Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-06-19

Mississippi made very wise ana HDeTal
provision for the erection of school bouses
and the support of common schools for all
the children in the State, both white and
colored. This met with most violent opposi-
tion on the part Of many of the white people.
| A great number Of school-houses were burned
many teachers were killed, many more were
whipped and otherwise abused, and a still
| greater number were driven away. These
are the only cases as l rccollect where any
law or governmental act was made the ex-
cuse for violence in all the thousands Of
pages Of violence.
! / remember an incident in the evening
which gives the key to this opposition. We
! had before US witness young Irisbman
! by the name Of Mcbride. lie had been
! teacher for some years in Cincinnati, but after
| the establishment Of schools in Mississippi
| he went to that State and engaged in teach
| ing lie taught a colored school for several
months, and was well received and treated
| by the white people living in the neghbor-
| hood. So well was he liked tLat he was
made teacher Of the white Sabb blth-schoOl.
While thus quietly pursuing his duties the
house where he lived Was one night sur
rounded by a large body OF armed men: he
was taken by them from his bed in his night
clothes, and in that condition carried to a
swamp atsOme distance and terribly beaten
lie succeeded in escaping with his life. ask
ed him what they said 10 him, and what rea-
son, if any, they gave for the act. His answer
was '' All they saId 10 ne was that they
would learn me not % come 10 Mississippi 70
make niggers sgOod as white folks This
was the spirit THAT opposed the education ot
the cOIortd pc pie in Mississippi and this fur
nishes the true key To the opposition u all
advancement Of THAI race IN the South.
The old spirit Of slavery, the desire rule
and dominate over the cJlorci people still
prevails to a large extent. They stu, expect
and require that the negroes shall exhibit the
same crnging submission in their conduct
and behavior tJ the whites a. when they
were slaves. 1t they do not, 1t Is lnsolencc
or mpudence Ia examining witnesses as
to the treatment Of the lored people by the
whites several stated they We're kindly treat
ed by the people unless they were insoleut- !
To ascertain what was meant by this term /
asked one witness 10 describe what he meant. /
He did not give very clear idea. ! put q
case to him. suppose white man employs
a negro 70 work, OF has dealings with him /
and they differ Iu the -cttlcmcnt IF the wages T
OF price, VIII the negro De allowed u claim +
what he considers has rights, and argue The +
Justice Of his side, Iu manner thar would T
he considered proper 1y white man IN his /
place 90 BY no means said lie. At This /
point member of the committee said 10 me, /
" Neither would you or any other New Eng +
land man. ] was happy 70 ssy 70 my col- +
league, as l say 10 you, Mr. Speaker. that he +
was entirely mistaken. that any decent man /
in New England, any New Eug.aud gentle f
man ~ such circumstances would be alto F
gether more gentle and i5rhearinE than with +
his equal, and would suppose he sacrificed {
none OF his dignity thereby.
But. Mr. Speaker, before I close / want o. +
say a word On Jhe subject 3t the Increase al f
2 fob f. t.
So much has been said hE the Democratic
press ami Democratic orators. Ilc great .
bulk OF this increase has arisen rom grant
ing the aid of tile States T. railroads. and .
other public works within the States, pr /
issuing State bonds o. them Now. whether
these acts were wise or uuw.sc, they were
not for the benefit u CJl1rC1 men or carpet
baEsers. These roads are aL owned hy
different class "a men altogether, having mo
sympathy politically with these maligucd
classes. If they were procured by corrupt
means, they are the parties really IN fault
II they brbcd Or deceived ignorant c3lorcd
or made unholy alliances
with adventurous carpet lagEcr-. 1t does not
lie IN the mouths Of their political friends to
charge the fault uV.n the Republican party.
Mr.. Speaker, my time is nearly MP AMI
must close. ! trust these dark and bloody
days and deeds are over. Tie Jaw that was
passed bv Congress vcar ago has done
WORK. hundreds y. these mis-
guided and cruel men have been indicted.
ami many convicted and are now suffering
The penalty of the iLw. Many hundreds Ut
hcm have voluntarily confessed their guilt,
and others have fed the country. Tie pub
lc trials have brought O. the light Ot day the +
lark and damuiuy deed, 0t this order, and
heir horrible atrocities. The words OF their :
,wn counsel which have been quoted by Tie
gentleman who preceded me, have rung all !
,ycr the land. Well 90 | know how the
,reat heart of that generous old man must q
nave been panied by the recital OF their d
nominations. 5
/ trust the time has come when the sober I
ense of intelligent men of the South VIII ,
omc 10 the rescue, that they Will see that Z
Of such acts operates most in +
uriousy upon every interest OF their sec +
ION II they Will not, then reliance can 3
.nly be had upon = firm and vigorous admin !
isratiOn oi the law u Congress against ,
hose ofenscs, and all experience has domon- +
tratcd that this can be done and Will be ;
Jnc only at the hands of q Republican Ad- ,
nlnistratIOn. II peace can be had only by :
1rce Of the law, the friends of the law must
minister it.
Mr. Speaker, connected a= l have been +
With the Committee To Investigate the Con !
ition Of Affairs IN the late lnsurrcctionary q
y
be House, having reported the pending bill !
0 extend the provisions of the fourth section r
f the law commonly known as the " ku 4
lux act 1t may properly be expected that +
should say WORD in reference to it before I
close. That Congress might properly con- Y
er upon the President the power to suspend 4
be writ of ha5eas corpus in the contingency -
rovided for in the original act was deter ;,
lined by the nearly unanimous vote of the :.
republican majority IN Congress when the Y
i'll was passed l do not propose to rcargue :
be point at all. That power expires with n
his session Of Congress. Ought it to be =
lrtber extended
When the committee reported this bill in Il
be early part of this session the state OF !;
fairs in the South was quite different from j
hat which now exists. The various trials g.
nd convictions under the law had not then =
AIKEN place, and the full salutary effect Of I
be enforcement of the law had not been :,
,lt. Now, there is very general peace and -
rder throughout the South 1t is said that :,
nder such circumstances to provide for a u
of the writ of habeas corpus, upon :
1me future contingency, is manilestly i'm
roper. But we ought not to forget what =
as taken place. In many parts Of the South +
Odies Of armed men have created such a -
eign Of terror that the entire BODY of col ',
red citizens have not dared to vote or hard -
to exercise any rights of citizens The =
vil law, so far as they were concerned, was -
tterly set aside. The power to do the same =
ling again exists as potently as ever Is il -
q unreasonable suppositiOn that under the q
ime circumstances and with the same in -
ucements the same terrible acts will not be =
epeated? And is it a mere hypothetical,
naginary fear We propose TO legislate r.
gainst? For my own part, | would prefer -
! keen m every safeOuard for the Orotectior "