Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-08-11
CONt.itI SsIoNAi.

The Hamburg massacre came mp in the
Senate saturday. upon motion by Mr.. Nor
ton to print lO 900 copies OF the President :
special message Mr.. Thurman saw lit to re-
sist this motion and bring on discussion.
thus enabling Mr.. Morton TO make 4 point
on Gov. Tilden's failure TO allude 10 this
| HAMBURG business in his letter. Mr.. Nor
ton said the Senator from Ohio asked when
we were TO have peace in the country, We
would have peace when the murders ceased
on account OF race. The crme of the Re
publican party WIS in talking about this
thing. Let the killing be stopped, and the
Republicans will stop talking about it. lie
| had no doubt there were millions Of good
people in the South, but they had not the
mower 10 control this violent element. lie
read from the letter Of acceptance from Mr..
Hendricks. and said that gentleman did not
condemn bloodshed, but he condemned the
party irving to make capital on account OF
that bloodshed.
Mr.. Patterson. Of South Carolina, in
quired if murders OF Molly Maguires In
Pennsylvania, were not political murders.
Mr.. Cameron-No, sir but the murder
ers were all Democrats. Laughter on the
| Republican side.
Mr. Maxey. of Texas, said he had been 4
member of the Confederate army, and when
he surrendered be went 10 his home and did
all in his power to restore and defend law
and order. fit was true that prisoners
had been murdered at Hamburg, it was a
| dastardly and cowardly act, and he had not
the command of words sufficient to denounce
such crimes. lie argued that the war had
turned loose, upon all sections, some bad
men but in Texas they had got rid OF
them.
Mr.. Edmunds said the plea Of not guilty
was yerv good one. Senators from Ohio
(Mr. thurman from Delaware (Mr. Bay
ard) and from Texas (Mr Maxey) had as
sailed the Republican side OF the chamber
and charged the Republican party with
keeping up war of hate but those Sen
ators carefully concealed where the hate
came in. If the Republican party would
only stop legislating to secure equal rights
and impartial suffrage TO all citizens. then
there would be peace, because there would
he no occasion Tor misguided people in the
South to resort to the means they do to stop
the exercise of these rights. What was
the use of Senators rising here and lodging
continually the question as to the state OF
affairs in the South There was not one
case in a thousand where those who commit
ted crimes in the South for political pur-
poses were brought to justice. The Senator
from Ohio (Mr. Thurman), in speaking of
the Hamburg affair, asked why the State
authorities, who were Republicans, did not
punish the perpetrators. Unless jury
should he packed in South Carolina (and
that Republican administration did not
believe my there was sure to he among the
twelve men some one who sympathiEed with
the perpetrators OF the crime, aud the result
was that no yerdictS of guilty were rendered
and again. when a grand jary was empan-
nelled to inquire into these things. evidence
before the Senate showed that in many eases
members of such grand jury received notices
that if they prosecuted their inquiry their
heads would fall in the basket and their
bodies lie in an unhOnored grave. lie then
referred to the Constitution IF Texas In re-
gard to free schools, and argued that the
minute the ex-rcbels got into power they
turned their backs upon all good promises
they had made That State had been going
backward steadily III regard 10 public educa-
ton. lie had read memorials heretofore pre-
scented to the Senate from the colOred people
of Texas, asking legislation TO secure to
them public schools, and argued that evil
dence showed that the people OF the South
expected that every triumph which rebellion
sought to achieve. except independence,
could be accomplished now. To these facts
he wanted to call the attention of the people
of the country, and let them say if they were
willing to trust the country in the hands OF
such men.