The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-09-14
Political.
SP EECH OF 3e'
SENATOR THURMAN,
Delivered M cOIumbus. o.. Tuesday
Evening August goth.

the city of Columbus was held at the west front of
the Capitol. The speakers on that occasion were
HoN. GEORGE H. PENDIEToN and Senator THrRMAs.
ME. PKSDIEroN made speech worthy of the man
andthe occasion After he had concluded sena-
tor THURMAN was introduced and spoke as follows:
Mr.. Chairman ana FslLol0- Ci,izens II came here
tonight with no purpose to make a set speech,
but Ii had come with that purpose should give
argument TO which you have listened, should
feel that If were to speak could only serve as
foil or contrast 70 thRtYhieh you have heard But
feel IL my duty to say omething 10 you TO night
II SO happens that although have hyeo in this
city for more than seventeen years, have never
made what we call a full speech to q Columbus
audience, and that because of no incivility
your part, for you have again and again asked me
to speak, but circumstances have so happened
that it never was convenient TO you and me that
should address You at large; and tonight hnd
not begin at the hour of ten in the night to dis
cuss at large questions which cannot be fully con-
sidered under an hour and a half, or perhaps two
hours, aud even then after that long discussiQps
there Is more left 20 be said than has been said
shall thersfore run very rapidly over only few
npon the subjects which hsve already been .spol
ken Of and treating very briefly some OF which
no mention has been made. =
My felow-citizens, want to call your attention
t. what are the claims OF General Grants Admin
people; what are his claims as set forth by the
prominent adVOeates Of his Administration, and
70 ask You whether these claims are well founded
this that hhas restored all the rebellious States
in the Union to their proper relations TO the Fed
eral Governments that this great work has been
tude and everlasting cOnhdencs OF the American
people Now say boldly, that so far from hls
having restored those States TO their normal rela-
tion, or rather so far from the Republican party
in Congress, which Is the real governing power in
this land, having done that work, they have done
nothing In the world since the war has closed but
retard that work When the war closed, what was
the condition of-the country The confederate
army Immediately disbanded; within thirty days
after the surrender az Appomattox there was not
an armed ma1 IN all this land IN hostIe array
There were the States that had gone into the re-
bellion with precisely the same boundaries, with
precisely the same people, save those whom death
had stricken down, and what Is m"re, with pre-
cisely the same Constitutions they had before the
rebellion begRn. What, then, was necessary 70
their normal and proper relation 70 tAe Federai
GoyeEament2 Nothing in she wide world but
sentatives. and those Senators and Representa-
tiyes be allowed to take their places. Fhat was
could have been done in less shan ninety days af-
ter the surrender at AppOmatt0x, and in ninety
Soyernmels would f have awe seen H Ia rs paee, and
that machinery would have been in as smooth
and perfect operation as it ever WIS since the
Constitution was formed. What prevented this
from being done Was it reluctance on the part
Of The South To- elect their Senators and Repre-
most ahxions TO have them elected. Who kept
them out The Republican Congress kept them
out. Imust say that was notthe sentiment OF the
people of either party when the war closed, in
thar shout which, ali over the land, was: Let us
close the breach /; let rs have the Government OF
our fathersI Yet the Republican leaders deter
mined that thai should not be they determined
that those States should be kept out of the Union
So, my friends, they kept them ont of represent
atom not only that, they overturned every one
people TO form new constitutions, not such as the
people want, but such the Radical party IN Con-
gress ht 10 dictate and thus il Was that year
after year the question Of reconstruction was advo-
Gated and thus the disorder to which II gave rise
Now, my friends, it has been common for the
Republican party of this country to say that the
Democrats have taken new departure, and that
new departure. they allege, consists in saying
have been right. 1 say there has never been any
sneh confession, as that. We are as much opposed
to what has been done when we gave our votes
against it.. Why, should see man strike an
other in aD unlawful and brutal manner in the
street throttle him and knock him down, and
trespass upon his rights, and 1 should see his
wounds and bruises, and see him bleeding,
bleeding, but who would call that q confession
that the villain Eho outraged him had done what
was ProPer2 lLaughterl So when these men men
the country, when they made the South almost as
rdinoas as in the midst of war, We demonstrated
deny that they have done it; because we cannot
deny that the thing has Ebeen accomplished; be
cause are compelled to admit the fact that the
reconstruction laws have been executed and the
amendments to the Constitution fastened upon
US, we are told, forsooth, that we rdmlt that the
Radicals were right and we were wrongl That's
logic for you. .
