Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-04-27
THE SOUTH.
Enforcement of the Fourteenth
Amendment.
speech of Hon. A. L. Garrett, of Ten
nessee, i'm the HOuse of Represent.
attves, April 3, 1871.
Concluded from Yesterday

That violations of law and Outrages are
committed in some of the Southern States
no one viii deny; neither do I presume
that any gentleman upon his veracity in
this House will deny that violations of
law and outrages upon the rights of
person and property are committed in
every State in this Union, including the
puritanical State of Massachusetts, where
only short time ago a schOolmarm was
stoned and murdered by her students.
Besides, every day we see published in
the newspapers of the country statements
that murders, thefts and robberies are
being committed everywhere in the North
ern as well as the Southern States; and l
will say here that there never was time
in the history of the country when all
men obeyed the laws and no crime was
committed. There certainly can be no
question in the mind of any gentleman
as 10 the fact that the reported Outrages
in the Southern States are msgniied a
thousand-fold. For the reasons already
stated, almost every Democratic Repre-
sentative in Congress voted for the reso-
luton authorizing the Speaker to appoint
a committee to go INTO the Southern
States and make a full investigation of
all the facts, and report all the outrsges
that can be sustained by the proof of re-
spOnsible parties, that in our legislation
we might be prepared to do equal justice
TO all citizens of the Uni ed States.
There is no man, sir, upon this floor
that deprecstes more than myself viola
tions of law, and l but speak the senii-
ment of nay party. No man has striven
harder to have the laws faithfully execu-
ted, without regard to party affiliations,
race, color, or previous condition than /
have striven myself. Bat, sir, we have
had placed upon the statutes of the Uni
ted States law which disqualifies from
holding Office a large class of the best
and most competent men ia the Southern
States. And the people have been CON-
PEELED TO elect and retain in Office men
who in many instances are wholly incom-
petent to discharge the duties of such
Office, and who, instead of trying to
prevent crime BY faithful execution of
the laws, have encouraged crime and
violations of the law. The records will
show that not one-fouTth of the offices
since the war have been filed by Demo-
CIdlSa dIu NCb ll1C OCLiONldllO par " oAC
charged with the failure of the execution
of the laws. l will guaranty that when
the Democratic Governor of Tennessee
shall be inaugurated, in November next,
that the laws viii be as faithfully eXecu-
ted in six months thereafter as in any
State in the American Union; and as
sert, even now, under the protection of
the Democratic party, now in power in
Tennessee, thst life, liberty, and property
is as secure to all classes of men as in
any of the States of this Union.
will say for the information of gen.
tlemen on the other side of the House
that if they wish life, liberty, and proper
ty fully protected, and peace and order
restored thrOugOut the South, instead of
passing this bill and creating military
despotisms in the South, which can only
tend to create disturbances there and
elsewhere, to pass law reducing taxa.
ton and tighten The burdens of the peo-
pie, remove ali political disabilities from
all men, placing all citizens upon a per-
feet equality before the law.
1t seems to Inc that gentlemen have
seen bad results enough growing out of
the passage of such laws to satisfy them
that they cannot prevent crime by Op-
pressing an already conquered and almost
ruined people.
The people of some of the Northern
States have lately spoken to you through
the ballot-bOx in unmistakable language,
warning you against further aggression
upon their constitutional rights,
The millions of the peoples money your
party have squandered in useless legisls-
ZION to secure the.equslizstiOn Of races, the
uromotion of worthless paTtissns, banking
co.Dora'iOns, freedmen's bureaus, railroad
rings, whisky rings, telegraph rings, tariff
rings and bond rings would have paid the
greater part Of the national debt and
would have lifted the burden from the
shoulders of the laboTing masses under
which millions of the poor sTo to-day
suffering. But all those great questions
of tariffs, finance and taxation are for
gotten in the great anxiety of the majority
of this House to hurry through some ex-
traordinary legislation during the present
session. to secure to them the power, by
force. fraud snd violence, to further rob
and harrsss the people, and perpetuate
themselves in power. 1t seems to me,
sir. that sill these attempts to regulate
eocjety by law would be more easily and
more agreeably settled il, like capital and
labor, they were left to regulate them
selves.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, q few mOmenta'
more indulgence in explanation of the
causes of all the troubles in the South,
and / will yield the floor. l ask the gentle
men on the other side if it is to be expected
that men who are guilty of almost every
crime known TO the law, and who own
no property in the South and have no in
terest in common with our people or sym
nathy for all our sufferings, should be
acceptable to us as Office-hOlders. That
euch men would make officers fit to be
Entrusted with the execution of the laws
no sane man would believe, Now, sir,
uine-tenths of ali the offices in the South
have been filed by just such men ever
slnce the war. Many of the men forced
into Office since the war by the
marty in power were lOudest in their de-
nunciation OF the Government in 1861
and 1862, went heels over head into the
rebellion, deserted ii, and joined the Fed
eral army, and since took an oath that
they had never given aid or comfort by
word, ACT or deed, to persons engaged in
armed hostility to the Government. !
leave it to the people to judge as to how
far we are to expect faithful execution
Of our laws by such officers.
Men, sir, who do not regard the sanci-
ty of a solemn oath are poor custodlsns.
/ should think, of thC public morals.
Not only have such men been forced upon
the Southern people IS officers charged
with the execution Of our laws and rights
Of our people, but they have been here
and made witnesses against the character
and liberties of the people. The liberties
of ten million Amenc, citizens have
bgen swept away upon their testimony,
taken entirely eE paTte in most cases.
And now, siT, you, by this bill, arraign,
try. and convict the whole people Of the
United States without giving them a