The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-01-14
Senator Gordon on. the Louisiana Troubles.

In the United States Senate last week, the;
situation in Louisiana was fully discussed, and
number Of notable speeches were made by
Democrats and Republicans. The action Of
the President was freely denounced by Senator
Thurman and others, while the administration
Senators gave him feeble support in this
emergency. Senator Gordon, Of Georgia, made
an eloquent and truthful Vindication of the
Southern States, and we take pleasure IN ap-
pending summary of his remarks; All
Gordon, .(Dera.) of Georgia, said he did not
propose to reply to the speech of Senator West.
He was quite willing that it should 60 to the
country and make its own answer; but when
the people whom he (Gordon) loved as his own
life, whose fortunes were his through veal or
woe, through life or death, were held up as
assassins and murderers, he could not, and
would not, remain silent; and if his voice and
gesture were tremulous now with emotion, 1t
was not the emotion of anger, but the emotion
of indignation at the outrage, perpetrated upon
his people. he stood aghast at the spectacle
presented in this Senate yesterday. A specta-
Gle of one portion of the members seeking to
ruin the fair name and the honor of the people
of one section of this country before the civil
lied world. He was amazed, utterly amazed, |,
that there should be found in the hearts of
men with whom he daily associated upon this
floor 80 much hate. He was totally unprepared
for it. and if he believed to-day that the ex-
pressiions which he heard from Senators lips
Yesterday reflected the sentiments of the North
ern people, he would feel that it was time for
the Southern people to die. If ne believed
that those expressions foreshadowed the policy
of this government towards the South, then he
would say let us have done with this farce OF
local selfgoyernment. He did not believe that
such sentiments were entertained by the North
erin people. He did not believe that brave
men, against whom the people OF the South
had lately contended, entertained any such
sentiments He believed the great majority OF
the American people of both North and South,
white and black, abhorred any such spirit OF
animosity. He believed the movement inau-
gurated in 1872, by the large headed and large
hearted men Of the United States to bring
about good feeling and harmony would be sue
cessful.. In the support which he GordoIn)
gave to the resolution. as presented by the
Senator from Ohio. (Thurman,) he protested
against any construction which would make it
appear that he was wanting in respect to the
President of the United States. Much had
been said here about the President being COM
rnander=in. chief of rhe army. He (Gordon)
was glad he was ommander-in-chief; that the
military was subordinate to the civil power.
He did not propose to discuss the resolution,
but to reply to what he was forced to conclude
were gratuitous insults offered to his people by
some of the Senators on the other side of the
chamber. 1t was charged that murder pre-
vailed throughout the South, and that these
murders were by the hands of the Democratic
white mans party. His reply to that was brief.
The charge was false. 1t was true that MUIR
ders had occurred, but no one deplored them
more than himself, norm more than than the
people he represented. His people had always
said that the class of people committing these
murders were the worst enemies of the South.
IF murders were committed, was that any rea-
sou for branding the whole Southern people as
q set of assassins and barbarians? Wherever
in the Southern States people of honesty and
integrity have control of public affairs, proper
ty, life and liberty are as safe as they are in
any Northern State. Applause in the gale
leries.1 Did the Senator from Vermont Ed
munds) forget that there were States in the
North in the hands of these same awful Demo
Gratis. He (Gordon) apprehended that these
States were governed just as well as the States
governed by Republicans He was sure that
such was the case in the South. Since the war
not a solitary arm had been raised in South
ern State against the power of the Federal
Government, and yet the Southern people were
charged, day after day, with being disloyal to-
wards the Government because there were riots
at elections or riots at cross roads. :ai.l.
A band ofmisguided negroes who marched at
night with arms to murder and hands to plum
der could not be attacked by whites in selfde-
fence Ift6ey were attacked and a conflict en-
sued in which few were killed, the South was
then charged with disloyalty and antagonism
to. the Federal Government, The eolored mill
tiameni might insult women, rob, pillage and
drag innocent men from their beds, and when
the white men resisted them the Southern peo-
ple were held up as murderers and assassins.
Men we're sent down among them who had no
common interest with them. These men made
laws. collected the taxes and governed the
Southern people, and then maligned the same
people. If the South asked how New England
would like that, how the West would like that,
and striyed, by every lawful means, to over
throw these men, her people were charged with
being murderers and assassins. How long are
we thus to be misunderstood? In the face of
every evidence we give of our readiness tomeet
the Northern people upon equal ground, we are
told that we intimidate voters 1t does not
matter what may be our minority, though we
NAV be as one to many, still we intimidate vo-
ters. 1t would soon be found that there was
Intimidation on the other side. He (Gordon)
then read from the Chicago Inter- Ocean certain
testimony, taken in Alabama, to the effect that
the bacon for the relief of persons in the over
flowed district was distributed to persons living
out out of those districts on the eve Of election.
Somc colored men swore that they had been
discharged for voting the. Republican ticket and
others that they had been beaten and turned
out of church for so voting The Senator from
indiana Norton yesterday had spoken Of the
lies sent out by the Southern Associated press
agents. He (Gordon) thought it libel on the
Associated Press of the South, and he thought
he knew as much about tas the Senator from
Indiana. He (Gordon) as a Senator and a man
recognizing his rssg9nsby tS1a to his country
true. Renewed applause in the galleries.
Continuing his argument, he said" Liars are
they What does the Senator do with the re-
porters sent out by the leading papers of the
country from the'City Of New York? Are they
n, -: lid tho Sopofpr