Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-07-26
Extract from the speech
OF Hon. w. E Robinson, of New York,
in the House of Representatives, July
I2. 1867,

Reconsideration Extract from the speech
OF Hon. w. z. Robinson, of New York,
in the House of Representative, July
Ia, 1867.
The House having under consideration
the bill supplementary to an act to provide
for the more efficient government OF the
rebel States
Mr.. Robinson said
Mr.. SPEAKER have desired to say u
word or two during these debates on the
subject OF reconstruction, and now rise, not
to make any set speech, but merely to sub
NIT a few observations which deem peril
nent to the occasion.
What, sir, has brought us together at this
time IN extraordinary session of Congress ?
Has anything been done by the South to
provoke 1t Has any Southern man or
Southern woman or Southern child done or
said anything calling for harsher laws than
those We have already imposed upon them?
No ; 1t is merely because the proper officer
Of our Government has given proper
opinion on what some call very important
act of Congress, that the representatives of
the people and the representatives of the
States have been called away from their
pleasant homes to this hot and dusty city
| In this heated term. You have not even
| the poor pretext Of anything done by our
Southern brethren for this additional legis-
lation, for they have submitted with unpre-
cedented willingness to eve:y enormity of
| Legislation put upon them.
| Sir, a short time ago, during the present
| Congress, the gentleman from Pennsylva-
MIA, Mr.. Stevens. the gentleman from
Ohio, Mr.. Bingham, the gentleman from
Massachusetts, NJ. Butler, and gentle
men from every State in the Union then
represented hero voted the sympathy of the
American people with the people of Ire
| land, suffering under the cruel wrongs and
oppressive laws which England had infict.
ed upon her That island is not much
larger than tho first three districts of New
York, and has population not exceeding
five or six millions. Every Representative
on this floor voted his sympathy with Ire
| land i'll her sutferings from British oppres-
sion. But here are ten States, with popu.
lation more than twice the number of that
of Ireland, and ten OF twenty times its ex-
tent; our own territory, our own people,
under our own flag, enduring oppression
such as no British Government ever at,
tempted to force upon Ireland. Why, sir,
have we not heard that a military governor,
under law which we have now met pro
fessedly to make more stringent and more
despotic, has removed municipal and State
officers without trial and without any given
reason Have we not heard of military
governor, under a law now to be made more
severe, who stopped a civic procession till
they procured and consented to carry a Ger
| tain flag, to salute that flag, upcovering
three PAGES before reaching it, bowling theil
necks as they passed it, and remaining un,
covered three PAGES beyond It ? What
would have been the consequences if some
poor fellow, blinded with dust and bediz
Zened with It's splendOr, had made q mis-
step or q miscalculation of steps, and I'm
covered only two and half PAGES before
approaching, and bowed when half pace
beyond, cannot tell. But this do know
that during the seven centuries of British
misrule in ireland, no military commander
ever dared to remove from Office without
accusation and trial, even an alderman ot
Cork Or Dublin, or any other Irish city
and though the Irish people had cursed the
British flag in oratory and song, nc mill
tary governor or tyrant ever dared to ask
them to carry that flag IN any of their pro
cessiOnS or to uncover Or bow their heads
while passing it. Oh, sir, it is q sorry
spectacle to see tho Representatives of /
Republican people voting sympathy will
the sufferers under the misgovernment anC
oppression of our neighbors while planning
and perpetrating for our own fellow citizens
acts of tyranny and misgovernment such a
no monarch, emperor, or tyrant ever yet in
ficted upon IL subjected people, howeve
rebellious they may have been. If British
rule in Ireland were as tyrannical as ours j
in these ten suffering States, every man
woman, and child in Ireland would be {
Fenian. It is with the deepest sorrow
make this assertion. I do it to avert, /
possible, the spirit of oppressive legislation
which if practiced in any other countr,
would call forth our sympathy for the suf
ferers and our condemnation of the op
prsSSOr.