The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1871-04-22

meuts. Then law, order and peace are 10
prevail. But the inference is that until then
She work of blood shall still 70 on. Does this
loo. as though there was no politics in this
business. No, sir it is confession that
politics is at the bottom of it all. 1t means
that this i struggle for political power. 1t
means that il is effort 20 get control of
government by violence. Ii means that
those who cast ballots must become subser-
Went to the will Of those who dislike the
Safe governments as now organlzed;' and,
faitire to 60 so, this work must go on until
death or ntinl idaton shall end the exercise
Of the very highest constitutional rights
and privileges Of naoffending American citi- |
2eas. -z=--.-
But suppose il should turn on. that these
things are exaggerateds Having the consti-
tutional power 10 do so, what possible harm
can there 1t in placing upon the satute-oook
, a law denouncing such acts as it is charged
are i,eing committed, and such organizations
as are alleged to exist, as great and heinous
crimes, to be punished by appropriate penal
ties? II scuurgings, no burnings, no
murd ers are c. mnlittci, who will be injured
II there are no such lawless conspirators
there will be no one to be punished as such.
If all is peace and order there will be no in
Fiction Of penalties. Why is il, then, and all
Christendom will ask why it is, that there is
such persistent effort 20 prevent legislation
to maintain the equal rights ct every citizen
before the law?
member that there was time In the
history of this nation when its very existence
was in peril remember that here the
floor of this House, and also iD the body that
occupies tie fu rther end Of the Capitol, no
measure could be suggested tokeep the peace
aud preserve the Government that did rot
meet with determined opposition and fierce
and bitter denunciation. Can it be that the
same spirit that then pervaded these halls
and stalked about through the land is riot.
| ing here now ? If one half that is told us is
! true, and protection is not afforded these
| un offending citizens by the general govern
| ment that owes the protection, the next
/ thing will be a resort to the instincts OF al
amin ated nature, to law that rises higt
above all human enactments, the law which
!
/ involves civil strife and anarchy, and the de
structon of ell law, ard the numberles:
evils that follow in its train.
If it should hereafter become manifest tina
we have been misinformed, that thes
troubles only existed in perverted magma
tions, no harm will come from the lesisla
ton proposed. If they do exist, now is tn
time to smita them down, now is the time +
trike, now is the time to make these dis
trrbers Of the peace. these vioators of il
dividual rights, feel the power OF the Gov
eminent, and to teach them that there is mol
OF all the thirty-eight millions of the citizen
, Of this nation, one SO humble that his right
under the Constitution and laws can be law
legsly smi.ten unnoticed to the ground.
Sir, we ought to learn lesson from til
past In the 5 tate of Indiana, during th
retelli OF, there existed an organization {
GA IL bound corspratois, working in tt
dark, drilling in the night, fer the purpose {
: selling the government of that State an
| plungiug it into open rebellion agains. tt
Constitution and laws Of tie nation. Tt
day was fixed when they would ''let sip Il
dogs Of war; at the appointed time the:
cnnspirators we're secretly gathering abo,
the capital, prepared for their despera'
work, and but for the vigilance and pronll
action Of the State and Federal authorize
: Indiana would have been scourged and blacl
e ENID with civil strife.
And so it will be nov in the South unle
the ku-kux organizations existing there a
cnnfronted with The majesty OF the law. l.
r us provide for the punis hment of these ms
o fer their lawlcssness and conspiracies. al
Il then we may confidently hope that ''la
e order and peace will lie restored TO t
) South and the nation.