Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-28


RACES are representative people of ID
/ Southern States. challenge any ma
on this floor from The Southern States /
say whethtr the truth is, or is not, tbs
the great mass of the people, the educs
ton, the wealth, the social standing Q
the South is just as much opposed t
these Ku-Klux outrages as any man tha
treads this earthl
/ Why. sir, it is not year ago since W
had speech from the Senator from Mort
Carolina, (Mr. PooL) And what did b
tell usG Did be tell us that the education
the wealth, the social standing of hi
State gave countenance to these outrages
If my recollection is right he told us pre-
ciseiy the reverse. Why, sir, it is human
nature that that class of people should b
opposed to them. Those who have al
interest in the country, those who hav
an interest in the prosperity of thei
State, those who have property to be pre-
served by law and order, those who hav'
liberties to be protected, those who hav'
rights that they cherish, are the last mel
in this world, in any community, to Civ
sanction to acts of violence of this kind
And when you undertake to attribute t.
the whole Southern people the acts of {
few bad men, you are simply Selling
hold of these casual or incidental out
| RACES to blacken whole communities anC
to misrepresent whole States. That il
the truth of it.
But again, cir, the Senator from Indi
ana says that my opposition to This publ
cation admits that if theee offenses are
committed there, the disclosure of the
fact win injure the Democratic party.
Why, what remark was that What 9
fair statement was thaii Injure the Dem.
ocrstio psrty9 No, sir; the Democratic
party has been party of law and order
from its foundation. If it hes any fanat-
icism at all it is fanatical love of the
constitution and the institute ms of the
country. If it has ever stopped in the
path of progress it is because there lay
across that path the constitution of the
republic. The Democratic party in favor
of violence, forsoothl Cannot the Sera-
tor recollect when the streets of Balti-
more ran red with blood shed by Know
Nothing myrmidons-the blood of Demo-
Gratis! Cannot he recollect when houses
devoted to religion were given to the
flames and women turned out in the cold
hours of midnight because they belonged
to particular faith2 Cannot he recol-
lect the scenes of Louisville and of New
Orleans? And will he tell me that this
party to which belong, and which has
suffered more from violence than any
party that ever existed in the country, is
not party of law and of order? No,
sir; it will not do.
But these outrages thus committed are
but drops in the bucket compared to
organized outrage in the name of law,
compared to organized outrage where the
military force of the Government puts its
heel, or attempts to put its heel, upon the
free elections of what is called, by court
esy suppose, a free country.
Again, sir, let us leave these exciting
topics and come down to see the matter
really before us. | may have been
seduced into speaking more at large on
the subject, because pduLO n1ojOra
cdraen1us;; we are very apt to be seduced
into speaking about that which is greater
instead of that which is less.
Now, sir, what is the committee APP
pointed forR 1t is appointed to obtain
information for Congress upon which
Congress is to set The only body to
which it can make report is the Con-
gress of the United States. In the very
nature of things it can have no function,
no power to make report to the Ameri-
can people. That is none of its power,
none of its function, none of its duty;
and now we are invited to appoint a TO-
wing commission over these Southern
States, to make a report of what2 OF
testimony9 No, that is not the language,
but to make reports of 'tresults." This
jury, before half the evidence is heard,
before the tenth of it perhaps is heard,
this jury, with partisan majority on one
side, is to make a report, not to the Sen
ate, not to the House of Representatives,
but TO the people of the United States,
and not of the facts, but of the results, as
a majority may see fit. Does not any
body see, then, that we may have half
a dozen reports, or at least we may have
two reports. A majority may consider
the results of the investigation to be this,
the minority may consider them to be the
other, and Congress presents the spectacle
of sending set of rowing commissioners
throughout the South to manufacture
political documents to influence the cleo
ton That is the whole of it when you
tear this thin veil of gsuze that covers
the transaction away and expose the
thing in its real and true features. To
this / am opposed. / am willing to have
this investigation, as have always been
willing; but l want it to be an investiga-
ton suitable to the dignity of the Senate
and the dignity of the House of Repre-
sentatives; want it an investigation to
lay evidences before US that we may, to
the full extent of our constitutional
power, apply the remedy, if remedy
can be devised.
For myself, / have very little faith,
1 confess, in any remedy that
your laws may provide. There is
already in every single one of these
States law sufficient, if executed, to put
these outrages if law could put them
one of them? In one of those
States-I forget now which it is, but l
believe il is Tennessee-it is made justifl-
bic homicide if any man shoot another
who is found in disguise upon the public
highway. Can you have anything stron-
ger than thar Even in North Carolina
this very Democratic Legislature now in
session has passed one of the most effect
i've laws, am told, that could be put on
the statute-book to suppress these very
disorders. But it is merely empirical; he
is mere quack in politics who thinks
that by statutes, acts OF Congress, you
can restore peace and order in any COM
munity whatsoever.
No, sir, you must go deeper than that.
The causes that lie at the foundation of
these difficulties are patent to any man
who h, even a superficial knowledge of
history. They are patent TO any man who
will reflect for moment. There never
was great civil war yet that did not, as
q consequence of it, entail upon the
country in which it occurred the presence
of banditti.
My colleague said the other day that
nothing he had ever read in history was
comparable to the Outrsges that were now
being ptrpetrated in the South. That
was the substance o. his remark. l know
nay colleague is learned man; but he
must have frsil memory indeed, or in
has been long time since he read his
tory, if that is his conclusion. DJes he
remember the state of Italy after the end