The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-05-23
HoYT & CO., Proprietors.
Mr, voorhees, Opens the Campaign Against
Greeley.
WASHINGTON, MAY Is.


WASHINGTON, May IS.
The political sensation today has been ahe
speech of Mr. VOORHEES,, of Indiana, made IN
the House this afternoon IN arralgnment OF tne
record of the Cincinnati nominee for the Pres
idencv. and on the relations which Democrats
bear 10 the candidate as we'll as to his record.
Mr.. Voorhees, is we'll known as q graceful and
forcible speaker, and always commands the
attention of the House. But to-day when he
rose and gave a political tone to his speech the
interest and excitement became unmeasured.
The Republican side focked over to the Demo
cratic aisles by dozens Members came from
the recesses of the cloak-rooms and the corrl-
dors, and spectators filed up the front rows IN
the galleries. The interest was worthy OF the
occasion. for it was the first open, unequ1vocal
sneech made in Congress on the present politi-
cal situation. Mr.. VOORHEES,, with candor,
however, spoke for himself and not Tor the
Democratic party. The excuse for MS speech
Was based on an editorial in the administrator
organ this morning, in which the lndlana
member was accused of hesitating and halung
over the position he ought to take on the Gin
cinnati Convention.
~" SPEECH OF MIR. VOORHEES,.
MIR. VOORHEES, (Dem., Ind,) rising to per,
sonal explanation, sent to the Clerks desk ana
had read newspaper paragraph, from the
Washington Republican, to the effect that ne
was halting and hesitating as to the position
he should take on the question of supporting
Mr. Greeley: and that, as his Democratic col
leapues were all said to be in favor OF Mr..
Greeley he was likely to lose the favor OF the
district where his voice had SO long been po-
tentiaI He declared that he did not halt or
hesitate. He had not halted or hesitated when
he had not more than fourteen Democratic
colleagues in the House, nor did he now. Ii
he could ever be tempted to abandon the prln-
cipIes of his political life it might have been
then. AS to the nominee of the Cincinnati
Convention, whoever believed in the high pro-
Sectiye tariff principles of its chief man might
support him, but he Mr.. V. would not. Was
heexpected to support Mr.. Greeley because ne
had been the lifelong champion OF doctrines
which he [Mr. ". opposed? Was he expect
ed, as Western man, representing western
laboring constituency that was ground down Dy
q high protective monopoly, to support the
great champion of protection2 Was he ex-
1ected to support a man who had been the
most clamorous advocate in all the land for the
Ku Klux legislation which had desolated the
homes of the Southern peoples If MIR. Gree
ley's nomination promised relief to that blast
ed and down trodden section there was not
much which he Mr.. Voorhees, would not
forego to subserve SO holy and so benign pur-
nose: but Mr.. Greeley had been the earnest
advocate of the legislation which had paral-
wed and prostrated the South; and was that
the reason why he should get his support
He was told that the present administrator
had bee, cruel and unkind to the South hut
che Administration had simply executed law
which the Cincinnati nominee had dictated to
Congress. That was all the difference between
a.. ,,o, fha Fyanutivn officpr acting
under his oath of Office to execute the law, and
the other was q man who had no oath on his
conscience in regard to the matter, but who
had urged the passage of that legislation.
Was he expected to support Mr.. Greeley be.
cause within a recent date he. desired still
further extension of the Presidents power to
suspend ha6eas corpus all over the South Was
he expected to support him because he was the
earnest and urgent advocate of the present
force -bayonet election law, that subjected every
voting precinct of 10000 people to the super
vision, and in certain contingencies to the con-
troll, Of the military? Was he expected to
support him because two months ago this very
man had clamored and ragged in his great organ
the State of New York under Federal contlol,
and also, in certain contingencies, under mili-
tary control. Was such man fit to receive
his vote for the Presidency Was such 8. man
ft to be in that high place7 Was that the
voice of craftsmanship which was called for at
this great hour7 Was that the reform that
had been promised? Was he to 60 before the
loyal Union sentiment of the country and ap-
neal to it in favor of man who stood on the
record for the 'tinalienable right of State or
of community to dissolve this Union? Was
he. as a friend of the Southern people, called
upon to vote for man who, during the entire
fall and winter of 1860, wrote with all his ac-
knowledged power in favor of the inalienable
right Of any dissatisfied portion of the country
to break up the Union and form another gov
ernment for themselves? Mr. Greeley had not
recanted these opinions, but, on the contrary,
in his book on the American Conflict, publish
ed in 1864, he had analyzed and defined them
to this effect That if on consultation, con-
yersation, and the like, the South still desired
with any considerable approach to unanimity
to separate, it should be allowed to do SO.
Mr.. Speer, of Pennsylvania, here interrupted,
and raised the point of order that Mr. Voor-
hees was not making personal explanation,
but that he was making political speech.
The Speaker overruled the objection, as MIR.
VOORHEES, was speaking of matters personal to
himself -,
Mr.. voorhees, then proceeded with his speech,
amid great excitement and confusion. He re-
heated that after three years of war, he had
Still held and published the same sentiments,
and they still stood unreversed. Was man
fit to be elevated to the Presidency who stood
committed to the doctrine that whoever desired
to dissolve their connection with the Govern
ment had the inalienable right to do so? That
might commend him to some people, but it
would not when his subsequent course was
called to mind Some Of the highest men in
the South had told him, Mr. Voorhees, with
tears in their eyes, that more. than any one
thing that satisfied them that they could have
q separate system and form of government to
suit themselves was the voice of the then VIC
toricus Republican party speaking through it's
acknowledged organ. And yet when the South
ern people did what this man had told then :,1
had the right to dG no vito M