New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-20

| VI SOV6Tuneut I'd sue ZOE tAdt WAlSA cAAAo
| Congress alone can secure to them. ana
| here let me say further, that the people OF
| the North owe to the colored race deep
! obligation which it is no easy matter 10
| fulfill. When the Federal armies were
| threatened by death and disaster. and SOM
bre clouds overhung the length and breadth
of the republic, and the very air was preg-
| nant with rumors of foreign interference,
| in these dark days of defeat, whose mem.
| cries even yet haunt us as an ugly dream,
| from what source did our nation, in its
| seeming death throes, gain additional and
| new found power? II was the sable sons OF
| the South that valiantly rushed to the res
cue; and but for their intrepidity and ardent
| daring, many Northern ireside would miss
| to day psternal counsel or brothers love.
Sir, repeat the fact that the colored race
! saved to the noble women of New Eng land
| and the Middle States the men on whom
| they lean to-day for security ard safety.
| nany OF my race, representatives OF these
men on fields of battle, sleep in The count
less graves of the South.
| If those quiet resting places of our hon.
! ored dead could speak to-day, what a mighty
voice, like to the rushing OF mighty wind,
| would come up from those sepulchral
homes. Could we resist the eloquent plead
| ings of their appeal? All, sir, 1 think this
| question of immediate and ample protection
! for The loyal people of Georgia would lose its
| legal tschnicalities, and we would cease to
| hesitate in our provisions for their Instant
| relief. Again, regret this delay on other
grounds. The taunt is frequently flung at US
| that a Nemesis more terrible than the Greek
personation of the anger of the gods awaits
i her hour of direful retributlon. We are told
| that at no distant day great uprising OF the
| american people Will demand that these re-
construction actsSof Congress be undone
and blotted forever from the annals of legls-
Inf, 7 ny1ir hi d..
| lay in atfording protection TO the loyaists of
| the State of Georgia does not lend al uncom'
| Portable significance to this boastiDg sheer
| with which we SO often meet. The delay Is
| perilous at best, for it is as true In legisia-
.tioD as in physic, that the longer we pro-
| crastinate TO apply the proper remedies, the
more critical becomes the malady that we
seek to heal. The land wants such as dare
| with yigOr execute the laws. Her festered
members must be lanced and tended proper.
| ". He that is merciful with the bad is cruel
| to the good.
Revels then reviewed the history of affairs
| in Georgia, stating that at the election III
November, 1867, for members to the State
| Convention, thirty thousand white, and
eighty thousand colored votes were polled,
| and a number of colored delegates elected.
| A constitution was framed and ratified, and
| a Legislature elected under it was convened.
After all this. supposing they had passed be
yond Congressional control, the rebel
element in the Legislature asserted itself.
and many of those whose disabilities had
been removed by the State Convention,
which comprised number of colored mem
bers Joined in the declaration made by that
Legislature, that man having more than
an eighth African blood in his veins was
Ineligible to Office. These very men to
whom the Republican party extended all the
rights and privileges OF citizenship OF which
they had deprived themselves, denied
political equality to large MAJ ority OF their
fellow citiZens. .Twenty.eIght members
were expelled. go.
On the twenty second of December, 1857,
an act of Congress was passed requiring the
reassembling of the persons declared elected
by the military commander, the restoration
OF the expelled members, and the rejection
of others who were disqualified. All con-
iitions had now been complied with, and
having ratified the fourteenth and fifteenth
constitutional amendments, Georgia pre-.
scented herself for recognition. The Bing-
ham amendment proposed to legalize the
organization of 1865 and would legallze the
action Of that Legislature in appointing
Judge who decided III favor of class distlnc-
ton in the State. AS a means OF future pro-
lection for loyal Georgians he desired these
terms should commence from the date Of the
present legislation. He asked this in the
name of 100, 900 white and colored Georgians
and reminded the Senate that he who per.
mitted the opposition shared the crime.
Upon conclusion of bis remarks, Revels
received the cOngratulation of many Re
publican Senators and others, and then the
immense audience in the galleries. which
included many persons Of color, slowly dis
parsed.
Mr.. Reyels on his speech, expressed his
opinion that. in the exchange by which that
gentleman occupied the place of jefferson
Davis, the Senate had lost nothing in intel.
ligence, while it had gained much in patriot.
ism ard loyalty. He proceeded to argue
that the government of &c rgia was pro-
visiona, and would 80 continue until actu.
ally represented il Congress.
The inference from the opposite theory was
that State that had been denied represent
tation was treated badly by Congress. He
claimed that in reconstruction legislation
the Congress simply exercised the power
of guaranteeing q republican form of gov
eminent, but had never assumed to give
particular construction to the constitution
of q State, as did Bingham's amendment,
including the length of terms of present
State officers. He also argued that the sub
stantial reason for the report of the Ju-
dietary Committee in 1869 against the sd.
mission of Hill as Senator from Georgia,
was that the organization of the Legis-
lature was void from tho beginning.
Mr.. Thurman, of Ohio, inquired whether,
in that event, the action Of the Legislature
in ratifying the fourteenth amendment
would hold good. Mr.. Morton replied that
ne concurred in the opinion set forth in a
former report of the Judiciary Committee
that that act was not valid. because defects
in organization went to violation of the fun
damental law that created that body. He
went on to review the whole question and
controvert positions assumed by Mr.. Thur
man, particularly with reference to the
validity of the composition of the Georgia
Legislature. He quoted from the laws of
the State to show that the provision
was expressly made for the admission
Of the minority candidates for
the Legislature when q person re-
ceiving the highest number of votes was no.
toriously ineligible. This election Of candi.
dates were voted for simply because they
were rebels and men excluded from votes
1nder the fourteenth amendment, In re-
gard to tenure of Office, he showed that it
WAS not in contemplation of the laws that
these terms should begin when State took
her place in the Union; that Bullock did not
become Governor till then, and the whole
State government be now regarded as merely
provisional. The proposed Bingham amend.
ment WAS to-day source OF eXultation to
the extreme or Southern wing of the Demo-
cratic party, and he opposed it as violation
of justice ana Of human rights.