The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-02-16


this committee to report? What is il
to do? Has. there been such violence
| there Then why has not the execu-
tive suppressed it; why has he not
! been called upon to suppress it? The
only power given in the Constitution
/ for the interference OF, the General
! Government is the power conferred
ON the President of the United States
and the Congress ofthe United States
/ by the fourth section of article four
EThe United States shall guaranty
| to every State in this Union a Repub-
lican form of Government, and shall
protect each of them against invasio on.
and OH application of the Legislature,
or of the Executive (when the Legis-
lature can not be convened), against
domestic violence" "885s1lEd faia9Esl
Where have, been the acquisitions
on the President under that clause of
/ the Constitution If there has been do
| mestlc violence there that the State
authorities were unable to suppress,
| what was tho dety of the Executives
of those States but call upon the Pres
| ident, and what the duty of che Presi-
| dent but to furnish military force to
put down and suppress this domestic
violence? Has there been any such
/ thing within the year of grace 1870
which is referred to in the ePresident's
message? There may have been for
| aught L know; L will not affirm that
| there has not been; but must say
that am ignorant of it. s1edE
| 81 We hear of violence in Alabama
Was it violence that the Government
of Alabama could not suppress? If
so, did the Governor of that State call
upon the President? i have heard of
no such thing. i have heard of OUT
RACES in North Carolina but the out
RACES that make the blood! stingle in
the cheeks of any man who loves free
government and thatrespects humans
ity were not outrages committed even
by the people, inexcusable as they
may have been, bat the outrages COM
mitted under color of law by 'skirks,
lambs y under the order of the Gov
ernor OF The State. Sil; it marks a
black passage in English history when
that body of murderers called sAirk's
lambs rioted in the blood of Eng
lishmen. There was not a man ac-
quainted with English history who
did not have the parallel called to his
mind when he read the atrocities of
this Kirk of North Carolina. Sir, an
outrage committed under the color OF
law is tenfold an outrage: !: an inhu-
manity committed by authority is
tenfoid an lnhumanity. Until men
shall cease to view things in:the judg-
ment of reason and in the eflight OF hu-
ulanity there can be no comparison
between the spasInodic outbreaks OF
the people and the deliberate and will
ful and premeditated tyranny of a
government. .gas5 aH nESA ~cl tis5gi
Mr.. President, have never uttered
one word in defense of ku Klux or.
carnations. The Senate will bear me
witness that no = one spoke more
strongly against them thanilI did at
the last session. If L were looking at
the subject simply. in a partisan point
of view, [ amlnot SO stupid as not to
know that every outbreak of that
kind only Injuries the party to which
| belong, only furnishes the material
for our opponents to excite the pas
siens of Congress. / know it full
we'll; and if my voice could reach ev-
cry man who violates the law in the
South, and could have potential ihflu-
ence with him, it would be addressed
to him in three simple words, "Obey
the laws" Such are my feelings;
such are my natural instincts; and
such is my interest and the interest of
the party to which 1 belong. There
is nothing to be gained by. us by out
RACES, which only furnish our advef-
saries with pretexts for passing acts
of legislation that but a few years ago
would have shocked every sense of
liberty, of freedom, and of constitu-
tional law that had an abiding place
in the American heart. u aIfslss
l have said, sir, Lbelieve, all that
need to say; but will say one word
more about these Ku, Klux. h. Mr..
the darkest page in Eng
lish history is that which records the
bloody executions of the men whose
heads fell, from the block or who
were swung upon the gallows by the
oaths of Titus Oates and his cOnfede-
rates for completely in an alleged Pop !
ish plot. 1t was sufficient at the day, |
in the infuriated condition of the pub !
lie mind, to assert that there was |
plot to have it believed. to assert that /
there were conspirators to give credit |!
to the statement, and to point the fin-i
ger of the informer at any man to |
send him to the scaffold or the block. I
That was the state of things there.-!i I
1t may be, but hope it is not, that
here are some men in this conntry]
who think that it is5only neeessarysto /
assert that there is Ku Klux Klan. to /
it universally believed: to assert /
hat there are conspirators and mur-
lerers in the. Kian to find credit for
heir assertion; and to point the fin +
ger to "a man to have it believed that /
lie is of the Khan 1t may be that /
here are persons who entertain snch
and who,9 believing so, /
md thinking all fair in politics, are
therefore, at all times ready to bring
Up this raw-head and bloody bones, Il
md shake it in the head of an alright
ID Congressla and affrightcd people, /
IN not one of them. A3ea'sa1aA -x.4csf1