Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1907-07-04

amendment prevented the proyiso from
being retroactive. The language which
Mr. Williams used NAV be ~ecn unpn
page l'2i of the Congressional Record
Noine ~, part .. -Four days later. the
matter having come back from confer.
ence, he made the motion to concur In
the senate amendment. lie made these
remarksi The legislation In itself. n
u were not retroactive, is, in my opin.
ton, good legislation. entertained that
opinion before, and | entertain IL vet
do not believe il well To make Icci.Ia.
,ion retroactive. This Hull amendment
passed ny the house would not only
s'fikc at this particular general. but
several othcrs--notably distinguished
major general in the State of Ohio
who have been appointed to places IN
connection with the National Guard.
ihe states have been axious to Have
these men Of high military training
and regardless Of whether we like them
or do not like them personally, they are
men OF high military training. detailed
so that they could infusc the proper
esprit dc corps into the National ,:uarl
and bringing II up to the proper eff.
cheney. Then Mr.. Williams offered an
amendment to the senate amendment
80 as To make the law, If the amendment
naa been accepted, read "a follows. to.
WIZ ihat retired officers of the army
aooNe the grade of major shall. when
hereafter assigned to active duty. re.
eeive their full retired pay, and commu.
mtion OF quarters. unless government
quarters are available. and shall receive
no further pay or allowances, Thi,
made the law apply not only TO retired
Officers who were detailed To milit;,
service In the States, but to those WIN
were engaged in recruiting and trsin;n,
cadets at military schools Finally. on
January Jlst, 1905, after men ON b,ith
sues mad persisted In discussing the
matter, as II It mainly concerned Gen.
Miles, MIR. Williams made the following
remarks; II know the unmcntioned
tce'ing which was behind many votes in
fa'or OF the Hull amendment. frankly.
snare the feeling which Southern men
generally entertain regarding General
Miles conduct when he put sbaekle.
upon the ankles Of jefferson Davis. and
J do not believe that il will sounJ in
history to his credit that he did |, or
that II will sound In history 10 IN.
discredit Of Mr.. Davis that he was com.
PEELED to submit to il. old and helpless
and sick and a prisoner as he was at
the time. Now, IL thi. legislation had
been pointed at ANYBODY else than Cep
Miles-any other Democrat appointe,l
ny Democratic governor under those
circum-tanccs-and believed by me
rightfully or wrongfully To have that
partisan Republican motive behinJ II
would have taken exactly the sam,
course that | have taken. except that
would have taken il more anxiousl,.
and much more warmly" lie ron,in.
ued; Il stand in relationship Ia .Je,Ier.
son Davis in a way that some a, my
critics do not. First, he was a Ni.-is.
sippian. am one. Second my GRAND.
father was the senior captain of bis
regiment in the Mexican war. and hi.
favorite captain, and, in the third pl,ce
he was my friend personally. a. far as
an old man can be the friend of A chilli
or boy. ! say 10 men who are aetuate5
by that sort of motive. if Won want IA
punish Miles or ANYBODY else for wba,
was done in those dav<-it k long ayo
now-if history il not enough condem.
nation, all right, but this i NOT the
time, and this j. not the place. and this
is not the way to get even IL is nat
Southern magnanimity. We do not
punish in little WAYS like that,
Some days after the occurrence on
January ED. Gen. Miles wrote Mr..
Williams a letter. assuming that he hal
been actuated by some feeling of per.
sonal magnanimitv of friendliness Ia.
ward him. Mr.. Williams wrote hack
to him. and said that he was under no
personal obligations to him; that what
he had done had not been done in his
behalf, but in behalf of prineiple
that he would have done the same thing
If he had not been concerned in IL more
cheerfuliy and more willingly.
Mr.. Williams had but two minutes
to say it. for the speakers gayel came
down, but he added: Il am through
with the time, Mr.. Speaker and nj.
detractors will find in the procee.'' -.
of Congress of January 3ist. 1905. ON
page 1921 of the Congressional Record,
5sth Congress, third session. that the
reporter inserted the words. loud an.
plause ON the Democratic side.
The yeas and nays were called upon
Mr.. Williams motion to concur in the
senate amendment as amended by him.
Among those who voted yea with him
from Mississippi were Messrs. Bowers.
Hill, McI.ain and Spight. Messrs. Cand.
Ter and Humphreys of Mississippi voted
in the negative. and Mr.. Byrd OF Missis.
sippi was recorded as mot voting" and
the bill again went to conference upon
the motion of Mr.. Hull of Iowa. the
chairman of the committee on military
affairs.
Upon the final report of the confer.
ence committee the house receded from
its disagreement to the senate amend.
ment, and agreed To the same with an
amendment, so that il read as follows:
THAT retired officers of the army above
the grade of major heretofore or here.
after assigned to active duty. shall here.
after receive their full retired nav. and
shall receive no further pay or allow.
ances from the United States" So that
officers on the retired list were left
with their full retired pay, but without
Communication of quarters.
But suppose that Mr.. Williams, in
his idea of what correct legislation ought
to have been ON this subject. has been