Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-02-02

to die, but never to surrender! Our cause was
not lost by the soldiers on the battlefelds, not by
the brave people at home, but by bad manage
ment. The men who lost it didn't know any bet
Ter, and have forgiven them long ago.
This is not our Constitution. 1t violates the
fundamental principles of society. Good govern
ment dispcnses peace and rest to the good and in
nocent, and protects industry not by stealing from
one man to give to another-that is Yankee pro-
lection They never caught mackerel without
bounty, and never made button without an
other bounty. They were always after tariff,
and that's the reason why, when went to Con
gress thirty years ago, was not willing to see
you robbed!
You stand here with all that is worth preserv
ing, inherited from the grand old Saxon race,
ever more dishonored by that Instrument. You
ought to abolish it, because you didn't make 1t.
Accused be the people that will accept fnnda-
mental law from another people. God Almighty
curses such people, and my poor, weak curses fol-
low His Some such vagabonds went with those
fellows. They said they were contederates, but
they bowed the knees and accepted the situation.
Some Of them stayed at home to make powder,
and some to makc--potash
This Constitution made by these thieves to
pcrpctuste themselves in power What did they
do5 They extended the term Of the Governor.
Now yoa permit this 10 remain so. You have de-
parted from every principle of a free people on
earth. After having distinguished yourselves
upon every field of battle from Gettysburg 10 the
Gulf, Won men of the South have become another
j. the truth You have become another people.
You suffer indignities to-day that two years before
it put upon you you thought you would have
died first. You have gone on IN sullen silence
Iou have let the alien and the foreigner come
here and gather with the Niger, the carpetbag-
ger, and tie worst of all things the world ever
saw, the scalawag-the contamination OF all VII
lainy. | can respect the poor negro. lie has many
good qualities, and like him. can have some
respect for the carpetbagger lie comes down
with his carpet-sack, and says he is here to make
all he can, in whatever way he can. lie has loose
morality, but there is some manhood IN 1t. But
when | come to the scallawag-;hey' have TO dig
deeper ia hell 10 get place for him.
We got q good many honest fellows into the first
Legislature, but will tell you how we got them
there will tell you the truth. The newspapers
won't tell it to you. We got them there by carry
ing the black vote, by intimidation and bribery.
people if they had not done it, And will buy
Them as long as they put beasts TO 60 to the ballot
box No man should be given the elective fran
elise who has not the intelligence to use 1t prop
erv. The rogue should not have IT, for govern
ment is made to punish him; the tool should not
have il, for government is made to take care OF
him Now these miserable wretches-the Ian
kees-have injected five millions of savages into
the stomach OF our body polite and the man who
saws he accepts negro suffrage. | say, accused be
he. | will accept everything, will accept Grant
and empire before | Will accept such democrat!
The poor ignorant negro-talk of him governing
YOU and me 1t takes the highest order ofintel-
lect to govern the people, and these poor wretch
es talk of governing us Why, they cant perpe-
tuatc their own negro power. In the counties
where they were IN the majority they did not PIE
serve their power and pefpetuate thei- rule. Ny
remedy helped us to break that up. We carried
them " b us by bribery and intimidation. advised
it and paid my money for it You all know it,
but won't say it. But l will say it, for fear no
man, and prepared to render an account to
none but the Great Judge, before whom | must
appear in few years, for my enemies have thought
my service to my country so great that they have
done me the honor to exclude me from again serv
ing nv people Iconte st that honor with our chief,
Mr.. Davis. am just as good as he is, and be is
no better than l am. ! demand that they shall
place me beside him. l thank them for it 1t is
very few things that have to thank them for, hut
do thank them for that. ! entitled to the
honor they thus dispensed, and | shall ask our
representatives to demand it for me, for fought
for it, and to bring it about. l am, believe, the
only living secessionst to-day in the State of
Georgia. This Constitution is thievish thing,
ane robs the people. The largest county has the
most represe utatiyes, matter whether it is full
of gophers or men. That's what's the matter
with Hannah, now don't want representation
based on population alone; We never before had
it so in Georgia. 1t was always based upon pop
ulation and territory, and fyou have a convention
| will make you constitution by which the peo
pie will rule and the Niger will never be heard
off"