Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-04-19
Condition of the South.

Speech of Hon. A. M. Waddell,
OF EOKTH CAROLINA,
In the House of Representatives,
.IprH -, 1872,
uN THE c0NDITIoN OF THE SOUTH.
Me. WADDELL.-Mr. Speaker, | APP
ur0ach the task which my duty as MEM
Der Of the Committee on Alleged Outrages
ID the Southern States imposes upon me
with uutejgnCd reluctance. The country
is yyearied with the subject, the people are
sick 81 the hollow hypocrisy OF this Ku-
hiGx crusade; but, although rs an individ-
ual do not claim and cannot expect the
same degree of attention which has been
and viii be accorded Ia my more dlStln-
guisied colleagues on the committee, it is
still my misfortune TO be the only original
nenIH"r Of that committee who is a native
resilient and Representative of a State al
tuctcd by this report and the legislation on
which il is based, and therefore only l
speak. | shall Go 50 very plainly, because
I feel very deeply; but | am not weak
gl0u1h to suppose that anything l may say
viii affect in the least degree the action of
the House; | know that if [ should speak
with the tongues Ofmen and Of angels, and
III the spirit If heavenly charity, and should
produce proofs as strong as Holy Writ to
Show the disastrous effects of the estab-
li5hed policy of the Government toward
my unfortunate cOuntrymen, my words
would still be but as sounding brass and a
tinklng cymbal. | am painfully sensible
Of the fact that Southern Representatives
are poweHess here, except to the extent of
their votes, and know full well how futile
it is for one of us to protest against the
4riayous wrongs under which our people
have suffered and are suffering. If we bear
witness to them we are discredited if we
uenOuuce them we are accused of dislOy
atty silence concerning them is miScOn-
,tr;td into &Cquiescence: approval aud JUS
Jilitution Of them open the only path to
yrctclmpnt. / must not remain silent; l
cannot approve them, bat il spite Of the
penalty Will bear witness and l will de-
n0tlnce.
Congress passed a bill at the last session
entitled! AN act to enforce the provisions
0i the fourteenth amendment, and for
other puypOseS.> The other and real pur-
pose. rs every intelligent man in the cOun-
Try well knew, was to make political capital
iur the Republican party so as to carry the
next presidential election. 1t combined
The two usual characteristics of all legisla-
;
tive and bald uucOnstitutiOnality. | know
that in these piping times of centralism the
unCOnstitutiOnalIty of q measure is no ar
glImeHt against il; that the higher law of
DlrtY necessity controls; that States have
no rights, reserved or otherwise, against the
. encroaChments of the central power" as
. The court journal exultingly terms it, and l
only alhIde to that as All interesting feature
Of the bill. The great object in passing it
was not to give the President power to
crush out Il new rebellion, Which ''threat-
cned the life Of the nation," but to rouse
the passions and excite the fears of the
northern people with the pretense that
such a conspiracy against the Government
really existed, and thus to unite them for
the coming campaign. | have until re-
. Gently sometimes feared IL: that object
has been accomplished. e,;rIIS,' the perfect
indifference, the utter inscuSiOiilty exhibit
, ed throughout the country IN regard to acts
4 ct absolute dcSpotism committed by officers
civil and military, State and national, were
difficult to account IOr except upon that
hypothesis. Since the passage Of the act
occurrences which Il few years ago would
have co!vUlsed the country have happened
without producing at the time a ripple
upon the surface of public opinion, and all
the odium which rightflIily attached to them
las been sklituly transferred IL blameleso
shoulders by those who are facet ioJlSly
termed public servants.
Now, Sit. l 10 not intend to occupy the
attitude Which some gentlemen seem to
think is the appropriate one for Il Southern
Representative. J. am not here as a dcfen-
4 der Of constituency Of criminals. 1 have
no excuses or apologies to make for them,
Or for myself. Whatever my deficiencies OF
Intellect Or experience MAY be, | stand here
- m al FIR
constituency III every respect equal to the
proule5t represented here, and only dis
tinCUishCd from il hy sublime tOrttudC
under crushing aud rcic'Iess calamity and
persecution. | intend not to palIilte the
falsely alleged ollonses Of my countrymen
not to -egret that they do not enjoy the pc
CuIiar civilization of other parts Of the CoIIn-
try, with which they are continually and
Extensively tainted a.; not to plead for elem
cncy TO them, but TO dcnOuncc the tyranny,
the oppression, the wrong, and robbery
which been practiced upon them for
six gears, aad Which, becoming familiar as
they have 10 the american people, threaten
10 destroy tie last NcStiCc Of constitutional
liberty throughout this land. And in the
performance Of this duty shall not mince
my words.
Let ); be understood, too, at the outset
, that l speak not as Il partisan, but as rep
a. JCSCntatlVC OF thousands OF frcc-OOrn Amer
lean citizens. 1 rcpudiatc utterly, in this
connection, any interest whatever in any
political party. The Southern people have
ceased TO be enthusiasts on that subject. 1t
may be very proper for gentlemen repre-
son;ing Northern ana Western constituent
cic9 TO become excited i'll regard to ques-
tons q finance, the tariff, civil service re-
InIn, ana the Ike but all these things are
at this time matters Of but little moment
totlie people of the States purposely, falsely,
and iusltltin2ly called " insurrectionary."
/ We care nothing about your Syndicates,
OF high tariffs, or foreign relations, or Tam
many thefls, or cusJom-holISe frauds, or
! other such questions, SO long as you con-
tinUe, as you have done, to perSecute and
SANDER us, to rob us Of our right Of local
sel1-government, and to legislate in every
/ way against our interests.
/ 1t seems that a certain class of persons
/ (and unfortunately a ruling class) will
never relent or cease to crafty their cow
ardly malice toward the ruined people of
the South. They are, fortunately. for the
character Of the American people, not the
class whose courage on the battlefield shed
honor upon the American name. The
Thanksgiving soldiers and sailors of the
North, with rare exceptions, have no SYM
patty with his mean, malignant spirit, and
there has not been day since 1886 when