Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-09-01
THURMAN.
Speech Of the Great Democratic Senator,
Delivered at Columbus, Ohio.

the lateness of the hour at which b.
spoke were imperfect, q revised TepOr
has been FURNISHED the OHIO States
man.
He considered, first, the claims @
the administration to the support o
Ihe country on the ground of havin,
restored the rebelliOus States to thei
proper relations to the Government
s. far g the Republican party il
Congress have done their work, tn
elect has been TO retard the work o
obstruction, in support of which
ne referred to the act compelling tn,
fa-uatiOn Of a new Constitution. Oh
tle New Departure, he said: "NOW
my friends, il hss been common fOl
the Republican party Of this country
10 say that the Democrats have takeT
a New Departure, and that New De
partUre, they allege, consists in say
lag that We have been wrong and thS
Republicans nave E6sn right. / say
that theHe has never been any such
COnfessiOs SIS that. We are as much
opposed 10 what hss been done a:
when We gave our votes against it
Why, II 1 should see a man strike
another in an unlawful and brutal
manner in the street, throttle him and
knock him down, ard trespass upon
ais rights, and I should see his
wounds and bruises, and see him
bleeding, [ should be compelled 10
say that he was down and bleeding,
bus who would call that Confession
tbst the villain who outraged him had
Llne what was proper. Laughter. I
So when these men thrOttled the
institution and ruined the peace o
tie country; when they made the
South almost as ruinOUs as in the
midst Of the war, we demonstrated
aud opposed them; and now because
We cannot deny tnat they have dOne
IL: because we cannot deny that the
thing has been accomplished; because
we are compelled 10 admit the fact
that the II obstruction laws have
been executed, and that the amend
neats 20 the constitution are fastened
upon Us, we sre told. fOrsOOth, that
we admit that the Radicals were right
ana We were wrong. That's logic for
YOU. The Fourteenth amendment TO
the constitution was passed, and We
opposed il. Why did we oppose il
Because il provided that all people
the United States should be equal
fore the law? There is not one Den
Crat from the Ohio river to CanaC b,
not one in the United States, OppOs Z
ID Ii upon any such grOunC
That hss always been the law
iu Ohio; that hiss always bC-1
the law in the Northern Sat =.
The Democrats, he C1id opposed the
FJurU nth amendment-6rst, be-
cause Of IT, dislcanchising clause; be
cause it disiraHchisJ I the men Of in
iilsuCe, of intsilect, OF C1ucatiOn,
whose aid Wss most necessary .
restore peace 10 the South.
Sscoud. b tUse the language Wss
ambiguous, and wes such ss world
enable an ambitioU1 President and
Congress TO usu5p the pOWeIs that be
long - the indy ldusl Sfqtss, and 10
overthrow evely one Of the reserve
rights Of the people Of the States; anC
were We not right? for il j. undeC-
stood the ambiguous and loose lar
gIage OF that amendment and Of tn
infamous ku Kiux bill, ws3 pass
under q pTetsDse OF authority, &
rived from it that loose and ambiSu- O.
Gus language.
II TINS Interpretation were coI.I
the Pre- 5ident would have power IL
the State OF Ohio ID displsCe the Gov
ern0r, det5rone the Legislature, tul.'
out OF Office our Judges, and C5tablisu
martial iaE from one end Of the State
to the other whenever he thinks, or
prstsnds 10 think, that it IS nect -saTy
for him 10 take marshal DO sessiOn OF
Ohio ia Order-t0 protect the rights Of
iudlvidua's We were right, then. in
opposing that amendment thus
canned and thus phrased. The FIJI
t-'1th Amendment we opposed be
Cau-e, fist. it was a fraud upon the
people in the way the thing W6s pro.
E1s51 and carriee out in direct Vio-
IatiOn Of the solemn pledges Of
OF the OOminsnt party made in the
platform al Chicago; we opposed it
for stronger reasons than that. We
said it was perle city mOnstnOus that
yOJ should turn over at least one half
Of these E0uthern States to the control
OF race, not one in ten OF whom
could read, much less write, and OF
whom not one in a Thousand had the
least idea Of the Government under
which be lived, and under which
they were now to dischsrge the duties
Of law makers. II the time should
cone when they should ts educated
to a proper standard . enable
them to exercise this right,
with intelligence and TO the welfare
% the country, we said it would be
right. now what hF7 been the effect
of this in the reconstructed States
down South, with their prepOnder-
a1ca Of negro YOtersP The result has
been that they are the worst gOvernt 4 !
part Of Gods globe this day. These
Star have been delivered over to the
lender meTcies Of the carpet baggers !
and adventures Of the North, and Of /.
The meauer men, the sCalaWags, of the
South, and with the negroes in COM
DinatlOn with them they govern al !
most every enc Of these States. And {
how do they govern them? When /
the war endC ! these States were pres I
rated to 2 degree we can hardly I
realize. R8ysge1 by their own g.
mics ss well as ours, the people were /
lrCstrate, their currency was worth |
nothing, thousands and tens Of thou. |
.a1ds OF their farms lay desOlate IN |
Ter the scJurge Of the war; they were !
'uined ia fortune, humbied ana pros /
rate in spirit. That was a time I
when it behOOvCd US u take them BY !
he hand and help them up. Just at |
hat time this Republican party, these
.2rpet b8ggers and scalaWsgs t1o,-
lOld OF the government ia tht 81
states. As to the Thirt zenith amen.
nent abClishing slavery, Ssnaf
Thurman sad they had never ma
ny objection 20 it, and that no ma
ould point t0 any act Of the Demo /
rats ia the Northern States that even I
approved slavery. The rest Of bis /
peech Wp7 devoted to a review Of the /
Iuances Of the administration and the