Year: 1876

@AHst NhANA AA%A&N . o. ASENAs


Mr.. Garfield commenced his remarks BY
expressing his regret on tho course which
the debate, especially yesterday, had tn.
ken. ANY one who read the report Of the
speeches OF Cox and Hill would not sup.
pose that the House was discussing the
question Of relieving men from political
disabilities. He would rather have
said that it was an arraignment Of the
administration Of the country. II he had
been called upon to pick out the words
which constituted the topic OF debate he
should have picked Quit opening para.
graph OF Hills speech, in which he
prayed that il the history Of the past
fifteen years is an evidence OF the grace
and magnanimity OF the Republican
party the country might be spared any
future exercise OF those virtues. He de-
sired to bring the House back to the real
issues beforeit. Indoing so he said there
were two pending propositions-thc one
made by Randall and the other by Blaine.
He said the speech made by Blaine had
been answered in the first place by the
speech OF Cox, which was full OF brilliant
sallies, but it was joking at a=funeral
to joke on such IN occasion; and in the
second place by the speech Of Hill, which
arraigued not the Republican party alone,
but arraigned 25,O00,OO0 of people, ar;
raigned the history Of the republic, ar.
raigned everything that was glorious. in
its record and high and worthy in its
achievements. He was deeply and pain.
fully sorry that such an arraignment
should have been made on such subject.
He should try to be responsive to the
points made by the gentleman from
Georgia (HilD. He did not desire to hold
Jefferson Davis responsible for the rebel.
lion. He did not believe in the doctrine
Of vicarious atonement in human affairs.
Jefferson Davis was no more guilty than
any other man who went into the rebel
lion with equallight and intelligence. The
question was whether he who was the
head Of the rebellion practiced in the late
contest tho rules OF war, or whether he so
violated those rulss that he did not de.
serve permission 10 come back into his
place in Congress. That was tho whole
question, and 1t was as plain and fair
question for deliberation as had been
ever stated in the House. He wished that
it had been discussed without passion and
without passionate thoughts.


THE ASDERsoSvGLLE CHARGES.


Coming down to Hills denial Of the
authenticity OF the charges in regard to
Andersonville, he remarked that the
charges whether justor unjust were made
by the government Of the United States,
aud in that connection he quoted com.
munication from the Secretary Of War in
May, 1864, calling attention to the condi.
ton OF a large number OF Federal
prisoners who had Just returned, and
stating that the enormity Of crimes com.
mitted against those prisoners was such
and so we'll known to the civilized world
that Il ought to be put on record in some
permanent form. It was then that u
ioint committee Of the two houses was ap.
pointed, which committee had been char.
acteriled by tho gentleman from New
York (Cox) as humbug committee, and
BY the gentleman from Georgia (Hill( as
a partisan committee. There were four
Democratic members Of that joint com.
mittee, and they coincided in the report,
which was unanimous. That report de-
clared that Il was clear from the evidence