New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-09-28
THE LEGISLATURES
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6ucn lear. And now, sir, wish TO repiy 10
the distinguished Senator from the Second
District.
When he said that General Grant, the leader
of the Republican party, was magnanimous
and did not wish to lay the weight OF single
feather upon the suffering people of the
South, he said what was true. But when /
say that the great party which stands at the
back Of General Grant and makes him what
he is-that great party North who have &C
complished this magnificent work--would
not lay feathers weight more upon the
people OF the Southern States than would
General Grant, say what is true also. IL
is not to add to their sufferings, it is not to
heap indignity upon them that we refuse TO
expunge this article. Notwithstanding the
great honor, integrity and virtue OF the
masses who rallied to the banner OF the Con-
federate cause, Notwithstanding the personal
honor and integrity Of those who held and
adhered to it, notwithstanding this, the
great fact remains that it was a
crime in the sight Of heaven, and that as
such we can not as lawmakers pass it
over. Fer the good of the future, for
the good and for the safety of the great ma.
ton which is to stand upon this soil and to
come after us-that it may never be said
again we can inaugurate rebellion, and if
it is won we are all right, and if it is lost we
are all right. That such an inducement
may never be held out again-let these
DISTINGUISHING clauses stand upon our statute
books for the present.
The men who have advocated these prlnCi-
pies tower too high among American states.
men to have their motives thus impugned.
The gentleman says we fear these gentle
men because they are intelligent. | say to
him here, that we do not continue their
Acknowledgement, because they are too in
telligent-We do not wish to rule out the
intelligence of this country; bat because
they were the most intelligent offenders, the
most illustrous and the most able leaders
of the rebellion. There are as intelligent
men and their number is legion in the South
who never adhered to the cause of the re-
bellian, and their numbers are growing
greater every day as those who were in the
ranks of the rebellion. There are as great
and patriotic men springing up from their
own children as they ever were or can be.
The Senator from Orleans, speaks of the
people to whom he belongs and the people
from whom sprung as being of the same
ancestry and the same race. believe it is
true. glory in the fact that we sprung
from the same noble and God-erowned
race which discovered and gave laws to this
country.
The Senator asks me, would you have us
come with bated breath, and ask pardon
upon our knees for our error | say no.
There were revolutions in old England many
times, and during many succeeding centu
ries there were -snfferings upon this side
and the other with prescription, punishment
and loss OF property, title and liberty; but
1 ask you, what did these noble old English
men do when they were punished for re
bellion and crime, and their rank and titles
stripped from them? What did they do /?
Did they come and ask to be replaced in
power No, sir; they went to their homes
and suffered in silence. This right of
suffrage is the great american patent of no
bilitY, and we as citizens are by virtue of it
sovereigns and peers of the noble and
crowned heads of other lands. You have
not only offended rs citizens but as rulers.
You are restored to your rights as citizens
and subjects, but not as rulers. hold now
that this question is narrowed down simply
to question of time. No ore dreams oil
denying that the permanent disfranchise-
ment of a class or race is a wrong founda
ton upon which to base a government.
But this is merely a question whether it is
proper n011 at this time, that this disability
Should be removed from few individuals
who, say emphatically, have discrowned
themselves by their own crime.
The gentleman refers to me as the champ
ion OF the people whom | Representatives.
ring to the colored people. Sir, the day
has come when the colored people need no
Charnpion-no Moses be he black or white.
The time for Moses for them has gone by.
The last "Moses" has fallen from his high
estate, and gone to eternal infamy l am
the champion of no race. l am simply
the. representative of the white and the
colored people Of my district. The gentle
I man says the colored people are In favor
of resembling this clause. He may think
so, but it is my opinion that nlne-tenths of
the cOlored people of this State are opposed
to its being rescinded n0tr. l have in my
hand the evening paper OF last evening, con
tanning an account of Republican meeting
at st. Martinsville being mobbed and broken
up by two or three hundred armed Demo
Gratis.
MIR. Ogden: Will the gentleman allow me.
have paper in my hand from the State OF
Georgia.
Mr.. Campbell: was just about to read
that. In the State of Georgia, in which our
people have been lead by the very same ad-
vice which has fallen SO mellifiuously from
the lips of Senators here, where the men n
power failed to establish certain guarantees
for the political rights of the freedmen in
that State, it was very natural, in view OF
the promises and assurances they had re-
ceived, that they should give expression to
that indignation which such injustice must
inevitably produce. Yet sir, ! have no
doubt that more full and reliable informa-
ton than We now have in regard TO this
aiIray Will show 90 every candid mind that
these freedmen were not the parties most to
blame in this unfortunate affray. The col
ored people of that State have recently re-
ceived great provocation.s Sir, these men
who have Just returned from the war, who
have just laid aside the arms which they
raised against the life of the nation, who
were paroled with such magnanimity By
General Grant, have 10 that State, at one
fell swoop, swept from the General Assem-
bly, some ten or fifteen men who were en-
titled TO their seats there, and thus have
they received great provocation.
Now, sir, / will reply to one more Of the
Senator's arguments, which shows that 1t is
not yet time TO do what we are now asked
TO do.
The Senator. alluded in one of his happy
phrases the Constitution Of this State as
being bastard springing from the inner
most cauldrons ofhell.a Now, sir, that Con.
estitution only differs from the old Coustitu-
ton of this State in two things. 1t recog-
uizes the civil and political equality of all
men In this State, and admits them to
ing from the innermost eauldrons of hell, It
is because it does that If he speaks the
sentiment of his party, that the Constitution
Il a bastard springing from the innermest
cauldrons of hell, because it guarantees
these equal political rights TO the people OF
this Stale, ask if it is time to pass this reso-
hutton and give these men who entertain
this epinion Of the Constitution the powerto
put tieir sentiments IL practical operation
bIr. Pinchback: Mr.. President, under.
stand that ia my absence, the gentleman
who has just taken his seat made some al
fusion 70 myself as having said that was
not afraid TO enffanchise the leaders of the
rebellion and ihst Il Was not me, but the
marty that had A4!!s sss.sa4 lon Il. deaA with
30 iduote the gerfla nan eorrectly9
Mr. Campbell: Aat at ail. quoted youi
as saying that you Hefa not afraid
merely said that that WAS net the question
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