The union Democrat. [volume] (Sonora, Calif.) 1854-1946, 1871-04-22

ed h:s recent speech In the Uultsd States Sem
ate upon MIR. Sherman's resolution, in regard
to the organized bands of desperate and law
less men in the South, as follows:
hIr. President. there exists upon the stat
ute book of North Carolina complete and per-
/ feet remedy for all these evils complained
of. AT the second session of the last Con-
gress, the Congress of the United States en-
acted law, which is to be f'uni at page 96
of the laws Of tina, session. makiugit criminal
and the offense cosnixahle before the courts
of the United States, for men to ride masked
upon highways or to interfere in any way
with the constitutional rights Of a citizen.
The issue as it has been presented by the
parties who have instigated tins inquiry and
have framed this resolution and new urge its
passage is simply this whether the people
of this country and the Congress of the Unit
ed States, protesting 10 represen. them, are in
| favor of a proloagatiou of power in the hands
of the Radical party in North Carolina, or
whether they are in favor Of the existence of
our constitution Of government. 1t is absurd
To suppose that the laws of nature are to he
reserved in favor Of any party at the pleasure
OF congressional majority. The very con-
diton of affairs in North Carolina is the natu-
raj result IF the revolutionary tone which has
been engendered there by bad laws and by
evil government If the condition of the
South should at the close of the war or even
now he less orderly and quiet than other por-
tions of the country, it is not to he wondered
at. For some four years end upward the
Southern States had been onevast camp. No
industry had there been praeticed except
what was necessary to sustain armed opera
tons. Il was civil wharf.-the worst of all
wars--and that upon gigantic scale. Their
entire system of labor hsd been DESTROYED.
Society, politically and socially, had been en-
tirely suhverted
Now, the rule of conquest is very plain
one: that the conQueror should extend over
the country which he has conquered his own
laws and his own Institutions orelSe let those
that he found there exist in their own force.
Under our form of government there is but
one proper source of power We live under
a written CONSTITUTION, under system of linn
tied and enumerated powers. Congress has
no authority expect what is found in that
charter, and when the laws were extended
over North Carolina, they consisted of the
Constitution and the laws made for the entire
Country. You have no power. you can DIS
cover no ground of power, TO make local reg
ulations for one State in this Union which
shall hot prevail in the others.
| The difficulty has been, that since the war
! North Carolina and the other Southern States
have not been governed according to the Con-
stitutinn Of the United St6tes. hut have been
subjected to the arbitrary will of Congress.
/ You entered those States at the close Of the
war, overthrow the governments that you
| found there. and those which have replaced
them have not been in accordance with the
spirit or the letter of the Constitution of the
United States. There is no precedent for
this, and do trust that this Congress will
not permit themselves to cherish longer the
fatal idea that the rroougation of power in
the hands of your party is essential to the
good government of this land.
The minority of the people in North Caro-
lima, and the small minority, say that if you
do not overcome the natural ma iorites of that
State and give power to the few instead Of
the many, shortly those States will pass un-
der the control of the Democratic party and
present an unhroken Democratic representa-
ton in Congress. They say that it Will give
the electoral vote in 1879 to the Democratic
candidate for President. Is that to induce
YOU to exercise nnwarranted power over these
States? Is that to induce you to legislnte d.
rectly in opposition to the verv underlying
spirit Of our Government? And do ynu sup
/
voice of the people from being expressed in
their own wav? You may attempt it in the
South, hnt the answer will come from the
North. You had a suggestion in New Eng
land State of what the answer of the people
is on that subject.
appeal to the Senate to raise above nero
rarty views in this case and remember that
we are all Americans, living under this Gov
eminent, and all, hope. equally attached 10
our country. The Construction, which we
have invoked. was meant for minorities. The
shifting sands of political life may pot vCur
party at TO late day in minority. and then,
when you appeal to majority in these Halls
for every protection which that Constitution
entities you to ask, and those with whom
act in this body will freely aid you with
our votes, The Constitution of our country
to day is imperled nv the demands Of party.
1t never was more directly assaulted than nv
the resolution offered by the Senator from
Ohio. He proposes to enter the States and
deprive them Of all thnse police powers un-
/ ouestionahlv necessary for their preservation,
and to grasp all into the hands Of the FEEDER
al Government. The proposed coercive meas
ures. if made for Carolina. must extend TO
Massachusetts, Connecticut New York. TO
Ohio, for we cannot have laws unequal in
| their operation ana applying cnlv To portions
of this country. As hore and believe, pc
litcal power is ahons to pass from the party
who nave held it for the past ten years in this
country. ] ask ut least that YOU shall restore
us the Constitution, sorely shattered as it has
been by vnnr ten years OF administration.
without further assaults upon it. There vet
remains enough by an honest snbordination
to its Limitations to guide us back to a cnndi-
Ia. 4 Il Il Al.
ses and excirements Of the war have in Ge-
gree weakened or DESTROYED. | trust that
this measure OF violence will not meet the as
sent of the Senate. and that those who are
now in the majority win see the danger OF
violating the great principles of government
in the hone Of obtaining temporary partisan
advantage.
Benjamin Franklin left, in 1871, to Boston
and Philadelphia. each S1.000 sterling