Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-12-26

lhe GAZETTE on1ce 1s c0nn6cye0 WisA 6ne
Telephone Exchange. Advertisements, or
ders for the paper, news or any information
or business can be sent by telephone.
Entered at the Postofice Ae1andriA. Virgin.
Is, as second-class matter.
THE Ex-CoNFEDERATE BILL.
In the debate in the q. S. Senate last
Tuesday on Mr.. Hills bill to report
the statute prohibiting ex-Confederates
from holding commissions in the o. s..
army and navy, Mr.. Allen, of Nebras
ka, populist, spoke as follows:
Ifa measure of this kind had been
presented ten or fifteen years ago it
would have been the proper thing to
have enscted it into . Law. This coun-
try has lived upon prejudice ever since
the close of the war. There has never
been Presidential campaign since that
time in this country in which the
"bloody shirt" or the questions arising
out of the war have not been resurrect-
ed and fought over and analyzed and
reduced to their last results.
The trouble is that there has been too
much of this kind of talk North and
South. Appeals have been made TO
prejudice for party sake. l know it
has been SO in the North. | have heard
it since the days of the close of the re-
bellion. In ever Presidential campaign
the issues growing out of the war have
been presented TO the people,
and the ignorant, and the Vi
cious and the suspicious have
been appealed 10 to follow the fortunes
of the republican flag. am told that
the same thing is true or has been true
to some extent in the Souib: that the
fires of sectional prejudice have been
famed into flame from time to time
there too. Is it not surprising that
thirty yearo have elapsed before g
scene OF this kind should be witnessed
in the United States Senate? Here
are men who are bound together, mem
bers of a common race, speaking
common language, with common in
heritsnce, and is it not strange that a
third of century should elapse after
great event like the war for the Union
pass without objection
What would our country have been
if after the days Of reconstruction we
had had the statemanship and the man
hood and the common sense to bury
the issues growing out of the war and
had all united in giving our strength to
building UP the waste places and to
making this the grandest country upon
the face of the earth, as believe it is?
Why should we have waited until now,
just at q time when the country is
in condition, as it would appear,
where we are likely to engage in
foreign war. before we are
willing TO relieve these men from this
restriction? II seems TO me that it is
cowardly. Ii seems to me that We have
waited until apparently We are in need
of the services OF these gentlemen, and
then at the last moment we say to them,
ent of release from the restrictions
which have been placed upon you" 1
suppose ii war had not been threatened,
if Mr. Cleveland had not twisted the
English lions tail so vigorously within
the last week or so, We would never
have heard OF 8 measure for releasing
these soldiers from this restriction
In TACT, it has passed through my
mind, and if l am wrong ] desire the
senior Senator from New York to cor
rect NE, that possibly this measure
came upon the heels OF the Venezuelan
message 70 forge the lightning
in Washington in order that it might
thunder throughout the South. Why
did not this measure come beforeP II
Senators upon the other side are so
anxious for the measure to pass, if they
believe it TO be just, and certainly be-
lieve il to be just, why WIS it not intro
dueed in this chamber and passed
through Congress at time when there
was no threat OF a foreign war? No,
measures like this have been held
back for the purpose of dividing the
people Of this country, lining them up
on one side as republicans, appealing
to their passions to follow the flag
which came successfully through the
rebellion, and upon the other side ap-
pesling TO the passions of the more ig-
norant portion Of the South.
It would have been an acS of justice,
Mr. President. TO have passed such q
bill years ago. While 1 do not ap-
prove OF placing back IN the public ser
vice man who has once violated his
oath Of allegiance TO this country, If
there had been that craftsmanship st
the head OF the affairs OF this country
that there should have been, if there
had been that disposition in public life
that there should have bean TO heal up
the scars Of the war, such measure
would hsve passed here years sgo.
Those men would have been released
from their disabilities and the country
would have been united in sentiment
from North TO South and prepared for
this or aay other emergency. But
now, ct the last moment. at time
when II may seem that the country Is
liable 70 De plunged into 3 foreign war,
then comes this taTdy measure so those
men, They are invited q 50 and 40
years of age 10 take their places ID the
army If the emergencies ofthe times re-
quire II