The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-04-08
XLI1d. .OONGREss---first Session.
SENATE.

SENATE.
| WASHINGTON, April THE Ku Klux hill
was received from the House. read twice an,
referred 10 the Judiciary Committee.
ny unanimous consent Mr. Morrill, of Yer
mon., was awarded the floor He addresse,
are senate IN three hous' speech against th,
from the President he accorded him the pures
motives IN whatever he had done to promot,
the swift accomplishment of annexation. IN,
ciime, soil and products of San Domingo bein,
already known to us from authoritative sources
tne chlef value OF the report of the Commits
sioners was its vndication of that which need
ed no vndication-the personal integrity q
1ne PRESIDENT and that of the negotiator of tbe
ueleated treaty. Our bullying over neigbbor
ang american Republics in the ACQUISITION o.
80 las, tne niiiDustering of Walker, the Cuban
anu oCner questions, had naturally excited the
| jealousy and apprehension of inferior indie.
Renuent governments The annexation of San
Doingo would make the United States the
great land shark of the continent and leave the
m;oht noe tnat any nominal head OF country
1r,gnt count upon the flag and treasury of the
United States as an aliy whenever resdy to
Detray and sell his country N' "
AZ. VI tne arguments for annexation was
.nat we needed a harbor in the Bay oilSamana
e eU Piosect our commerce; but SANTANA by its
OF commerce and by its remoteness entirelv
USELESS. Inc idea of its purchase was merely
q Mm porary expedient, necessitated nv the re
pelHon, III consequence of our southern har.
~ pelng IN the hands of the rebels 1t could
not De needed as defensive mort hecauSo mo
mad nothing there to defend, and n;ne.te nths
OF our military and naval officers wonId Sonht1
less testify that even with an exnend;tnra ~
millions the bay of SANTANA would be sonrca
OF weakness to the United States. The Do.
mlnlcans never could become homogeneous in
manners, customs, religion or language with
our people. They were grossly ignorant and
superstitiOus, reekiDg in filth and laziness. re-
gardless OF marriage or its binding power
Ihey would preve to us serious political and
moral as we'll as financial incumbrance. Before
lowering our standard of intelligence by admit
ting them to share in governing us we should
educate and train our four million freedmen.
Honor was not to be acquired by pushing
American institutions toward the equator
where even freedoms purest metal yields to
tne iervent heat Our proper development was
northerly. Natural laws had ordained our
union with the British Provinces north of us,
and our fastidiOus and Anglo-Saxor northern
nelghbors should not be induced to believe
tnat the rubbish of the West Indies or any
Geaer quarter was to be piled into our Union
indlscrimnateiy. The batch of Stewards
treaties were all bad. Mr.. Morrill, then refer
red to the provision in the CLAYTON Bulwer
treaty of 1850, that the United States shall not
exercise dominion of the contiguous territory
IN the tropics SO long as European nations
aim and construction of what was vaguely nm
derstood as the Monroe doctrine. He contend
ed we had already an abundance of sugar and
cotton lands in the South, and should not at
tempt the postpOnement of the development
OF the vigorous States Of the West in order to
march out new broods of States in distant seas
Inc earthquake shocks which as late as 1842
submerged the Dominican shores for GO miles
were not more portentious than would be the
shock to our political system from a msalli-
ance with one or all the West Indian Islands.
NO revenue would be derived from the island.
but while it had not an acre of public land
and its people would not labor, we would have
to provide an expensive civil service, a perma-
nent naval squadron and station regiments of
soldiers there.
River and hsrbor Improvements would have
to be made and railroads with subsidies (laugh-
teri would be postal or military necessities,
Ihe unhealthy climate would prevent immi-
grafton from the United States. The popular
vote obtained through the entcement of Baez
andi the presence of United States naval
placed little reliance upon any evidence that
the dominican people were in favor of being |
to the United States, though he adj,
mlred President Grants infexible perseyer-
ance more than his political sagacity in adher-
ing to his annexation policy without anv ann.
porting by public or party sentiment. He
concluded with an allusiOn to the warnings of
history OF the consequences of undue terrific
nal aggrandlzement.
Upon the conclusion of Mr. Morrilps speech
the Senate took up the concurrent resolution
rom the House for Joint special investigating
on the, South, and the pendinS
amendment to require the committee to report
rom time to time during the recess was with
1rawn.
Messrs. Davis of Kentucky, Salisbury. Cas-
'eriy and Hill opposed the resolution. 30
Mr.. Hill said no organized Ku Klux existed |
q Georgia and no general lawlessness prevailed |
here. On the old slave belt of middle Geor- |
,ia, where he resided and where the blacks /
argely predominated, it could be testified to
" forty Northern families who had settled |
mere that perfect tranquility prevailed, and |
nat they could travel anywhere, day or night.
n perfect security. He would have this com.
nittee, when they come to Georgia look into
he States agricultural and mechanical indus.
~, that they might see that it had not been
disturbed and that crime, wherever it did oc-
ur, had not interfered with their material in
erests, He would have anything done that
would expose and eradicate crime without Sc
iously interfering with the liberty of the citi-
en-, but he had not yet seen anything practi-
The pending question being the House
mendment increasing the number of the |
ommittee to fourteen from the House and |
nd seven from the Senate was then copcurred
n by party vote, 81 to IL.
The Vice President then appointed to repre-
ent the Senate the present select committee
q outrages-Messrs. Scott, Chandler, Nye,
sice, Wilson, Bayard and Blair.
After an executive session the Senate ad. |