The fo1rteentil amendment to the Constitution
was passed,zzsMe opposed 1T Why did we oppose
it Because it provided that AT people in the
United States should be equal before the law
Canada, not one in the United States opposed IL
upon any such ground That has always been
M Mthe law IN ONO that mas assays oeen me aM N
when a negro was not equal before the law TO a
white man in Ohiofa -..r..-t..1- .r
having equal legal rights; net votingi that is a
political right, But the reeson we opposed the
amendment, was, first. because of its disfranchis-
ing clause. 1t disfranchised the men whose aid
was most necessary 70 restore peace at the South
tine men 9i inn1eneei ths men Of lntelee5 9i the
ought to have been cultivated and they made Co
workers with the rest 70 aid in restoring harmo-
ny throughout the land. 1t said these men, be.
cause they had differed from US, were periured
men. as III we had never differed about the inter
pretation Of the Constitution; As II Wings and
tion of that instrument; As il the different par
ties had not differed about it until the present
Again: We said the language was ambiguous.
and such as would enable an ambitions President
and Congress TO usurp the power that belongs 70
the individual States, and to overthrow every one
of the reserved rights OF the people of the States
And were we not right? For il Is under the am
higuous and loose Language Of that amendment
that the Infamous Ku-kIux BIZ was passed-un-
der pretense of autohrity derived from that loose
If this Interpretation were correct the Presi-
dent would have power in the State OF ohisto dis
turn out Of ONCE our judges, and establish
martial law from end or the State to the 9TH
necessary to take martial possession OF ohio in
order to protect :ethe rights OF individuals. We
were right, then, In opposing that amendment
thus framed and thus phrased.
Then came the fifteenth OF the thirteenth
amendment should have spoken, which abolish
ed slavery. No man can point to any act of the
Democrats In the Northern States that ever 6p-
proved slavery There never was a Northern
Democrat that advocated slavery. What were we
advocates of? We were advocates Of the Consti-
tntion. We believed we were bound to obey the
Constitution Thousands and thousands Of us
had taken the oath 20 support the Constitution
We felt that those oaths were binding IN our con
sciences. We felt, too. that it was the ConstiIn
tion thar made the Republic, and that when you
| brokesthe Constitution TO pieces you broke the
Republic at tee same time and when We found
that the right Of the ssla4ehOider to hold Saves
| was recognized in the Constitution, we could not
But what Democrat in the Northern States ever
| proposed 10 have slavery 10 theNorthern States
! Not one. No such man ever lived. On the con.
trary, We all said those people down there have
it, and, by the help of God,we will always be free
from it, Therefore. We never made any objection
TO the thirteenth amendment fr-..
/ The fifteenth amendments We opposed, because
first, II was fraud upon the people in the May
that the thing was proposed and carried OUT and
nant party, made in the platform at Chicago. We
opposed il for stronger reasons than that. We
l Ss a sSs SShslS S Of the these so6SrH
States to the control Of a race not one in ten o.
whom could read, much less write, and OF whom
not one in thousand had the least idea Of the
Government under which he lived, and under
which they AEerea now 20 discharge the duties oi
| Lawmakers. If tse time should come when they
should be educated up to a proper standard to
enable them to exercise this right with intelli-
gence and to the welfare of the country, we said
Il would be right. t.. -, .t... d
: Nov what has been the effect Of this in the re
constructed States down South, with theiE pre-
Ponderance OF negro voters The result has been
that they are the Worst-goVerned pat Of God's
globe this day. Those States have been delivered
over to the tender mercies of the carpet-baggers
and adyenturers of the North, and of the meaneI
nen, the scalawags of the South: and. with, the
negroes IN combination with them, they govern
almost every one Of those states. And how dc
| they govern them2 When the ended those
States were Frustrated 20 degree we can hardly
realize, ravaged by their own armies well a
ours. The people were PROSTATE; their currency
was worth nothing; thousands and tens of thou
sands of their farms lay desolate under the
scourge of the war; they were ruined in fortune
humb. ed and PROSTATE in spirit. That was time
when it behoOFedz zus take Them by the hand,
and help them up. Just Ar that -time this Repub-
| lican party, these carpet-baggers and scalaWAgs
| took hold of the Government in these States.7 Z
| Let us go q little into detail First take the
State OF South Carolina. The last Legisiatfre OF
/ TINT State consisted of about eighty members
OF these sixty were negroes. Fifty-One OF that
| number cozld not read or write, lLlughterl No
wonder that one OF the first things they did was
to provide by law that each member Of the Legis-
| lature should be provided with a Secretary, at
the public expense, TO do their reading andiwri-
4 HNar