The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1872-02-03


I that the Union soldiers were told how
/ handsome were the women of the
/ South, and that they wore diamonds
and these defenders of the Union raj
lied under the cry of beauty and booty,
1t was such falsehoods as this that were
| put into the hands of the Southern
youth, who We're being steadily cduca-
ted into the belief that the rebellion
was no crime.
In conclusion he stated that he in
tended to support the civil rights
amendment. He agreed with MI.
Sumner that justice should go before
generOSity-beforc this spurious mag
nanimity. He regarded the passage of
any general amnesty bill as II great
strain on the fourteenth amendment !;
bst if the bill which is now pending
was adhered to, with his amendment,
(Nance,) and if Mr.. Summers amend-
ment was agreed to, he should be in
clined to vote for, he would not call
it this act of mercy, because mercy to
rebels was cruelty to the coming gem
erations.
MIR. TIIURAIAN'S ARGUMENT.
Mr.. Thurman expressed his great
surprise that after all this impassioncd
rhetoric about this immoral and inhu-
man act of amnesty, that the Senator
should indicate his Willingness to vote
for it if certain amendments were made,
which would not make it less immoral
or inhuman. It has got to be the GUS
tom for the Senator from Indiana to
sound the keynote at the beginning of
each political campaign, and it is then
taken up by the lesser lights and the
Journals of his party. This is the be-
ginning of the great campaign of -,
and he has sounded his note, but it is
no new tune, no new note it is the
same old horror of the rebellion, the
same old wiclledness Of the leaders, the
same old terrible suffering, the same
old frightful array Of imaginary consc-
Quences.
Mr.. Blair interrupted to ask if it was
the same note which the heSenator struck
when he made his speech in 1850 in
favor of Andrew johnson.
Mr.. Thurman said he would leave
the two Senators to decide that point
between them. He then went on to
say that the Senator from Indiana had
conjurcd up in his fertile brain and
lively imagination an array of horrors
which no human being III his senses
would believe for one Instant. The
Senator who is regarded a. the mouth
piece of the Administration and the
leader of the Radicals on This floor
holds up these prcpOSterou, statements
to frighten the. Americon people, but
it will not do. 1t might do very well
in a stump speech in some swamp of
Indiana, or it might go down with
ignorant people, but the Intelligent pco-
pie of this country know that all such
apprchensions are utterly prcposterous
simply ridiculous. But the Senator,
in speaking the keynote of the aD
preaching campaign, speaks in effect
Il denunciation of the Presidents mes
sage. The President, in his message,
declares in favor of that amnesty which
the Senator opposes.
In 1868 the President said, Let lis
have peace. " Some of us have
thought that he didn't live up to
that declaration. 1869 passed, and we
did not have peace. 1870 came and
went, and we had no recommends
ton from the President for any mCa-
sure in favor of peace. Now, the Pres
idcntS recommendations in favor of
ciVil-SerVicc reform have been met
with the cold shoulder by the Prcsi-
dents particular friends. He (NIr.
Thurman) did not understand this. In
common parlancc, it looked like throw
ing 4 tub to the whale. When the
President declares for civil service re-
form, perhaps it is with mental rCscr
walton that it is to be killed i'll Congress.
When he says he wants amnesty per
haps it is with tho understanding that
the Radical leaders are to oppose il.
He did not charge hypocrisy upon the
President, but it must be confessed this
looked very strange.
Mr.. Thurman then discussed at some
length the cOnStitItinnoIit$- "r tho ,-.;riJ
rights bill amendment of Mr.. Summer,
taking strong adverse ground. He
maintained that the principle of the
bill would utterly annihiIatc all local
sclfgOVcrnmcnt, and said from 1893
down to this time no such broad prin-
ciplc had ever been contcndcd for.
Mr.. lIdmundS asked in what did the
difference Of principle consist in this
bill and the civil-rights bill of 1866.
STATE RIGHTS.
Mr.. Thurman replied that when the
Senator got to be Chief Justice OF the
Supreme Court, which some said he
was to be, that then, being Judge, he
would hear both sides. lie then re-
sumcd his argument, and asked, if
there were noSuCh thing a. State rights,
how was it that Vermont was repre-
SCntcd on this floor by two Senators.