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

ing from the top of his head to the
soies of his feet, If il were proposed
to vest such a power as that in the
Governor of his own State. What
would you say if il were proposed to
vest in the Governor Of Connecticut,
a Democrat, or the Governor of New
York, a Democrat, the power to ap-
point every officer in those States,
election judges, every returning Off
Ger, every canvasser of votes, and to
allow them, as these laws do, to trans
act all their business in secret, and be
responsible to nobody whatsoever? P
! No; if you want to 90 into the ques-
ton of the purity of elections, if you
want to protect the purity of cleo
tions, first cast out the beam that is in
your own eye before you look for the
| mote that is. in your neighbor's.
i But Dir. President, that is not all.
| There is something very singular
about these Investigations. Less than
two years ago there was an election
in the city of Washington, where
Congress exercises exclusive jurisdic-
! ton. A colored man nearly lost his
life at the hands of mob on that
election day: his life was only saved
for time the police itself was borne
down by the mob. What was the col
ored mans offence? Nothing but
this, that he sought to vote Demo-
cratic ticket. Where then were your
denunciations Where then, with
full and exclusive power of legisla-
ton, where your remedies. Where
then was your committee of investi-
Is
pened. 1t was only Democratic ne
gro who was mobbed by Radical ne
groes, and the thing passed in silence J!
Sir, the Senator from South Caro-
lima speaks about his State. do not
know how true it is, but L do know
that the papers of the country, dur
ing the last political campaign i'll
South Carolina, were filled with cases
III which mobs of negroes prevented
the Conservative candidates from adj
dressing the people. And who does
not know that for colored man to
vote the Democratic ticket in much
the greater portion OF the southern
country is to risk his life? Talk of
intimidation, indeed! There never
was such intimidation in the world,
there never was such deliberate, con-
ceried, affective intimidation in the
world as the colOred men of the South
exercise toward any one oftheir breth-
rem who seeks to vote the Democratic
ticket. 1t is as notorious as that the
sun shines above our heads. a5
Oh, but it is said that is the very
thing we shall investigate by means
OF this committee. Well, we shall
see when the report comes in whether
there is white side and black side
to it. We shall see whether the evil
dence will be produced of the coer-
cion, the intimidation, the violence
exercised toward any coIored man
who seeks to vote the Democratic
ticket. [ do not say that it has in ey-
cry instance succeeded; know that
in some localities, where the whites
have been sufficiently, strong to pro-
tect them, colored men have voted the
Democratic ticket; but do not know
as general rule-at least such is the
informatio2.of the whole country
that no coofed man, with safety to
his life, where the negroes are numer- /
GUS, where they are the prevailing
portion of the Inhabitants can exer-
else his own judgement in casting his
vote. But no complaint is made
about that; we hear no sKu-Klux"
about that. Nothing of that kind
seems to arrest the attention of Sena-
tors; but whenever the Radical party |
gets defeated in State or in Con-
gressional district of the Sguth, then
we hear the cry of u-Klnx-Klan, of |
outrages, of murders, and of the in
that is employed
But, sir, that is not all. While no
man in this Senate or in this country |
could wish more than / do that we |
might have. a perfect picture of South |
ern society, that it might be as it were
and laid before our ewes,
so that we might know the exact |
truth, believing as L do the exact |
ruth would remove much ofthe mis-
under which Senators /
seem to labor-while no man is more
anxious than am that that should be |
he case, confess that cannot help
having some suspicious about this
matter. L understand these docu-
nents go back to 1857
: Mfr. Davis. To 1865.
Mr.. Thurman. 70 1865! Then
hey go back before peace was declar-
I'd. Peace was declared on the Goth
lay of August, 1866. On that day
he President issued his proclamation
declaring that the whole country was
It peace and that the insurrection was
It an end. Congress confirmed that
by the passage of ar act
regulating the pay of the army. The
supreme court confirmed it By its de-
ision in the case of the United States L.
:. Anderson, reported in 8 Wallace.
so every department of this govern II
nent mas decided that from the Doth +
lay of August, 1866, there has been
10 war, no rebellion, NO insurrection
n this land. And now it is proposed
o go back, is it, even anterior to the \
declaration of peace, and investigate !
he outrages that have been commit
ed down there even when the whole :
south was under martial law? i5
w hat more do you expect, what
more effective laws do you expect than +
he martial law which you proclaimed
'ver all that country? These outrages I
ook place when that whole country
vas subject to martial law, when a '
nan could loose his life by the fiat of j
court martial; and yet we are to be II
old, in the face of all this, that Con- {
.ress must now investigate and report
ONE remedy. 1 cannot help being {
uspicious about such investigations. |.
till [ am not opposing fair exam J
nation. / wish that we could have
erfectly fair and impartial investiga- '
ion; but / want it to go to little
more than these casual outbreaks that I {
ave been referred to. I want to know 1
whether there is not systematic fraud
n the Southern States. I want to ,
now whether the power OF the peo-
lie to elect their own officers is not t
nnulled by the laws enacted in the b.
states to which l have referred. T IL
Vant to know if we have the power, t
Which the Senator from Indiana has ,
o often asserted on this floor, to MAIN (
ain reconstruction and maintain Re-
ublican Government, whether or l
ot lis Republican Government when
ne Governor of a State can elect the