Year: 1879

ants that grander set of villains


had never drawn a dollar out of the


Treasury. His own little State had


been represented in Congress by


men who were now gore, God only


knew where, they bad never been


South Carolinans, and yet


they had voted for the


claims of men who had


not a just title to a doll He


honestly believed the Treasury was


safer in the hands Of men who de-


Tended the Confederacy than in the


hands of those who held it to-day.


The people of South Carolina, no


matter what their rebellious pre-


clivities had been heretofore, were
toeday as strong and as united in
defense of the Government as
the people OF any State in New
England or the Northwest He,
himself, and those Of his colleagues
who truly represented that State
were here to protect the Treasury,
and the best way to protect it, so
far as these claims were concerned,
was to drive every one of them
from the halls of Congress. ZAP
plause on the Democratic side.)


Mr.. Kciter, of Ohio, criticised
Buffers speech, and, citing the part
of it in regard to pensioning Con-
federale soldiers, asked whether he
understood him correctly.


Mr.. Butler-"I repeat, that when
ever the question of the depletion Of
the Treasury by these claims arises,
[ think that the pity and humanity
of the North will take care of the
MANNED of the war, and, if you wish
to know it, [ see no more reason
why a Confederate soldier, manned
and crippled in the honest discharge
o. what he believed to be his duty,
should not be pensioned than why
Confederate General who honestly
believed he was doing his duty
should be put into a Repubss ssican
Cabinet. General applause and
clapping of hands on the Democratic
side.


The debate continued at great
length. Mr.. Blackburn passing on
to the question Of the alleged dis
loyalty Of the Southern claimants,
asked who had shed lustre on Am
erican arms before the war broke
out, who had not been a graduate
of West Point, and had not there
learned from Rowles Commentaries
on the Constitution everything
that he ever knew of limitations
of the Constitution. That "horn
book Of the Nation,' was certainly
the most advanced advocate Of the
right of secession. He entered his
protest against the injustice done to
the South in imputing to it all the
for these war claims.
The South did not ask for the pen
sioning of her crippled soldiers.
She had staked her all on her con-
victions and had lost. She had not
complained and would never in the
future complain. She bore her losses
and simply protested that it was
neither generous, nor kind, nor man
ly, nor merciful TO drag her into this
question, and to make her the fo OF
ball Of the passions Of men who
seemed to have at heart the serving
of partisan purposes, rather than the
advancement of the common good.
Applause on the Democratic side.


Mr., Reagan, of Texas, expressed
the hope that some means should be
adopted either to wholly exclude all
such claims or to refer them all to a
tribunal where they could be passed
upon on their merits. He regretted
that his friends on the Democratic
side should have allowed themselves
to be placed in the attitude of favor
ng claims for which they had no
sympathy.


Without action on the bill, the
rose, and the House took
recess till 9 o'clock, the evening
session to be for debate only.