The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-08-03
HAMBURG IN CONGRESS.
A Campaign Debate-Congressman
Hoge Waves the Bloody Shirt.

The debate in Congress upon the HAM
burg affair originated from an amend
ment offered by Congressman Smalls to
the military appropriation bill as follows: !:
Provided, That no troops for the pur-
poses named in this section shall be
drawn from the State of South Carolina
so long as the militia of that State peace
ably assembled are assaulted, disarmed,
and taken prisoners, and then massacred
in cold blood by lawless bands of men
invading the State from the State of
Georgia" This amendment provoked
discussion for two days, bus we are un-
able to give full report of the debate.
Hon. L. @. C. Lamar, of Mississippi,
made an eloquent defence of the South,
and we append herewith his remarks:
Mr.. Lamar: Mr.. Chairman, do not
propose to discuss or analyze this terrible
and disgraceful affair at Hamburg, al
though | think the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Garfeld) has not given fair
and impartial statement of the circum-
stances in which it originated. But
those circumstances are. of no mo-
ment here upon this question, nor are the
proyocation which led to the final fear
full tragedy involved in the PROPOSE
ton now before US. Nor are they in my
opinion land here / differ with the MEM
Der from Ohio) the legitimate topic of
debate or discussion on this floor they
belong to another tribunal to which the
Constitutions of States as we'll as that of
the Federal Government RENTS these
subjects. Whether in the circumstances
and these proyocations the whites or the
blacks were most to blame is question
to which Ishall not now recur. Through
all the confusion which has been thrown
around this transaction land | must say,
Notwithstanding the honorable character
of the informant of the member from
South Carolina, which / do not question
in the slightest degree, his document was
evidently written, and perhaps very natu-
rally, under great evaporation and e1-
citement), through all the uncertainty
which exasperation and exaggerations
have thrown around this subject, there is
one fact which CLEANS out acknowledged,
is indisputable. 1t is that body Of
white men did without authority of law
put to death a number of black men, who
had been taken as prisoners; I mean who
had been captured and deprived of their
liberty, but who. were not prisoners In
the legal sense of the term, inasmuch as
those capturing them had no right under
the law to deprive them of their personal
liberty. Now, sir, I wish to say here in
nv iplace-and what say here just as it
drops from my lips and falls upon the re-
porter's notes is at once sent throughout
the entire South, and every constituent OF
mine in every home and hamlet will read
what I say; and even if I were base or
ignoble enough to utter here what l
would swerve from there, as has been
falsely charged against Southern men,
the Record would always convict me-in
my place here and with the responsible
ties surrounding me, / assert that no ex-
cuse or palliation can possibly be found
for these outrages and this barbarism.
TApplause.] AS a Southern man and as
a Democrat have a remark or two to
make upon this subject. Mr.. Chairman,
we of the South have lawless class pre-
cisely as you of the North have lawless
classes. As consequence we have riots
in which human life is lost precisely as
you have such riots, with this difference:
Ours without preconcert fame up in diff:
ferent localities and are confined to short
periods of time, while yours in more than
one instance have held several counties
| in terror, have extended over months of
time, and have involved larger loss of
human life, defying the authorities of
your States. There is anotherfact which
I wish to mention. In those Southern
States where disorders and violence occur
there are governments of peculiar
character and type, invariably govern
| ments of one character and type. They
are governments which are called Re-
publican governments, but it is spurious
republicanism which has no Identified
ton or sympathy with the views and
purposes that have inspired the following
of the great Republican party of this
Icountry. And, sir. those State govern
ments have invariably encouraged these
disorders and these murders by their in
deficiency, by their imbecility, by their
cowardice, and by their connivance, fo1
they have in every instance not only
failed to punish these murders, not only
failed to administer Justice, not only
failed to execute the laws, but they have
used the occurrences as occasions to
appeal to Congress and to the North for
help in maintaining the powers which
they are SO ruthlessly exercising. The
l1gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Garfeld)
asked if it was sporadic case or one
typical of the general condition of things
South. I answer that there is no COM
munity in the South that is not thrilled
with horror at such occurrences. Sir, it
is wonder that society does not 60 to
pieces under the operation of govern
ments that allow such lawlessness to
stalk abroad in the land unpunished.
They are governments which live on
violence and disorder, and when they
cannot have violence they provoke it, in
order to use it as an instrument of politi-
cal power. A word in answer to the
argument of the gentleman from Michi-
gan (Mr. Conger) Saturday, in all good
temper. The use of the army never pro-
duced any good effect in such cases as
this. The troops always get to the scene
of the disturbance after the occurrence
and too late to prevent it, and as means
of righting personal and private wrongs,
as means of preventing violence to per-
sonal security, the army is slow, cum
bersome, is ineffective, and almost use
less; and in spite of the efforts of the
army officers to the contrary, whose
actions cannot be too highly commended,
it is converted into monstrous engine
of political oppression and corrupt politi-
cal intrigues. That is the only use to
which it is put in the South. The gen.
tleman must see how inappropriate the
use of the army is in such cases. A riot
like this in the streets of town or village
is not a thing for the Federal Govern
ment to intervene about, for it violates
no Federal law, it does not conflict with
national authority, it has no relation to
the exercise' of she right of suffrage.
This was riot like the riots which
Il