.. Hill argued that the bill was {
simple one, and needed no considcra
tion by committee. He thought il
| would be u good thing, just before
Christmas, to make this present to the
old Confederate officers who had for.
merly held commissions in the United
| States army.
Mr.. Chandler (Rep.) OF New Hamp
shire favored the bill and declared
that it ought to be passed and passed
to-day, 1t was simple in its character
AS the Senate had, the other day,
unanimously, without distinction OF
party, come to the support of q Demo
cratic President when he announced
national principles In relation TO vene-
zuela, so he hoped, that to-day with
out delay, without criticism, without
amendment, freely and generously,
this bill might be passed by the af-
frmative votes of every Senator.
Mr.. Gray (Dem.) of Delaware, while
favoring the bill, agreed with Mr..
Sherman that it should be referred to
committee in the regular way.
Mr.. Hawley (Rep.) of Connecticut,
while favOring the bill, justified the
act which is now proposed to repeal.
1t was proper legislation at the time it
was passed, but that time had now
passed away.
Mr. Daniel (Dem.) of Virginia favor
ed the bill and presented resolutions 8
OF the Virginia Legislature favoring
its passage aud the Presidents mes
sage. He said that when the Cenfe-
derate soldiers laid down their arms,
they laid them down and were done
fighting. The disagreeabls memories
of the war were obliterated, and ever
since the men of the South and of the
North we're one people with a common
country. 1t should not be forgotten,
he said, as to the young men who had
been educated at West Point and An
napolis, that the expenses of those in
stitutions had been contributed to pro-
portionably by their own States.
Mr.. Sherman submitted the motion
to refer the bill to the committee on
military affairs.
Mr. Voorhees, (Dem.) OF Indiana was
Inclined to favor the motion to refer.
He attached no great Importance to
the bill now except as an expression of
nationality, brotherhood and total re-
conciliation. He called attention to
the fact, however, that Confederate
officers OF the highest rank who had
resigned their commissions in the
Union army, Longstreet, Joe Johnston,
Maury and others, had been confirmed
by the Senate for many important
positions.
planned that his objection to the bill
last week was merely to q technical
point, not as to its merits, for he favor
ed it. But yet, he said, newspapers in
the South had taken occasion to laud
Mr.. Hill, to condemn him (Mr. Platt)
as wanting in every attribute OF pat
riotism and to apply all sorts of epith-
cts to him, being careful TO send him a
marked copy of each paper (laughter).
He had examined the bill and was
satisfied that 1t was now in proper
form, and that iG would effectuate the
purpose which its author had in view
and he was so full of forgiveness this
morning day before Christmas
that he was willing, to join the Senator
from New York in presenting this
Christmas gift to those officers who
had fought in the Confederate army
and who he was sure would rejoice to
fight in the army OF the whole of the
country II the opportunity presented
itself, of which he believee there was
no prospect at present.
Mr.. Allen (Rsp.) of Nebraska ex-
pressed his belief that the bill would
not have been heard of if war had not
been threatened, and If reoident
Cleveland had not been "twisting the
British lions tail" He hoped, how
ever, that the motion to refer would be
withdrawn and that the bill would be
passed at once.
Mr.. Hill said he had not supposed
that the bill would have occasioned
such long debate. Every Senator
had heard the bill read every Senator
understood; yet for diversified reasons,
no Senator wishe d it to pass immedi-
ately. 1t would, have to be referred to
q committee which knew all about it,
but which would have to take some
time to consider it. Why, he asked,
g0 through those useless forms? He
had labored under the idea that II last
week the Senate could afford to take
up and pass the Venezuelan commis-
sion bill, involving consequences of
peace or war, without action by COM
mittee, 1t would not scruple to pass
this little bill aud to give to those old
C0nfederates that Christmas present.
He thought that the spectacle was one
OF straining at @ gnat and swallowing
camel. He remembered that the
Senator from Ohio, Mr.. Sherman, had
moved to refer that bill TO the COM
mittee on foreign relations; but he
had not pressed that motion nor voted
for 1t himself. AS to Mr.. Platt's re-
ference to newspaper articles lauding
him Mr.. Hill) he said that he would
like TO have seen some of those COM
plimentary notices, as he saw few such
in print nowadays, Uaughter.)
After further discussion, q vote was
! taken on Mr.. Sherman's motion to
refer the bill, and the result was
| Yeas 8, nays 30-less than quorum
| A subseqent roll call showed the
presence f47 Senators-over quorum
] and Then Mr.. Sherman Withdrew the
motion to refer and the bill was read
o third time and passed.
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