Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-01-07
THE LOUISIANA OUTRAGE.

speech by MIR. West, from Loulslata, 10 "nlch
he gave his views of the situation and Justified
the action OF the Administration,
Mr.. Gordon said he had not intended to par
ticipare in this debate, although he had been
urged TO do so by trieods on his side of the
chamber. He had heretofore thought 1t better
to submit 10 silence to the insults which Sena-
tors on the other side of the chamber were SO
fond of casting at some of US. But alter what
he had heard yesteid day, he could no longer SIT
silent. He could not hold his voice When the
peopIe whom he loved. with whom and for
whom all that he had and all that he was, were
held up to the gaz. Of the civilized world, pll,,
| loried as 1nurderers and assasslns. lie could
| not have believed that Senators with whom he
| had cone ia familiar association could enter
| tain such feelings of anlmosty, OF hate and OF
bitterness toward the people whom he repre-
| septed. He had hoped that this feeling OF
hate was dyiug out but if this is to be the
| pocy towards the South, if the North Is TO be
| apaju stirred up in this way, then we had bet
ter know there is nothing left for Us but 10 die.
Blu, be Mr.. Gordon) did not believe it; he did
no believe the great Northern people would
sanction such policy. We had beeu threat
cncd Yesterday with the brave men whom he
me, during the war, but he did not believe
that auy cnnsd rahie portloo OF those brave
ueD colnciGed 10 the sentiments expressed on
| this Il or. No people in the world rad been
more mi,jndeed, u,ore m!srerresented aod
more cruelty maigncd than the people OF the
South. Never, since the close OF the war, has
a single white man In the South raised his arm
| 10 opposition to the Federal Government, aud
yet the South is constantly braided as hostile
to the Government. Meu come down among
US who have no interest III common with US
they hold the Offices, make our laws, eTy our
taxes, spend them, and when we endeaVor law
fully to recover our rights we are stlguatzcd
as assassins, as uurderers, as semi barbarans,
aud as disoyal TO the Federal Government.
Black militia roam over the country, rob, muir
der and Commit crimes which be would not
name on this floor, and when the Southern peo-
Die rose up to defend themselves, they We're
denou as assassnS. When is this mis-
Judging Of the Southern people to stop? Ii
| his voice and gcs ure were tremuouS with emo
| ton, it was DOT the emotion OF anger, but the
emotion of Indignation upon the outrages per-
petrated upon his people. He stoud aghast at
| the spectacle presented here yesterday OF the
attempt to ruin the fair name aud lame OF
whole section OF the country.
There had been much said about intimida-
and every other officer in State, might con-
troll the jurics, but yet they were always lntlm-
| idated. Perhaps there was some intimidation
| 90 tie other side. He read extracts from the
| Chicago Inter Ocean Of the Congressional in.
| vestlgatlon in Louisiana, where 1t was testified
that the Government bacon for the sufferers by
| the overflow had been carried 10 the Republl-
can headquarters and distributed the nlght be-
| fore the election; that negroes bad been whip
ped and turned out of church Tor voting the
Democratic ticket; that 10 one county there
were fifteen cases Of uur1er Of negroes by ne
groes. He also read from the testimony of the
Republican candidate for the Legislature 10
Rapides parish, who bad testified that although
he was def.aed by several hundred votes, the
Returoing Board had counted linn ill.,
Mr. Gordon was several times applauded 10
the galleries, wheu the Chair (Mr. SARGENT
directed that the applause must be stopped as
it was contrary to the rules OF the Senate.
The Senator from indiana (Mr. Morton) said
all the explanations Of what were done III the
South we're stigmatizcd as lies The Senator
said ten thousand times ten thousand lies came
up from the South. He said all the Associated
press agents in the South were liars. This was
DOT so. He (Alr GJrdoD) knew these men.
They were not liars. But what does the Sena-
tor have to say to the press of New York, the
Herald the Times, the Tribune? Does he
pronounce the correspondents OF those papers
liars M. the Senator does not dare to do that.
No, Mr. President, the men who talk so much
about disorder 10 the South, who beg for peace
don't want peace, they desire murder. They
turn the face of harmony and peace toward the
the Norlb, but, toward the South, 1t is the
face of hate aud revenge. Tuey want murder
L b,t han
when the North Knows the South, and the
South knows the North; when each man can
Look down into the heart of his fellow country
Like The tcaser 10 the buIi-6ghts, their fangs
are dipped 10 Blood they nope to goad the
South into the very torture of desperation, to
do something which may arouse the North.
These men talk OF murder, but it does not oc.
cur to them that there is anything 10 the muir
der of the Constitution, 10 The murder OF a
State, in the murder Of an entire people The
Senator from lndiana says the whole South Is
armed This is not So Not one man is armed
pow where thousand were armed before the
war. More than unc-haf of the white popu-
Iation OF the South are with out any arms what
ever, DOT even the old-tashoned shot gun.
The Senator from Vermont said the people
of the South were semi barbarian, and suggest
ed a comparison between them and the people
of his own section. He (Mr. g. would not
initiate such a spirit. HI would do nothing to
detracl from the glory aud the honor Of the peo-
pie which that Senator represented.
Mr. Edmunds asked Mr.. Gordon to point out
where he had make use Of such language.
Mr. Gurdon-The Senator'S words we're
burnt into my memory, and will not go out.
Mr. EImundS said the Senator could not get
over lu that way the audacity with which ne has
assumed to make statements here OF the posi-
ton OF other Senators.
Mr. Gordon-I am responsible for my state
meDts
Mr. Edmunds- course, responsibility is a
very good thing.
Mr. Gordon-Thc want Oft is sometime a
very excellent thing.
Mr. Gordon here read from Mr.. E lmunds
speech of yesterday to the effect that when
the people of the South brought to justice their
associates who committed murder upon their