The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-04-05
No. 80.

who have rights that they cherish, are
the last men in this world, in any COM
munity, to give sanction to acts of vi
olence OF this kind And when you
undertake to, attribute to the whole
Southern people the acts of violence of
this kind, and when you undertake
to attribute to the whole Southern
people the acts of u few bad men, you
are simply seizing hold Of these casl-
al or incidental outrages to blacken
whole communities and to misrepre-
sent whole States. That is the truth
of it.
But again, sir, the Senator from
Indiana says that my opposition to the
publication admits that If these often
ses were committed there, the discIos.
ure OF the fact will injure the Demo-
cratic party. Why, what remark
was that What fair statement was
that! Iujure the Democratic p rty!
No, sir; the Democratic party has
been a party of law and order from
its foundation If it has any fanati-
cism at all it Is a fanatical love of the
Constitution and the institutions OF
tue country. Ii it has ever stopped in
the path OF progress, it ia because the
Constitution OF the Republic lay in the
path. The Democratic party in favor
Of violence. forsooth Cannot the
! Senator recolect when the streets OF
Baltimore ran red with blood shed by
Know Nothing m,yrmidons-theb blm,a
OF Democrats ? Can not he recoilect
Hpha aI -,
given to the flames, and women turn
ed out in the dark, cold hours of mid
night because they belonged to par
ticular fsith?, Cannot he recoilect the
scenes of Louisville and Of New Or
leans? And will he tell me that this
party to which L belong. and which
has suffered more from violence than
any party that ever existed in the
country, is not party of law and
order2 No, sir it will not do.
But these outrages thus committed
are but drops in the bucket compared
to organized outrage i'll the name of
law, compared to organized out age
where the military force of the Gov
ernment puts its heel, or attempts to
put its heel upon the free elections of
what is called, by courtesy [ suppose.
free country. t-.- ...-
Again, sir, let US leave these excit-
ing topics and come down to see the
matter really before US. 1 may have
been se.luced into speaking more at
large on the subject, because pa,slo
majora canamas we are apt to be Sc
duced ints speaking about that which
is greater instead ct that which il
| less.
Now, sir, VIII is the committee ap-
pointed for: 1t is appointed to obtain
information for Congress upon which
Congress is to act. The only body to
which it can make report is the
Congress of the United States In
the very nature of things, it can have
| no function, no power to make a re-
port to the American people. That is
none of its power, none of its function,
none OF its duty; and now we are in
vited to appoint a, rowing commission
| over these Southern States, to make Il
report of what? o. testimony? No
that is not the language. but to make
reports of "resnlts. This jury, be-
! tore halr the evidence is heard, before
the tenth of it perhaps is heard, this
jury, with a partisan majority on one
side, is TO make a report, not to the
Senate, not to the House of Represen-
tatives. but to the people of the Unit
ed States and not Of the facts, but OF
r, suIts, as majoity may see fit
Does not anyb,dy see, then, that we
may lave dozen reports, or at least
we may have two reports? A major
lily may consider the results OF the in
vestigatiun to be this, the minority
may consider them to be the other,
and Congress presents the spectacle of
sending a set of ro,i1g commissioners
throughout the South to manu-. acture
political documents to influence the
election That is thu whole of it when
you tear this thin vail of gauze that
covers the transaction away and ex
pose the real and true features. 70
tkis am opposed. am willing to
have this investigation, as have al
ways been willing; but want it to be
an investigation suitable to the digni-
ty of the Senate and the dignity OF the
House OF Representatives; l want an
investigation TO lay evidences before
us that we may, to the extent of our
constitutional power, apply the RENE
dy if remedy can be devised.
For myself, have little faith, /
confess. in any remedy your laws may
provide. There is already in every
one of these States law sufficient, if
executed, to put down these outrages
if law could put them down-every
one of them. In one OF those >tates--
l forget now which one it ie, but I
believe it is Tennesee-it is made just
ifable homicide ifany man shoot an.
other who is found in disguise upon
the pubic highway! Tan you find
any thing stronger than that? Can
you make any law stronger than that ?
Even in North CaroIina this very
Democratic Legislature now in session
has passed one OF the most effective
laws. | am told, that could be put on
the statute-bo.'k to suppress these very
disorders. But it is merely empirical;
he is mere quaeI in politics who
thinks that by statutes, gets OF Con-
gress, you can restore peace and order
in any community whatsoever.
No, sir, you must SO deeper than
that The causes that lie at the foun- :,
dation of these difficulties are patent
to any man who has even superficial
knowledge of hist ~. They aIe pat
ant to any man who will reflect for
There never was a great
civil war yet that did not, as conse
1uence of it, entail upon the country
in which s. occurled the presence of