Year: 1876

herer Cries from Democratic slde,
lsine, Blaine, Blaine


Mr.. Garfield said he wished some fra
ternal feeling could follow the forty
MANNED Union soldies who had recently
lost their places about the House.


A discussion ensued on that point
which developed the statement on one
side that whereas, out l53 subordinate
positions in the..last House, only Is were
filed by Union soldiers; there were out
of S. subordinate positions in the pI esent
House 20 filled by Union soldiers; and .
statement on the other side that in the
House postoffice nine Union soldiers had
been dismissed and their places filled by
nine Confederate soldiers


Mr.. Garfield passing from that point
proceeded to discuss the question of ex-
change Of prisoners to the realities Of
history and 10 detail the causes for the
interruption of the exchange. He show
ed that the central point Of the difficulty
was in the determination Of the Conted-
crate government and people 10 exclude
from the common rules Of war the OFF,
GERS and men of the negro regiments, while
on the other hand the Government OF
the Union had committed itself 70 the
doctrine that the negro was n man, and
not chattel, and that being q man he
had right 10 help fight for the Union,
and that being q soldier the Government
was bound TO see TO it that he was treated
like soldier. He also quoted passage
from a communication from Major Ould,
the Confederate agent Of exchange,
to General Winder, to the effect that the
arrangements for exchange worked large
ly IN their favor, rs they got rid OF the most
miserable wretches, and received back
some Of the best msterisl he ever seen.
Commenting on that letter, had referred
to il as an exhibition, not between par
Mobile frdtrtan but between par disbolum.
The object Of the outrage Of prisoners at
Andersonville had therefore been TO make
the Union soldiers so that when exchsng-
ed, they would valueless. 1t seemed in.
controvertible that the record Adduced on
that subject was true and that Jefferson
Davis having been conscious of that ter
rible work at Andcrsonville, the Ameri-
can people still held him unit TO be ad
mitted among tho legislators Of tho ma
ton. In the course Of some further re-
marks Mr.. Garfield, having reference to
the army and navy officers who had
gone into tho rebellion, said
that they had added to their
other crimes that Of perjury In The eye
of the law. The word was caught at and


Resented by Mr. Tucker,


who said that It reflected on some OF the
noblest men with whom the gentleman
from Ohio might DO proud to be clsssed
as peer.


Mr.. Garfield explained that he merely
said these men were in the eye Of the law
guilty Of perjury, he himself had not
made the law or the dictionary. He
concluded his speech with q perorstion
in which he thanked God for the peace
and for the fact that in the awful fame
of war slavery had been burned to death.


Along Discussion then Ensasd
on a technical point in parliamentary
law, whether Mr.. Blaine, being the IN.
troducer of the matter, had the right Of
reply. The Speaker ruled that he had
not, and Mr.. Banks endorsed the ruling
and declared that no ssunder ruling had
ever been given in the House.


The Speaker acknowledged the com
pliment and added that he was sustained
in all points by the venerable general
clerk, Mr.. Barclay, who had twenty
sigh: years experience in parliamentary
law Finally compromise was agreed
on, by which Mr.. Blaine Is TO speak for
one hour tomorrow and then TO call the
previous question.


The House adjourned at 4:30.