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

shirt IN TINS! 1t would not do 10 say tnat
the Republican party hated the people of the
South. As well might it be said that the
hundred thousand clergymen in the United
States hated wrong doors because every Sab
hath morning they read the Ten Command
ments and exhorted their congregations to
keep them. Mr.. Eimunds then referred 10
the Hamburg difficulties. and read from the
Charleston NcrS and Courier an article in
regard to that affair. Resumng, he argued
that in the South the right of the colored
men to have militia company under the
law was held to be menace toward any
That was Democratic
doctrine When the white men OF
the South were in the field fight
ing against the Government, and the color
ed men wee left at home, when the homes
Of Rebels depended almost entirely on the
good will of the cOlored men alone, they
were a SAFE as Senators now are in the Sen
ate Chamber There was no menace then.
lie did not want vengeance for all these
crimes in The South, but he did wish to see
the calm majesty of the law visited on the
perpetrators of these crimes. There was no
instance stated yet in which the glorious
Democracy in any State in the South had
punished any murderer who committed muir
Ter for political purposes. \ few lessons
like that Of Hamburg would be sufficient TO
show the class OF men recently eniranchiZed
that they must not vote for that party which
had given them liberty and their rights. lie
then reviewed the legislation of Congress on
tie amendments to the Constitution, and
said, first. those who voted against the
thirteenth amendment in the Senate were
Mr.. DAVIS. OF Kentucky, Mr.. Hendricks,
now the Democratic candidate for Vice
President .Messrs McDougall. Powell, Riddle,
and salisbury. These men represented the
death A. well 8, the sentiment Of faith OF
the Democratic Party. Here was the Demo
cratic candidate for Nice-President coming
from free State solemnly recording him
sell in favor of retaining the institution of
slavery when It was proposed to get rid OF 1t
IN a perfectly constitutional war. That le-
g.,lation was followed by the Democratic
Convention lt Chicago of 1864 Of which Mr..
Ilden was distinguished member, and
which declared the war for the preservation
Of the ni0n failure
M M1rt0n-ln the course Of the debate
on the thirteenth amendment in the Senate,
Mr.. Hendricks denied the power OF Congress,
OF OF the people OF the United States, To
abolish slavery hy constitutional amend
mcnt.
Mr.. Edmuads, reSuming, said personally
he had a great respect for the Democratic
candidate tor Vice President, bat As he Mr.
Hendricks denied the power of Congress to
make these amendments. il he should hy any
nr,-,E,r.e.1 che -
away would 20 the thirteenth amendment
and ail the others. lie then read from
! the i1arnal OF the Senate As to the action on
the fourteenth amendment, and mentioned
| thn4e who voted against it a. follows Messrs.
| CoWan, Davis, Uoolttle, Guthrie, Hen
bricks. Johnsons, McDougall, Norton, Rid
| lie. salisbury and Van Wrinkle. The States
which voted against this amendment were
all under control Of the Democrats. They
were Maryland Delaware, kentucky and
| Texas. lie then referred TO the fifteenth
amendment. and said the Senators who yOt-
| ed against it were NleSsrs. Baysrd, Bucka-
lew. Davis, Hendricks, MeCreery, Norton,
| Patterson, OF Tennessee, salisbury, Nickers,
and Whyte. The States which voted against
itwere California, Delaware Kentucky Mary
land, Oregon and Tennessee. Every Dem
ocratic STATE voted against these amend
ment>, and Yet in the recent manifesto put
/ forth from 81. Louis, and the still more
recent one put forth from Saratoga, the
Democratic candidates, in spite of the his
tory Of the party, sid they were happy to
accept the present situation, TO give to every
body his constitutional rights The people
were told, and asked to believe, that there
| had been a sudden conversion Of the Demo-
cratic party. There were not many who
would believe that tale. The Democrats
had steadily voted against all civil rights
! bills. and vet the country was asked 10 trust
the rights of the colored people to that party.
Was there ever such mockery? 1t shocks
common sense and human credulity. Sena-
tors might say that he Mr. Edmund, was
making political speech So he was and
every speech made here should be political
| speech, bcause members of Congress were
elected to secure TO the people all
| blessings unler the Constitution. lie
next read from the Democratic plat
form adopted at St. Louis, and said
he would no: say it was dishonest that
would not be parliamentary. But he would
say if those who had framed it were dis
honest men they would have resorted to ex-
actly such decisions and deceptive phraseol-
ogy 10 gain the ear Of the people. lie next
read from the letter of acceptance of Mr..
Tilden, and argued that if he should be
elected the kind OF law and kind OF constitu-
ton he would administer would be laid dowd
by the 81. Louis Convention. The peace
and unity which Mr. Tilden spoke of ex-
isted at Albany and indianapolis, but in
Mississippi and South Caroline there WAS no
peace and order. lie argued that the pres
cnt session of Congress had shown that the
moment the Democratic Party should get
into power all legislation to secure equal
rights to the colored people would be swept
away. 1t had already been announced that
Congress had no power to legislate or to en-
force any Of these amendments. That right
belonged to the United States Had not
this Senate seen on an appropriation bill
sweeping proposition on the part OF the
House OF Representatives to repeal every
law to secure any guardianship and inspec-
ton over an election for members OF Con
gress even? Every time these subjects had
been discussed here there had generally been
one reply from the other side, and that was
that the Republican party still kept up hate
and animosity toward the people of the
South and Haunted the body shirt. If
there was any one duty which the Congress
of the United States owed to the whole peo-
pie, it was to unmask every fraud which
any party might attempt to perpetrate upon
the people lie denied that the Republican
party mad any hatred toward the people of
the South 1t had passed no amendment
which was said to be wrong. In con-
cusion he said the Republican Party wanted
peace and not condition of caste and arts
tocracy in the South.