Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-01-26

cent TOBACCO tax.
To CentraIize Our Schools.
Educational Fund bill taken up. Mr..
Hear spoke thereon. He replied TO the
charges usually made against the Republican
party in reference to its legislative action,
casting the blame of all Objectionable legis-
latiOn on the Democratic party. Slavery,
the father to crime, disorder, and ignorance
had ever found in that party efficient and
active allies. When measures of redress
were proposed in Congress. that party clam
ored that they should be left to the States.
When proposed TO the States, that party
Clamored that they should be left TO the
counties and localities, and when proposed
to the localities, the ku-KluX klans of that
party burned school houses and murdered
or whipped teachers. In Tennessee to-day,
under the rule Of that party, there were
only % out Of 81 counties that has any
such schools, although there was a school
system in that State. Even Kentucky,
where Democratic rule had been undisturb-
ed for ten years, more than One-third of the
entire native white population were practi-
cally illiterate.
Mr.. Beck: Where did you get that re-
port?
Mr.. Hoar: From the census.
Mr.. Beck: Taken by fellows who tried
to make it as bad as possible. Let me tell
the gentleman that nearly every one Of
those men in Kentucky who cannot read or
write understood the practice of the Con-
stitution better than the gentleman from
Massachusetts.
Mr.. HOar continued at length and ap-
pealed to the gentlemen whose States were
unfortunate in regard TO illiteracy, to join
in the attempt to remedy the evil.
Mr. Burchard supported the bill though
he favored some notifications.
The Ru-KIuX Report.
Mr. Pollard reported from the Joint Com
mttee on Southern Outrages. The report
recommends the adoption of a resolution
calling on the President for the information
on which he acted in exercising in South
Carolina the powers conferred on hin in
the act of April 20, 1871, the Ku-KluX act,
with the names Of the persons arrested and
imprisoned, with all particulars; also such
other information as will convey a correct
idea Of the state ofsociety and the security of
life and property in that State and in North
Carolina, particularly as to the Lowery
gang, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas and
louisiana, including the recent legislative
GOIlllCJ LAcIts
Mr.. Beck offered a substitute cOEfining
the information asked to the State Of South
Carolina, inasmuch as that was the only
State where martial law existed, and as it
would require months to give all the infOr-
nation required in the original resolution.
He alluded to the fact that many persons
who had been arrested in South Carolina
had been discharged by the army Of8cers
arresting them on the payment of money.
In fact, they had been blackmailed, and he
referred as his authority for this statement
10 a letter which appeared in the New York
Herald of the 18th Of November, a carefully
written letter giving the names Of the officers
and challenging denial.
Mr.. Stewart opposed Mr.. Beck's substi-
tute, first, because it contained a state
ment that was not true, namely: that the
President had declared martial law in
South Carolina. That was not true.
Martial-law suspended civil law, and ifthat
had been suspended the recent trials in
Columbia, S. c., would not have been
held where two Of the ablest lawyers in the
land were feed largely to defend the ku-
kluX wretches and actually left the court
room in shame. For his own part he
should have had no objection TO see hun
dreds or thousands of these Ku-Kiux
wretches tried by drum-head courtsmar-
tial and swinging to the highest trees.
Mr.. Van Trump questioned the state
ment as to the counsel for the Ku-Klux