Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-04-26

| thirty-six million whites with such op-
| preston end taxation as no. other people
have ever borne. o. LID IL
Gentlemen have boosted upon this floor
of the extraordinary leniency shown the
people of the South by the party in pow
er. : i ask, sir, what leniency have they
shown the people of the South or any
other people, save their own partisaus,
since they have exercised the controlling
power of this Government 5sWsG
They have to-day, sir, the labor of this
entire nation moftgaged for more than q
hundred years, while they have created
monopolies more stut endcus thsn any
known In the history Of civilized coun-
tries; they have flooded the country with
deprecated paper currency; they have
subverted constitutional governments,
overturned State governmental, and sub
stitnted military despotisms ia their stead;
organized military courts, tried and exc
cuted citizens, both male and female,
without giving them the right of trial by
jury, as provided for in the Constitution
of the United States; and Just now, as
the sentiment of the country was forcing
the Republican party to restore to ten of
the States of this Union civil governments
and civil tribunals, with representation in
both Houses of Congress, it is proposed
BY this monstrous measure to place the
whole country and the destinies of its
citizens In the hands of one man, In Or
der to enable him again to substitute mil
itsry despots in place of civil governors
in any State or States in this American
Union, wherever in his judgment it may
become necessary to do 30, for the pur-
pose of securing q Republican victory in
1872. .E-t e Z
Z 1t is alleged as an excuse for all the
mOnstrous and unconstitutional legisla-
ton proposed by this bill that neither life,
liberty, or property is secure in ten of the
Southern States, and that loyal men are
run upon by bands of midnight assassins,
murdered, beaten, or driven from their
homes, and that there is no power to be
found in the Constitution of the United
States to enable the President to enforce
law and order in the South. The honor
able gentlemen from PennsylVania Mr..
Kelley stated upon this floor few days
ago, if mistake not, (and if am wrong
in the statement hope the gentleman
will correct me, that Gen. Washington
while President of the United States found
authority in the Constitution for ordering
out the militia and marching them into
his own State of Pennsylvania to enforce
law and order and put down an fnsurrec.
ton there. If the gentleman was cor
rect in his statement, and admit that he
was, why is it that the present incumbent
of the Presidential chair cannot find au-
thority in the Constitution now to enforce
law and order in the States of this UnionY
The Constitution has not, believe, been
changed in regard ID the powers vested
in the President of the United States,
and if he be, as it was said two years
ago that he was, second Washington,
do not see any reason why he could not
exercise the same powers to restore law
and order in this country that the first
Washington exercised.
II has been charged against the Demo-
cratic party that all the outrages commit
ted in the Southern States were commit
ted by Democrats, and for the sole pur-
pose of procuring Democratic victories.
l again deny those charges, and pro-
nounce them fslsehoods and ISLANDERS upon
the Democratic party; and 1 demand in
the name of the people of the United
States, in the name of justice and all that
is fair and honorable, that this bill be
voted down, and that fair investigation
by the committee appointed by the joint
resolution of the two houses of Congress
be made, that the facts as they exist in
the Southern States, and that the facts as
they are broue bit out by the investigating
be reported to this House for
its action at its next regular session; and
If the facts when reported warrant such
extraordinary legislation as proposed by
this bill, you will find many true men on
this side of the House willing to con
slider it. I
Concluded To morrow