Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-09-15
Continuation Of His Great spseeh at Stsu-
bsnvlIIe, on ths l3th---He Wants
Amnesty and Democratic
Ascendancy.
He Touches on State Rights and Reviews
the Infamies Of Grant and the
Radical Congress.
The Ku-Klux Law Denounced and the unfor-
tanate Political Condition Of the
South DeplOFed.

/ u
in this, for this system allows of iudef
mite increase of population and in
definite expansion of territory with
out necessarily weakening the ties o
the Union. Divide the population
into convenient communities and dis
tribute and lOcalize sovereignty
among them, as Is done in our State
and the system and danger is lesseneC
greatly, if not entirely removed. Or
the far off Pacific, as well as in Mary
land, they viii fare equally as well
Preparations that qualify citizens fol
republican government are the
same everywhere.
He said the people would never
consent TO the destruction of the State
as our fathers made tits reduction tC
mere dependence on the General Gov.
erment. The State had the safe keep
ing of our dearest rights; if the keep.
er were slain, our liberties would be
stolen. He would yield to no one in
love for the Union; it was and is indis-
pensable; mere federation was not
enough. He rej0iced in the Union, its
successes and examples; there was nc
| better Government; and the duty was
upon all to sustain and preserve it;
but we should not forget the State OuT
homes were in; the States in the
Union are cur family governments.
The Radicals claim the right to
do anything and everything under
these amendments, and they are
so acting at the present time. Our
duty is to prevent them. This Just
now is our urgent duty. We can.
not unmake the past; let US make
the future. Slavery is gone, and we
are glad of it. The Fourteenth and
Fifteenth amendments have passed
into the Constitution. The contest
upon them is over, and the enemy
has moved from that field to more
advanced positions. Our work is to
fight him just now where we now
find him centralizing all the power in
the Federal Government, and chang
ing the Republic into despotism,
laying violent hands upon the
sacred writ of freedom, domi-
neering over elections, legislating
for a few at the expense of many (;
squsndering the bonds of the people
upon private corporations, and estab-
fishing mOnopOlies; exempting some
from taxation and expressing all
Others with injustice. But these are
enough, and these are living issues
to be settled at the next election. In
what l have said and what / may vet
say, wish to be understood that l
make no criticism upon our recent
war. Thankful for its great victory,
1 decline to condemn its conduct.
War is always despotic; you cannot
NTH Iifsoc. vrra- =
lenee, and its work is slaughter and
destruction of life and property or
whatever may oppose it. COnstitu-
tions furnish no sufficient programme
for such work, nor should they,
nor should l allude to the extraVa-
gance of our war, for war is always
extravagant and wasteful, nor to the
cOrruptiOns OF war, for war viii en-
gender them. l refer only to the
manner in which the Government
is BOW administered, and the recent
practices of the Republican party.
Mr.. Groesbeck then proceeded to
speak of the present administration,
charging that it was centralizing all
the power in the Federal Govern
ment, changing it into q despOtism;
destroying local self-government; lay
ing violent hands upon the most sacred
privileges of treemen; dominating
over electiOns-doing all this and
more. There never was a time in our
history when the Constitution was so
little regarded as by the party now in
power. President johnson refused to
do their bidding. He thought he was
right, and he was right. They inn
peaehed him to get his office, and ill
it with one who would do their bid
ding. The Supreme Court, organized,
among other purposes, to interpret
constitutions in performance of its le-
gitimate duties, did not do the bid
ding OF this party, and they threat
ened it for its decision. In another
case it is charged and believed by
many it changed and tampered
with it. The Government, as organ
lied by the present Constitution, was
too limited for the present party in
power; they wanted something larger
and stronger. We did not once see
so much of our Federal Government.
Now it is everything, encrOaching,
strengthening in every direction.
Then the Government relied on inn
ports alone; now taxes everywhere.
Then cur finances were managed by
States; now by 1900 national banks
"a most dangerous political influence
located in all our Congressional dis
tricts. Its judges were multi plying
courts and increasing Jurisdiction,
and, ,enlargiBg,it might yet attempt to
establish a censorship over our State
school system. He called attention to
the purposes of the Republican party
in enaeting election and Ku-Klux
laws, quoting from article 1, section
of the Constitution, which was
adopted with the Interpretation that
the States were, in the first instance,
to act, and Congress could protect the
General Government against wrong
full action by the States. Last year,
for the first time, there was legislation
looking to interference with the States
in the management of their elections.
Two laws were passed. The first "
was for the enforcement of the
teenth amendment; the second was 20
amend the naturalization laws, and
regulate elections in cities of more
than 10000 inhabitants. Under these
laws United States troops We're sta
toned last fall in New York and Phil |
adelphia, to control their elections.
without consulting the States, with.
out q desire expressed by the State Of |
ficials for such action. In New York q |
large number of delegates, many of |
them bad men-sOme OF them convict |
ed criminals-were made conserVatOrs
of the peace, under instructions to al |
low no interference of State authOri- |
ties. United States troops and ships |
were called thence by the Presidents |
order. Two thousand deputy mar
shals, with navy revOlvers, stood at |
the polls, claiming supreme authority |
over the election. But this law gave |
way last February to a stronger one,
now in force, the provisions of which |
he repeated. This law was not for !
the South, but for the North. This |
was the declaration of Congress, that |
our elections had not been properly
conducted, or it was an attempt to |
seize them. In every excellence, the |
elections conducted during the ninety /
years of our National life were unsur-
passed. The laws to regulate them /
left the most possible freedom to the
people, and avoided all unnecessary
show of form. They were laws TO
regulate elections and preserve their
purity. This law could be enti-
tied law to punish crime. 1t subOr-
dinated the civil to the military DOW
or. The law plainly says the people
are not to be trusted. Power is osten-
tati0usly paraded, and elections must
be done by its permission. II the
time ever comes when the people are
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