The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-04-13

The Attempt TO Make an Elcctioneer-
ing Job OF 1.-THE Position of the Demo-
cratic Party as Regards Law-Breaking
! North and South-The Way to Cure the
Southern Troubles.
/ In the Senate, on the 2lst ult., Sem
ator Thurman delivered brief speech
on the appointment of committee on
/ Southern disorders that has attracted
a great deal of attention. The SEN
ate was considering the House reso-
/ luton for a joint committee of seven
/ Senators. and four Representatives 10
Investigate the condition of the South,
and report at the meeting of Congress
in December, when Mr.. Anthony, a
Radical from Rhode Island, moved to
add the following -" And said COM
mittee shall have power 10 print and
make public, from lime TO time dur
! ing the recess the results of their in
yestigation.7 The following discus
sion then ensued: .-..-.
Mr.. Thurman. 1Iiat strikes me as a
very novel proposition.
Mr. Anthony. That is the way we
Mr.. Thurman. 1t entirely escaped
nay observation. If | had noticed it
in the original resolution 1 should
/ have submitted some remarks upon it
and have asked the Senate to strike it
out. The committee is to make pub
lie from time to time during the re-
cess of Congress the result of its in
vestigations it is to report to the
people from time to time, to publish
the results of the investigation that
is, they are at the public expense to
make lot of electioneering docu-
ments to go before the public, not for
the benefit of ongress-because they
can make their report on the first day
of the next session in ample time for
it to be considered by Congress-but
they are to print at the public expense
to be paid out of the contingent fund
of the Senate, from time to time as
political exigencies may require, such
statements as majority of the COM
mittee may declare to be the results OF
their Investigation fi.
Mr.. Conkling. For the interest of
what political party, may | ask ?
Mr.. Thurmen. Well, for the inter-
est of no political party that is gov
erned by right principle. l am not
willing to trust the committee with
any such power. believethat almost
the whole of this thing is simple at
tempt to manufacture political and
partisan capital; and [ am not willing
to trust any body of men, Senators or
others, with the power to go travelling
around and issuing from time TO time
political bulletins to affect the cleo
tions of the country.
What business have we to do any such
thing as that? Who has made us the
publishers of partisan pamphlets at
the public expense to influence cleo
tions No, sir; if this investigation
is in good faith, If it is for the pur-
pose of enlightening the Senate and
enlightening the House of Represen-
tatives, so that we may be enabled to
pass such laws as we have constitu-
tional power to pass, that object will
be achieved by the committee making
its report to the Senate and to the
House of Representative at the next
session of Congress, oil q. 99&
Then there will be time to consider
it; and this thing OF giving US homeo-
pathic or allopathic doses of this
travelling and roaming commission
during the whole of the summer is
thing, [ take it, unheard Of and that
has no justification whatsoever. l do
not care how honestly they attempt to
exercise it; men are but mon. The
majority of the committee will have
their views; they will have their pref
udices; they will be biased, perhaps
unconsciously, by their prejudices;
and now, without having finished any
investigation at all, but going along
from time to time as they may find
one or another place where they think
they have struck a good lead to make
political capital in the country, we are
to have a manifesto, a bulletin, print
ed at the public expense and scattered
abroad as the result of an investigat-
ing committee! You might as well
ask a jury to report to the public from
day to day the result of the testimony
offered beforeit without waiting for
the whole testimony to be heard and
the argument to be. adduced. Why,
sir, it is simply monstrous. | do not
know but that it discloses the object
of this whole movement, and that it
is well enough that it is called to the
attention not only of the Senate, but
of the people. Is sdeue ave
But L do say that if fairness be IN
tended, if q fair investigation by Con-
gress be intended, a fair raseertainment
of the facts when obtained with a
view to legislation-the only thing we
have right to consider at all-if that
be the case, this amendment ought not
to be adopted and the report should
be made to Congress. -a- -~
FMessrs. Morton and Stewart re-
piled to Mr.. Thurman, but failed to
meet the point of his objection to the
amendment. The latter then contin-
ued his speech as folloWs:l
Mr.. Thurman. MI. President, the
Senator from Indiana says that if the
South is guiltless of the enormities
that are charged, in the interest of the
South the result of this investigation
should be published as soon as posi-
BILE, because the reports that are made
are prejudcial to the South, prevent
immigration, and delay the achieve
ment ofsthe prosperity for which she
seeks. / believe, too, that perfectly
fair and complete investigation, made
under no bias to state results for par
| tisan purposes, will be q benefit to the
/, South, and that the sooner the true
state of facts shall be known the bet
tes it will be, not only for the South,
but for the whole United States. 1
believe that as firmly as anybody, not
that 1 suppose it, possible that this
committee will not bring forth mass
of testimony showing that outrages
have been committed here and there.
4. Appoint rowing commission to go
over the Northern States, with pow
er to find and inquire whether person
and property are safe, whether out
pages are committed or not, and what
a body of testimony could sucha oom-
mittee Accumulated a< 90
But when it comes to the North,
nothing is said there is no clamor
whatsoever. Eight men can be taken,
as they were, not ten days ago, out OF
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