New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-18
aure.,v opd Civil Rights.


| Questioned. and inputatiOns have Deeh
made that, think, ought never to be mace
| in this .bod@. l am little surprised thas
| ,h.. Senator from South Carolina, after this
| long debate that we have had here, shouIo
| rise and now impute motives 10 oeha1ols
| that are not justified by tneir a'o"'ie VI
| their votes. .,,5 =;
Mr.. Conkling-It has been INDUCED IN
frennentlv before by others. There is nothing
Mr.. Wilson, have admitted that. l
| suppose that Senators who have aVo"ou
themselves in favor OF amnesty mean
what they say. and Senators VINO nave
voted for the civil rights amendment voted
for it because they thought it was the's
| duty SO to vote, and that it was sOnno
policy to carry these two measures
| through the Senate and through Congress
together. have voted for the civil rights
amendment proposed by my colleague be-
canse there are some provisions of it which
| I deem essential, and demanded by the
necessities of a portion Of our fellow clt''
zens.
am not only in favor of amnesty as far
| as the bill that is before us goes, but go
a GREAT deal further, and am willing to so
amend the bill that the exceptions shaii
| apply ONLY to the members OF the caDlnet,
| iudDes of the Supreme Court, and men,
| hers of Congress who took part IN the
| rebellion.
That was the view entertained when
| the provision was put into the constructor .
We have been called upon to vote often
during the last ten years, not always &C
cortling to our Wishes but according TO the
needs Of the country. We have often peeh
! compelled to give up our own MODES Vi ac-
ton. and all that we wish to do, to carry
orr friends along together to accomplish
engaged And when this proposition was
made originally to put this disqualification
| in the constitution of the country, IN an
other place and in another consultatlon,
opposed it, and voted alone against 1t; oub
voted for it here because L yielded my
Judgment to others; l advocated it before
the people, and have stood on it. l wished
then simply to put into the constitution
disqualification applying only to the men
who sat here with us, or who were in the
Supreme Court or in the Cabinet and, with
oaths upon their lips, plotted, day and
| night, treason against the country.
thank God, sir, that We have taken no
blood for this rebellion since the clash OF
arms ended. l am glad that no man has
been executed. l do not believe this gov
eminent would be stronger to-day II we
had done it. do not believe the govern
ment of France to-day Is stronger 1o- exc
cutting the communists whom they nave
convicted We asserted the power OF the
government: everybody knows it, and with
the assertion of that power has gone out
the record of the charity, the humanity.
the mercy of this Christian, democratic
republic and it is as much honor TO US 10
day that we did not try and shoot down
men or hang them after the war was over,
; "a it was that we put down that rebellion
itself.
In saving this, sir, have not word to
saw in regard to any mitigation OF the quit.
There is no man in America VINO oe4e1es
more in the guilt of these men than l do.
They have been punished. When we re,
member who they were, how they ruled
i, this country for two generations, how they
!, voted down sacred rights, how they az
L vanced in one aggression upon the country
: after another until they raised the standard
+ of revolt in their ecstacy of power and hope,
I and see where they are to-day and what
I they are defeated. never more to guide the
destinies of this country, their bondmen
, taken from them and made citizens OF the
}, United States; their millions gone; poverty
d over that section of the country, and what ls
/ more and greater than all this, record tina
r istoli as long;as the history of the country
i is to live. and that record being that these
y men in this age Of Christian civilization
\ that these men in this day OF light and
knowledge, in this Christian democratic
e republic, for the purpose of continuing tex
} tiers on human limbs, keeping auction
', blocks and whips, selling babies, and e1-
IL tending their power and control IN the
It country, raised their hands against this Ma
IS ton and strove to blot the republic from
:, the list OF nations.
q Now, sir, the record is to go down Il
coming time blacker tomorrow than 1t ::
y to-day. 1t was a sin against the human
u race and the human race will never forge
l. il and never forgive it. When time passe-
y away when we get away from slavery L
Is all It's influences, in the calm and bette!
e. DAYS that are to come, humanity the wid'
lie world over will look with horror upon tina
IL record, And, sir, is there a Senator her
to day who would not rather be taken OF
Ill and Shot like a dog, or hung like one
u, within an hour, than to have his name asss
III ciated with that rebellion! Why, sir, tall
IS of prisons, talk of hangings and shootings-
!, imprisonments, hangings and shooting
I'll would be mercy rather than to have such .
record as that to go down to coming time
to I would rather die d million deaths of TIL
a most ignominious character than to hav
De my name associated in any way with tina
%. rebellion; and so would not only ever
II, patriotic man and liberty loving man, bu
lr every man in Gods world who believes l
y. the progress OF the human race and IN tt
lp dignity of humanity. They have been pun
Id ished they are being punished; they ar
Is. to be punished more in the future than i
~ the past, and the time will come when thos
ne men, hope, will get their eyes open enoug
i'd to see that they would call upon the yer
e. mountains to hide them from the face
ne outraged humanity.
do not want to keep this punishment.
u. They have been punished. l am willing
OF therefore, to go in this matter of removin;
1t disabilities to this extent, to let eyerybod
OF go, even members of the conventions an
Tn military and naval men. These miltar
Is and naval men do not amount to much
ne They generally had not much to do abou
ut leading. They followed their section of til
% country out; they followed the statesmen an
II politicians that went out and organized tn
y rebellion. There is not a great deal to b
IL said about them l am willing to let the1
ep and the men in the conventions out, and
ed propose and intend, if get an opportunity
TO 10 move an amendment that shall carry on
Is my own view, applying the exception OIL
n to men who have been in Congress, me
n who have been in the Cabinet, and men VIII
~ have sat on the seats of the Supreme Coul
- of the United States. There would b
IT, perhaps two hundred or two hundred an
,e- fifty of them. And, sir, will go further.
D. will pardon any of them when they ask IL
ng to do it, and show by/their conduct the
ne they mean honestly TO submit to the const
10 tuition and laws OF the country. There al
ne some of these men who have behaved we
IL since the war closed, whose influences hay
lie been good. There are others who have acte
or far otherwise.
nd Now, sir, / am in favor not only of az
an nesty as far as the bill goes, but further.
am in favor of the civil rights amendlneI
that shall protect the colored citizens of Il
United States all over the United State
everywhere, North and South, in travelin
M in public cOnveyances, in being taken cal
of of in hotels, and of settling the question
m equality in the primary schools of the cou
fryu IL, &c TO he dnnn to- Il