The Republican journal., 1875-01-21
Senator Gordon en- Louisiana.

gia, commented as follows on the speed
,, OF Senator West, OF Louisiana
! DO not propose to reply to the speed
OF Senator West. | am quite willing i
should 60 to the country and make it
, own answer; but when the people whom
l love as my own life, whose fortunes arr
mlne through veal or woe, through life
or death, are held up as assassins and mur
, derers, cannot, and will not, remain ST.
lent; and IT my voice and gestures are
tremulouS now with emotion. it is no
emotion OF anger, but the emotion OF in.
olghatlon at the outrage perpetrated upon
my people. stand aghast at the spectacle
presented in this Senate yesterday, a spec
tacle OF one portion of the members seek
ing to rum the talr name and honor Of the
people OF one section OF this country be-
tore civilized world. am amazed, utter
~ amazed, that there should be found in
the hearts OF men with whom | daily
associate upon this floor, so much hate
am totally unprepared for it, and if
belleved to day that the expressions which
l heard from Senators lips yesterday re-
hected the sentiments OF the northern
people, l would feel that it was time for
the southern people to die
II | believed those expressions fore
shadowed the policy of the government
toward the South, then | would say
let US have done with this farce of local
self government. | do not believe such
sentiments are entertained by the northern
people. l do not believe the brave men
against whom the people of tue South
have lately contended entertain any such
sentiments. | believe the great majority
OF the American people, both North and
South, white and black, abhor any such
spirit Of animosity. [ believe that the
movement inaugurated in 1872 by that
large headed and large hearted man of
New York, to bring about good feeling
and harmon, will be successful. In the
support which | give to the resolution as
presented by the Senator from Ohio (Thul.-
many l protest against any construction
which would make it appear that am
! wanting in respect to the President of the
United States [ do not propose to discuss
the resolution, but to reply to what | am
forced t. conclude are gratutious insults
offered to my people by some Senators On
the other side Of the chamber. 1t is charg-
ed that murders prevail throughout the
South, and that these murders are bv the
| hands OF the Democratic white man's party
| My reply to that is brief The charge is
false
1t is true that murders have occurred,
| but no one deplores them more than nv
self, nor more than the people represent
My people have always said that the class
OF people committing these murders are
the worst enemies OF the South III muir
ders are committed, is that any reason for
branding the whole southern people as q
| set of assassins? Wherever in the southern
States people of honesty and integrity
have control of public affairs, property.
lille and liberty are as safe as they are in
any northern State. Applause in the gal
| leries Does the Senator from Vermont
! [Edmundsl forget that there are States
in the North in the hands of Democrats.
! 1apprehend those states are governed lust
as well as States governed by Republicans.
| am sure such is the case in the South
Since the war not solitary arm has been
raised in Southern State against the
power Of the federal government, and vet
the southern people are charged day after
day with being disloyal towards the GOV
! ernment, because there are riots at cleo
| tions and riots at cross roads.
| 4 band Of misguided negroes. who
I IiUl " atuaN ~, II, ',4,-~~ t. -
| Ii they are attacked and conflict ensucs
| in which a few are killed, the South is then
charged with disloyalty and antagonism
I to the federal government. COlOred militia
men might insult women, rob and piiIage
and drag innocent men from their beds,
and when the white men resist them the
southern people are held up as murderers
and assassins, Men are sent down among
them who have no common interests with
them. These men administer the laws,
collect the taxes and govern the southern
people. and then malign the same people
If the South ask how New England would
like that, how the West would like that,
and strive by all lawful means to over
throw those men, her people were charged
with being murderous assassius How long
are we thus 70 be misunderstood in the
fuce Of every evidence we give of our
readiness to meet the northern people on
equal ground?
But we are told that we intimidate voters
1t does not matter what may be our mi
noritY, though we may be as one to many
still we intimidate voters 1t will soon be
found that there was intimidation on the
other side The Senator from Indiana
-Mortonl yesterday spoke OF lies sent out
by the Southern Associated Press agents.
think it is libel on the Associated
Press, and | think that | know as much
about it as the Senator from Indiana,
as a Senator and man. recognizing re-
sp0nsibl!jty to my country and to my God
will say that these things are true Re
newed applause in the galleries Liars
are they? What does the Senator do With
the reporters sent out by the leading pa
pers OF the country from the city OF New
York f? Are they also liars II So why
does not the Senator charge it3 They tes-
tity to the very same class Of facts.
Why, Mr. President, does it find 4 place
in the senator's heart to charge talsehooC
upon the southern reporters when, il
talsehood existed, it also existed in the
city OF New York? No, sir, the senator
covers before the power OF the Herald
Tribune and Times, and dares not say it
am forced to the conclusion that those
on the other side who claim to be friends
of law and order desire murder in tht
Southern States. They knew, when peace
come-when the people OF this country
understood each other, rs they are begin
ming to, thank God understand each other
now-gOod government would insure life
liberty and property would be safe
and there would be no place for these
disturbing spirits, l am responsible
only for my belief but l think it true
and in time history win write it down
So Not one man in a thousand in the
South is armed. There are not half Sc
many armed as before the war There
are not as many military companies in the
South as before the war.
Is it all right for the government to arm
black militia and dsarm white men? Be
fore the men who have no interest witt
the southern people, except to array the
blacks against them, came there, gooC
feeling existed between the whites ant
blacks. There were churches and school
houses in the South for the blacks, and il
every Southern State money had been con
tributed by the whites for school houses
for the blacks. The southern white people
have contributed more than any one else
1p1I tba Nov. I.,vr rNt[