The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-25
WIPING OUT RANC0RS OF WAR.
THE HOUSE PASSES A BILL RE
MOVING DISABILITIES.

Against 1.-THE Bill TO Reduce the
Number of Crimes Subject TO Capt.
tai Punishment Passed.
Washington. March 2i-By a practically
unanimous vote. the House to-day struck
! from the statute books the last piece of
/ national legislation discriminating against
/ those who wore the gray in the late war.
| There was but one dissenting vote, and
/ that came from the ever-belligerent Bou-
/ tele of Maine. who made a sorry spec
/ tacle of himself by talking against the
/ proposition, and then standing alone In
the negative. 1t was the resolution which
passed the Senate just about the time
when the Venezuelan controversy was
pending in congress. 1t provides for the
/ repeal of the act which provides that no
| person who held a commission in the
United States army and afterward enter
| ed the service of the confederate states
| should be appointed an officer in the army
| or navy. The resolution was reported
back from the military committee with a
unanimous report.
| II appears that Mr.. Boutelle like some
other members of the present congress-
was anxious to fight somebody or some
/ thing. Attempts have been made during
the present session to wage war with
England, over the Venezuelan case; con-
fiict with Turkey over the Armenian out
RACES was also proposed. and now. when
war with Spain seems to be out of the
question. Mr.. Boutelle pounced upon the
| innocent looking resolution as a pretext
for fighting the war of secession over
| again; He fancied the resolution con-
| talned some reflection upon veterans OF
| the union army, ana he at once lashed
himself into "A tury of indignation ana
waved the bloody shirt as only a Bou-
| telle can wave such a garment thirty
| years after Grant and Lee adjusted the
nahon's differences at Appomattox.
II did not take him long to discover
| that not even the Barrets, the Johnsons
! OF Indiana, and other habitual bloody
| shirt wavers were not in sympathy with
MIN, and that fact made him all the
more angry
Somebody back of the seats sent him
note ana a copy of the new constitution
! OF south Carolina, stating that in that in
| strument a provision appears which eX-
empts eX-confederate soldiers from pay
! ing poll tax. That was enough to give
| Mr.. Boutelle a new lead, so he branched
on into an attack upon South Carolina,
and the fact that she pays a pension to
confederate veterans and exempts them
| from poll tax.
AT that tuncture Representative STAN
! yarn Wilson Of South Carolina, who was
a memer Of the constitutional convention.
| Interrupted the "Fire-eating" Boutelle
| 70 say that the people of the south bellev-
ed the war to be over and he did not care
10 HBnN lndl DlOOuy war over again with
the gentleman from Maine. He ex-
planned that the people of South Carolina
felt that they had right to pension the
men who fought for that state during the
war and it also had a right to exempt the
same class of men from the paying of a
poll tax. In doing so they were simply
providing for their own people, and at the
same time they were contributing without
a murmur TO the general pension fund
for the ex-union soldiers, Mr.. Wilson as
tonished his associates in the House by
his magnificent voice, his GOODNESS in deal
ing with the oVerheated Boutelle, and he
was proceeding to render the latter more
ridiculous in the estimation of those pres
ent, when Mr.. Boutelle resorted to the
ancient plea of the fellow who is getting
the short end of a discussion by declin-
ing to Yield to the young South Carolinian
further
Mr.. Wilson won the admiration Of the
House and also aroused the sympathy
and support of Gen. Grosvenor OF Ohio,
who is the Mckinley champion in the
House. Gen. Grosvenor is usually with
the partisan band of republicans in the
House, when there Is an opportunity to
fight the war over again (behind the walls
Of the capitol, but to-day ne assumed the
down as one OF the best efforts Of his con-
gressional life.
By the Southern Associated Press.
Washington, March A-Quite unexpect-
edly to-day the House was plunged to-
ward the close of the session into de-
bate in the course of which the war was
fought over again and the issue of which
was the repeal of the last remaining re-
striction against those who served In
the confederate army.
Mr.. Hull, rep, of Iowa, had presented
from the committee on military affairs for
the consideration of the House the Sem
ate bill which repealed section 1918, Re-
Vised Statutes, regulating the appoint
ment of officers In the army or navy,
providing that no person who held a
commission in the United States army
| at1A aff rn In 4 fho cr.xyf1 -
the confederate states, or any state there
of, should be appointed an officer in the
army or navy Of the United States.
Mr.. Boutelle vigorously opposed the pas
sage of the bill. He said that II could serve
no practical purpose; was reflection upon
the sentiment which. had enacted the
said, which made it possible for the gov
| ernment to live; that it was too late now
the man who took the commission of his
country: and he said the House should
not now declare that II was light thing
for a man, after having taken an oath
10 support and defend his country. after
ward TO draw his sword against 1t. In
the course of his remarks, Mr.. Boutelle
said that some conceSsions should be
made from the other side, and he called
/ attention that the constitution of South
Carolina, adopted only last year, levied
as he said, tax UPON residents who had
served in the union army, by discrimi-
nation in the matter of payment of the
tax in favor of the confederate veterans.
venor rep, Of Ohio, Mr.. Pickler, rep,
of South Dakota, Mr. Grow, rep, of Penn
sylvania, Mr.. Walker, rep, Of Virginia.
who succeeded Stonewall jackson in the
command of the latter's famous brigade
and Mr.. Cummings, dem, of New York.
The bill was passed after two hours
debate, Mr. Boutelle alone voting In the
| negative
The unfinished business when the House
met was the bill introduced by Mr. Curtis
rep, Of New York, TO reduce the num-
| ber of crimes subject to capital punish
| ment and it was passed
The House agreed to the Senate request
for a further conference on the Cuban
resolutions.
Mr. Boutelle, chairman OF the commit
tee on naval affairs, reported the naval
appropriation bill for the years 1861 and
| 1t was ordered printed
| 1t carries an appropriation of $31, ,779 138
OF which $12,6i1034 is for the increase OF
! the navy. The items coming under the
| latter head are as follows: Increase of
the navy: That for the purpose Of fur
ther increasing the naval establishment OF
the United States the President is here
| by authorized to have constructed by con-
| tract four sea-going coast line battle
ships designed 10 carry the heaviest arm
4