The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-02-17


TRATIoN BY A coLoRRp sENAToR-THB
NEGROES OPPOSED TO GRANT FOB A
THIRD TERM.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 1876
There was dreadful fare up In the
Senate this evening. After two long and
wsarisome centennial speeches, which
occupied most of the day, the Senate went
into executive session. For nearly three
hours Billings, the Southern question
and General Grants policy were discuss
ed with unusual animation. Among the
leading Senators who participated in the
debate were Morton, Conkling, Thur
man, Bayard, Bruce ana Alcorn. The
first thing brought up was the question
of the confirmation Of E. G. Billings for
District Judge at New Orleans. This
caused the Democrats to express them
selves very freely, which warmed the
blood of the Southern Republican memt
bers, and in short time the entire Sem
ate was in lively state Of excitement,
Senator Bruce, Of Mississippi, listened 70
the insinuations of the Democrats and
the soothing remarks of the liberal Re-
publicans until he could bear. it no ldn-
ger. Then he took the floor like bomb
shell, and scattered his shot in all difec-
tions. he said that the colored mep OF
the South had suffered every lndlgnity
from the white Democrats, ard their
rights had been trampled under foot by
those who were supposed TO represent
the government. Instead Of projecting
their rights under the constitution Presi-
dent Grant had deserted them and left
them helpless under the heel Of despot-
ism. It was useless to conceal truth any
longer. President Grant had mot kept
hi. promises. His administration was a
failure, so far as justice to th9 colored
voters Of the South was concerned.
The passion of the speaker grbw more
intense at every word, and whenShe had
reached the grand climax in his descrip-
tive recital Of the outrages committed on
his people he astonished the silently lis
tening Republicans by declaring with
great emphasis that the time for looking
to the administration for help had passed.
There was no help for the negroes unless
they made peace with the Democrats.
He was in favor Of going over to them as
the only measure of safety to the negro.
He clearly perceived Vests treachsry to
Pinchback and the general holloWhess of
Radical pretences to special love for the
negro. He denounced Grant and the
leading white Radicals Of the South as
untruthful and treachsrous, suggested
that they used the negro for selfish pur-
poses only, and did not scruple to have
him killed in order ko furnish political
capital to the party BE said the negro
could not further trust them, but would
be compelled, for self-protcction and
quiet, to form political alliances with the
resident white men of the South, who, as
o class, were honest and trustworthy.
The speech produced a terrible panic
among the Radicals. Senator Simon
Cameron, true to his vigorous way Of ex-
pressing himself, said sit was hell Of q
speech" and Alcorn enjoyed 1t hugely:
The Democrats applauded 1t and told
Democrats.
Senator Alcorn, in reply to Mr.. Bruce,
said that he was sorry to hear such inju-
dtc;ous remarks from his colleague. He
admitted much of what had been said
and he knew that the color ed people had
suffered many wrongs, but the President
had been their true friend and had done
everything possible for them, under the
powers granted him by the constitution
of the United States.
Senators Conkling, Morton and other
Northern Republicans followed In the
same spirit and rehearsed long cata-
logue of benefits which the colored peo-
ple had received from the government
frhey knew that full and impartial justice
would be done them in the end.
Bruce said he had no quarrel with Al
corn; but he paid little attention to these
assurances. He said he knew what he
was talking about. The colored voters
were not TO be deceived any longer by ad-
ministration promises. He wanted the
Northern Republican Senators present to
understand that the great masses OF the
colored people of the South would not
vote for Grant for third term. Thou
sands of negroes had been shot through
the negligence of the officials appointed
by President Grant, and the survivors
would not cast their ballots for him
again.
early hour in the day and long before the
Senate went into executive session, ard
originated about as follows: Pinchbaek
was on his way into the Capitol when he
met q messenger who was taking dis
patch to the telegraph Office, written 6y
West, asking him to come up from the
hotel, as he wanted to see him. He ac-
cordingly went over TO Vests seal, ana,
In the conversation which ensued, he was
startled by proposition from West thai
all action on Pinchback's case should oe
postponed (; that Pinchback should 90
home and wait until April lest his admis'
sion now should provoke the Democrats
in the Louisiana Legislature to over
throw the Kellogg government. AS may
be imagined, the conversation now be-
came quite excited, Pinchback protesting
against further delay, and the noise and
gesticulation attracted Senator Morton to
the scene, with the inquiry OF what was
up. Pichback told him what West had
40 coolly proposed and repeated his own
rejection thereof, together with a further
protest against delay in the matter Of his
admission, saying that as the party most
interested he demanded immediate ac-
tion-whether such action should prove
favorable or unfavorable. Morton coin
cided with Pinchback and said he inten-
ded to force q vote. At later period OF
the open session Bruce heard of the prop
osition to postpone made by West, and
denounced it to West as an outrage on
his race and as treacherous to Pinchback,
and declared his purpose to state so much
in executive session and, when the in
junction Of secrecy was removed, to re-
peat the same in open Senate. West re-
Joined that Bruce's personal grievances
should not be an Incentive to make him
fight against his party, and Bruce replied
that he was not fighting his party, but he
was fighting the thieves 10 1t.
Billings was confirmed by strict par
ty vote, including that Of Bruce, and II
was nearly seven O'clock before this, the
stormiest of executive sessions, closed Its
debate.
,. WASHINGTON, Feb. IL.
When the Senate went into executive
session yesterday afternoon, 1t was for
the purpose of getting rid Of Billings
nomination for United States Judge In
Louisiana. Senator West led off In O
speech to the effect that Billings was es-
sen.iaI to the prosperity OF the Republi-
can party in Louisiana. Mr.. Bruce, the
colored Senator from Mississippi. arose
and said he was sick Of hearing such
claims asserted in behalf OF the prosperi-
ty of the Republican party in the South.
It was lie. The interests of the party
were not regarded in making Federal
appointments. He would no longer re.
main silent without entering his protest,
The carpet-bag element of the party was
at the foundation Of the troubles IN
the Southern States, and he should resist
Il u L.