Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-04-07
HOUSE.
The ku.Klux Bill.


MIR. Eldridge, of Wisconsin, speaking
on the Ku-Klux bill, said the people
everywhere were crying for peace, anG
he believed this bill was a declaration OF
war.
MIR. Voorhees,, of Indiana, said the ex.
citement was all here. Looking over the
South, nine-t -tenths of the clamor about
outrages was false, and raised for base
political and Radical purposes.
Too Much Even for a South Caro-
lima Negro.
DeLarge, colored, of South Carolina,
said there had been no outrages in his
district since the reconstruction. Both
parties are responsible for the present
disturbed condition of affairs in South
Carolina. Some legislation is necessary,
but this would not be sufficient unless his
Republican friends removed political dis
abilities, for they could not expect those
now resting under disabilities to exert
themselves to preserve the public peace
when they have nothing to hope for in
the future.
Farnsworth moved striking out the
provision authorizing the President to di-
rect volunteer enlistments of any militia
of the United States, in lieu of all or
any part of the force authorized to be
employed. Agreed to; yeas l12 noes s.
SheIIabarger Closes the Debate.
Various amendments were offered
when Shellabarger moved the previous
question, whchi was seconded and the
main question ordered.
Mr.. Shellabarger then proceeded TO
close the debate. He said it was a fact
that there were bands of c0nspirators in
one-third of the States trained veteran
soldiers, reasonable, implscsble. Their
number was unknown-perhaps three
hundred thousand-and their victims
enumerated by thousands. Another fact
was that these cOnspirators were in the
interest of the Democratic party. In the
South one-hslf of the people undertake
to overthrow the rights of the other half,
and to this end we're making satisfactory
progress under cover of the night,
masked, by ravsging, burning and muir
der; and while these things were rife in
the South the gents North were engaged
in denying or pallIating the crime of vio-
lence against human rights and civil and
religious liberty. Only glspce at the
ghstaly array of witnesses would exclude
doubt as to the conspiIscy and the i'm
mense number of its victims, in all cases
of murder and violence the attacking
party belonging to one party and the VIC
tins to the other. This conspiracy was
an incipient rebellion. The Demo
Gratis in their last national conVen-
ton declared tn favor of overthrow
ing the reconstruction acts, having
nominated for Vice-President the author
of the Broadhead letter, who was now a
leader of their party in the Senate, hold
ing all the new amendments to the COnsti-
tuition imperative, as never having
been adopted. Two millions, seven hun
dred and twenty thousand Democrats
voted for that platform and candidate.
The conspirators at the South were work
ing in the same direction for the over.
throw of all the rights conferred Oh the
franchised race and the destruction of al
the laws made for their protection.
The Vote.
A substitute, proposing general am
nesty, was rejected.
An amendment striking out the power
| TO suspend the writ of hsbeas corpus wa
rejected. Yeas 110; nays lo5.
An amendment striking out the thir
section was rejected.
Several amendments were then made t
the bill, which passed under the opera
ton of the previous question. Yeas lis
nays 81. Absent or not voting IS.
Several bills were introduced and tht
House adjourned till Monday.