New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-17
DEBATES IN THE SENATE.
WEDNESDAY, January 10, 1872
TCnECJ VynEn

WEDNESDAY, January 10, 1872
(CONCLUDED1
Mr.. Gallup suggested an addition to tho
that the President be adyiseS
that the quorum is broken by the interfs.e
ence of the federal officials, and be requested
TO cali upon them to desist from that ints,s'
ference.
Mr.. Hunsaker supported the motion. /.
would give the President an opportunity to
disavOW the acts of these officials. He de-
sired the President to have an Opportun;t,
of placing himself on record before tn
country.
Mr.. Campbell-What has been said h,
Senators in the course of this discussio.
has suggested to me some other point.
which / ought to have stated in describins
the situatiOn. l wish to refer first to az
fact that in furtherance Of their DESIGN.
these United States officials arrested nun
her of Senators and Representatives a.
use the common parlance"
IA yiolatOrs of what is known as the on
forcement act Of Congress. have charped
upon the floor of the Senate that Thea
arrests were made insincerely, and with :
perfect knowledge on the part of thow
making the arrests that l, for instance, wa
guilty of no such thing as being Ku-Klur
forcement act which either l, or any of NV
colleagues arrested with me, had evs,
Violated, or had ever intended to yiolst.
at any time OF our lives And
wish here to state the circumstance
ont of which this cha rye arose. / had
taken the liberty to differ with nv chi.
league on the State Central Republican
committee. United States Marshal Packard
in one respect. When the contest arose in
the Republican ranks and began to assume
the grave aspect it now wears, l was con.
yinced sincerely and from the bottom Of
nv heart that 1t was no longer question
of WarmOth or anti-WarmOth, State adj
mtnistration or anti-State administration.
Customhouse or anti Customhouse, but was
fast becoming question Of Republicanism
or Democracy or mobocracy, and that the
institutions of republican government
every right which the colored people Of
this State had secured by legislation
every right which l, as a Republican
and as Northern man by birth.
had acquired here was put at stake in the
preseryation to the end of the constitutional
term of the present State government In
other words, was convinced then, as |
am convinced to-day, that the success Of
these gentlemen meant, not simply the
overthrow of one faction of the Republican
party and tho substitution of another, but
the entire, complete and final overthrow in
this State Of anything like Republican gov.
eminent. Or, in palmer words, if these
conspiratOrs succeed, we, all of us who are
sitting here, have seen the last Republican
government any of us will ever see in the
State of Louisiana. Therefore, deemedh
NV duty to unite with my colleagues ia
sustaining against revolution, against con.
spiracy, the hands of the present Governor
For that l am charged with being
Ku-Klux. Mark you, am charged with
conspiring with certain parties to put down
the rights of men in this State Observe
the insincerity and Inconsistency which
stamps the men making this charge as lian
If l had been guilty or this thing should
have been treated as the ku-klux are
treated in South Carolina. l should hare
been marched to Jail between fixed bayp
nets, and there fncarcerated without bail
until brought to trial. What was donel
was simply notified of my arrest, and, while
protesting against it because it was viola
ton of my rights on this floor, yet, to avoid
excitement, quietly said to the deputy
United States marshal l was per
fectly willing to appear and give ne.
cognizance, and was then told,
Ku-Klux! l, a conspiratOr against The
people of this State-tO take carriage
and come down quietly by myself and ne
port to the United States marshal and give
my parole. If 1 had been guilty of these
crimes which they charged me with. and
which, on conviction, would have sent me
to the State prison, would they have al
lowed me to go as gentleman along thes
streets, at my own free will and pleasun
and report myself to the marshall Thg
didn't believe a word Of it. They ARRESTED
me under false pretenses. They ARRESTED
me for a political purpose, and used The
United States courts to gain their end
This is what charge, and l ask that thish
made known to President Grant. Now let
us 90 a little further. l ask our Lieutenant
Governor, who has now taken his chair
to reflect one msment upon what is charged
against this Senate, against you. against
me and against all Of us. We have put
upon the statute book of this State certain
laws, called the election, the cOnstabulary
and the school laws. They are the laws
which are obnoxious to these Democrats
conspirators. What were they put there
for! In 1868, before these laws were passed
the people OF Louisiana pretended to hold
free election for President of the United
States. Out Of fifty parishes in this
State. out of thirty Republican parishes
out OF fOrty-fve or fifty thousand Repub
lican voters, but twelve or fifteen hundred
votes were cast in favor Of General Grant
And why! l speak by the record which
these gentlemen over the Gem will not dare
to deny. Because a mob of Ku-klux had
conspired to prevent. by violence
and terror, the Republican voters from
expressing their will at the polls. To pre-.
vent the repetition of this intimidation and
laws placing the elections under central
control. That Legislature enacted your
civil rights bill and your school law. a.
the Lieutenant Governor has remarked.
the repealers include all in their pro
gramme except the civil rights bill. and
that is among the 'Other laws they desre
to abrOgate. l venture to assert that one
of the bargains entered into by Speaker
Carter was that this law also should Be
OverthrOwn. Irepeat, sir. that whatever may
have been the errors or whatever the crimes
of this State government, if it goes down.
down goes every one of these laws which
secure equal rights to the people you rep
| resent. And am Ku-Klux for endeavor
ing to preserve these laws, Mr.. Garter
and Mr.. Packard, who have bargained and
sold us out, have committed themselvesh
contract by which these laws are to@
repealed. They claim to be the partieun
friends of the cOlOred people, and denounee
US who sustain these laws as Ku-klux. anu
viOlatOrs of the enforcement law. ds
tinctly charge that the design of Marsha
Packard, Collector Casey and Genera
Beckwith is to lead this revolution Just one
step further, and more, just far enough 70
procure the declaration of martial law, @
that the affairs of the State will D.
put under the control of United
States officials, thus giving them entls
| control over the politics of this State
l charge that tor their individual aggrai
dizement, for the sake of putting them
selves in power. Casey, Packard 4 Go. art
! willing to overthrow every law guarantee
ing equal rights in this State. and are now now
aiming at the declaration of martial law Ioi
that purpose. l ask Senators. and all Ne
G, Il Al