The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-05

of the treasury, and 1t was an IRE
proachable puplic building bill that escap-
ed his objection. he opposed the indis-
eliminate granting Of pensions by act OF
Congress, and thereby hangs tale
Bob Taylor was a member Of the Com
mittee on Invalid Pensions, and had re-
ported favorably a bill to pension a man
in East Tennessee. Bragg and General
A. J, Warner of Ohio, both Federal SOL
diers, scrutinized bills of that committee
very closely, and General ]. Warren KEEL
fer, subsequently Speaker OF the House,
was not altogether as strong pension
man az is the Hon. Gibson of Tennessee,
or the Hon. Gallinger of New Hampshire
nowadays. Taylor made a speech In sup
port Of his bill and, needless to say, 1t was
an eloquent speech. very eioquent
speech, including a patriotic and pathetic
reference to Kings Mountain.
Bragg answered him something IKE
this:
"Mr. Chairman / am very sorry that
my duty as a Representative Of the peo-
nile impels me to vote against this bill
to pension a poor soldier who was snot
to death with chronic diarrhoea In lSol'
and never found 1t out till ISL
Imagine that said In cold. biting, exas-
perating tone by man with race as
solemn as a clock, and you will not won
der that the House laughed. and that
even Bob Taylor was in q rage.
General John Pope was one or EDWIN M
Stantons experiments. He was a Drag
CART and an incompetent. 1t was no
wonder that such a man was utterly
overthrown in a campaign against Rob-
ert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Pope
and Ponies SPONSORS sought a scapegoat
and selected Fitz-John Porter. There was
A court-martial and Porter was disgraced'
Politics had something to DO with II.
Porter was the friend Of Mcclellan, and
that had more to do with 1t.
Long years Porter sought justice and
in vain Finally, General Grant. VINO
was much prejudiced against him. was
induced to make a thorough examination
of the case. He changed his opinion ana
declared an irreparable injustice naa
been done a gallant man and dlstih-
guished soldier. A bill for Porters bene-
A. was before Congress There was a
case made for Bragg. He was on the
ground when Pope hazarded the army
by his incompetency and Porter saved
It by his skill. His brigade had lett on
that CORY field TO men. And thus ne
spoke from personal knowledge.
When Bragg came to speak he was IN
hapny form. His seat was In the outer
row on the Democratic side. and he took
his stand in the center Of the aisle. When
he became wrought up he marched down
to the inner row of seat that fringe the
crescent space in front of the clerk
desk, and. standing there. he hurled phil
ippic after philippe against Pope NC
Dowell, Stanton, Holt, Halleck, and oth-
ers. The thing for the enemies of Porter
to do was to take the castigation in sif-
ence, but that they would not do. espe-
eially Steele Of Indiana, and Cutcheon OF
Michigan, who piled him with interroga-
lions and got savage retorts. The friends
of Porter greeted every climax with ap-
plause that continued the while the lit
tie man returned to the outer row OF
seats, whence he would again march
down to the circle, while a stream OF
splendid sentences poured from him in a
voice not loud, but perfectly audible in
every recess of the hall and galleries
When he had badgered and baited and
punished the Republican side for nearly
an hour, Steele called time on him, but
the Speaker announced that he had six
minutes remaining. Thank God, 1t is no
more" exclaimed one candid member
on the Republican side.
The following session Bragg made his
famous speech in support of Cleveland s
veto of the dependent pension bill. The
Republicans had made the mistake OF
parceIing out their time instead of put
ting David B. Henderson or c. A Rou-
telle or Bayne of Pittsburg forward. and
thus their case was greatly weakened
Bragg had full hour, and he was a ter
ror. He dubbed it the ''pauper pension
BILL" and spoke of thousands Of its pro-
posed beneficiaries as "coffee-coolers. !"
Brumm of Pennsylvania he spoke of as
Its no USE Mr.. Speaker; no STAFF COM
missary can excite my indignation"
But the country knows General Bragg
best for his bout with Tammany in the
Chicago Convention of 1884. which nomi-
mated Grover Cleveland for President of
the United States. Daniel Manning had
saddled on Tammany the unit rule. ana
had brought into requisition the eloquence
of John r. Fellows to neutralize the elo-
auence of Bourke Cochran. There were
many candidates-Cleveland. Bayard,
Thurman, Randall, Mcdonald and Car
lisle-but Cleveland was the favorite. Old
Ben Butler was a delegate and a candi-
date for the nomination. but the Con-
ventior preferred the straddle of the tar
III to his pronounced plank of free raw
materials, protected finished products. and
high taxed Injuries. He also proposed
to admit Confederates to the full advan-
tages and privileges of the pension roll
His speech in support of his plank was
a gem. 1t will repay perusal to this day.
But the Convention resolved to straddle
and Butler resolved to bolt. Tammany
proclaimed from the housetops that Mr..
Cleveland could not carry New York. but
that Bayard could. They were remind
ed that at St. Louis In 1876 they had de-
clared TiIden could not carry New York.
while at Cincinnati In 1880 they pledged
New York to Hancock. Thomas F. Grady
made a fierce onslaught on Cleveland,
and was followed by Bourke Cochran,
who said that in addition to the fact that
Cleveland could not carry New York was
the further fact that Cleveland did not
have Intellectual capacity sufficient for
the office Cochran made another anti
Cleveland speech in the convention of
1882.
Bragg was put forward TO answer Tam
many, and he made the fur fly.
1--WE love him, gentlemen. and respect
him not only for himself. for his charac-
ter. his integrity, his judgment and iron
viii, but we love him for the enemies he
has made"
Grady had said that the laboring men
would resent the nomination OF Cleveland.
To that Bragg retorte1:
Labor Ia not represented in political
conventions by the soft hand of the po-
liticaI trickster; the men who follow con-
ventions and talk about the rights Of