New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-06-18
speech OF Hon. AlOnzO }. tansier,
8fS8uih CarOlina. in the House
Representatives Tues
day. June o. 1874.

Mr.. RANSIER said:
NJ Speaker 1 am obliged to my friend for
yielding portion of his time to me. while
am sorry that by doing so he has interrupted
himself in his eloquent speech. L had in
tended, if had had the opportunity, to say
something on this occasion by way of reply
to part of recent speech by the gem
tleman from Mississippi, (Mr. Lamar
and that of the gentleman from Tennessee,
| (Mr. Butler.) The few minutes allowed me,
however, are not sufficient to enable me
even to briefly sketch what l had hoped t,
| be able to say.
The remarks on yesterday of the distn-
guished Mlssissippian Mr.. Lamar) who some
what electrified the House, and who by the
| way seems to be somewhat in advance of
those for whom he spoke in the matter of a
sincere and hearty acquescence with some
of the results Of the late war. attracted my
attention for more reasons than one. The
first was because to many of his utterances
Importance ought to be attached, coming
from the gentleman who spoke. But when
he said that the negroes in this country were
possessed of all the rights and privileges
attaching to other citizens, 1 cannot admit
that he stated what was exactly true. For
| If that were the fact five millions Of people
would not be asking the Congress of the
United States to-day for the passage of the
civil rights bill. Nor would the dying words
of Charles Sumner, addressed to Mr.. Hoar,
have been uttered, ''Do not let the civil
rights bill FAIL" Nor would the Senate of
the United States sit twenty consecutive
hours to pass a useless measure. Hence
say that the statement of the distinguished
Misssslppian that the colored people of this
country possessed all the rights attaching to
American citizenship, followed up by the
imploring appeal that we ought to pay some
| attention to the rights and interests of the
| white people of the South, was not exactly
| true /; else we would not be here to-day ask
ing the Congress of the United States to pass
the civil rights bill nor would we b. here
to-day reminding the Republican party of the
country of their solemn obligation to pass
such a bill, nor would we be here to remind
the Republican party to-day that if Congress
adjourns without the passage of such bill
to which it $ )mmtted, they will democrat
Ize nine nun red thousand voters in this
country aud ~ thhOld an act Of Justice from
five mill ons o. people. | repeat that the
statement ui the gentleman from Mississippi
is not exactly true, as has already been
abundant proven.
But it ], a sicu, Mr. Speaker, Of the rapid
strides 0. progress we have made as nation
that the Iii ,mguished gentleman from MIS-.
s;ssippi, Identified in the manner he is with
the past, il now seeking to blot out that past
so far as Gin-inr to its dead issues is con-
cerned. J hail ne spirit of his speech as
indicative OF the progress and advancing
strides we arc mixing as a nation. But |
say to-day, and | speak, if | can, to the
country, that so sjIg as there is an impression
that the colorcd man in this country has OBJ
tanned all that attaches to American citizen.
ship, or that the passage of the civil rights
bill will work injuriOusly to either whites OF
| blacks, there never was a greater mistake
made. If that were the fact, | say again
| there never was il more useless or unne-
cessary imploratiOn uttered than that EN-
bodied in the dying words of Charles Sum.
ner. stake care OF the civil rights BILL"
Now, sir, let me say in the brief moment
allowed me that what pains me most in this
matter is that men coming from the South
from Tennessee and from Virginia, indebted
for their elevation to the position of the
members of Congress on this floor in part at
| least to cOlOred votes, are to be found de.
claring that colored men do not want the
civil rights bill. They misrepresent that
portion of their constituencies. | say to
them, in the language of Charles Sumner To
a Senator of the United States, "They are
not your constituency; they are mne."
You misrepresent them and have added in
suit to the injury you would intlict.
When the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr.
Butler) said that the cOlored people did not
want civil rights, that portion of his cOnstitu-
ency almost at that same moment were, in a
State convention called for the purpose, en-
gagged in making a protest against the posi-
ton assumed by Mr.. BrOwnlOw, of Tennes-
see, who had written against the bill.
The convention referred to passed the
following resolutions
Whereas the Congress of the United
States, by public authority, have made large
donations and endowments to many educa-
tional institutions, to citizens Of the several
States of this Union and whereas Tennes-
see has received the fund allowed and pro-
vided by this supreme authority of our
country, and the colOrcd citizens form large
part Of the pOpul alton of the State and have
received none of the benefits of this liberal
provision for public improvement; and where
as there is now bill before the Congress
of the United States comforting on the col
ored citizens civil rights, and as it is our duty
us men to arrange means of instruction for
the perfect development of pOstcrity, We call
the attention of the Congress Of the United
States to the fact that the public institutions
of Tennessee are defective in point of prin-
ciple and practice, are anti-republican and
prOscrptive, and their tendency is to breed
-
spirit of caste and hate: therefore,
Resolced, That we most respectfully ask
the passage of the civil rights bill as intro
duced by Hon. Charles Sumner, of Massa-
chusetts, and reported by the Judiciary Com
mittce, containing the provisions of an i'm
partial education afforded to us and our
children by the public schools Of this country,
as the most potent power to develop true
republicanism and love of country, good
feeling and personal regard mutually.
Resolred, That the institutions endowed
by the General Government be so regulated
that the colOred citizens shall be admitted to
them impartially, in proportion to their pop
ulation, and provision shall he made to carry
out the apportionment of this class of citi-
zens and whereas the common or public
schools of the country is the medium through
which an education will reach the masses of
the citizens, we, as American citizens, de-
mand that we shall enjoy them impartially,
that we may encourage protection in repub-
| lie where all are equal before the law, and
promote high and useful career for the
young upon the enduring basis of true and
consistent republic, which generously show
| ers its blessings upon all alike, regardless of
external circumstances or condition.
Rcsolred, That we will consider the omis-
sion Of the Republican party to enact this
measure baseless surrender of the rights
of humanity to our insidious foes, who have
contested upon the avenues of civil life every
right we enjoy, as they did every right of
freedom on the field Of battle and we will
do our utmost to stamp upon every dema-
gogue who seeks to betray the privileges of