Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-12-20

SENATE.
WAsuINGToN. Dec. IA.

he cOmmlttGe TOOK very narrow
Jew of the law. He combatted the
-arious questions raised by them,and
aid the democrats objected that the
'eturning board didn't fill the vacan-
y in its body. This was merely a
question OF propricty, in no wise af-
Getting the legality of the board. He
vould,i member of the board, have
'avored appointing any democrat to
ill the vacancy. The democrats OBJ
ected to the republican clerical force
If the board, yet the democratic
House of Representatives had dis
all the republicans in its en-
,lcy, and the republicans didn't COM
olaln. He denied that the supervi-
,ors' aflidavits were not made out in
he proper legal time, as the demo-
rats asserted. The democratic COM
nittec did not impeach the fairness of |
he mode of conducting the count. |
There was intimidation in seventeen
parishes, and to its extent the commit
lee dared not commit themselves. Hell
would maintain before the Senate |
and the people of the United States
that there was intimidation in Louis
lana which changed the whole result
of the election. Murder, riot, whip.
ping, and violence by democratic
rifle clubs existed. He appealed to
Senators to act deliberately and cool
ly. The electoral vote in several
States was disputed. He believed
everybody conceded South Cardinals
vote to Hayes and Wheeler.
Messls. Randolph and Withers de-
MED that there was any such concess-
ion.
Mr.. Sherman, resumine, Florida
and Louisiana were in dispute; but
he did not believe the Oregon case
would rise to the dignity of dis
putc. He believed Tilden himself
would scorn to hold the office of pres
ident in pursuance of such fraud.
Mr.. Thurman araued that the doc
ument presented but one side of the
case; when both sides were before
the senate another picture would be
presented. His colleagues remarks
surprised him, but he would not re-
ply now. The country would find
exageration as well as intimidation.
There should be more time to consid-
or this matter and he moved a post
ponement until tomorrow. The
president had exceeded his official
capacity in sending committee to
Louisiana; that committee had no
official authority; the returning
board should have filed the vacancy !;
but it was not filled because the
board intended that no democratic
eye should see or democratic car hear
the final proceeding. Its action was
so entirely unfair that his colleague
must now bolster it. Americans
would believe no man who said this
was fair. He argued that supcrvi-
sor's aflidavits concerning the elec-
ton were not made within the re-
quired time; but were made after the
election in New Orleans, to count in
the republican nominee.
Mr.. West asserted that in 1872
when the democrats had the return.
ing board, parish after parish was re.
jected without affidavit or protes,
from the supervisors all the aflida.
Wits were made in New Orleans, ten
days after the election. The board
had abundant prccedcnts to-day fol
any act, however bad, in the acts OF
its predecessor. He argued as to the
soundness of the election laws.
Mr.. Morton said the great question
before the returning board was in
timidation, murder and violence
The country wanted to hear from the
democratic committee about intimi-
dation, which subject they barely
mentioned. The report admitted
that there was violence in the state
but attributed it to the state govern
mcnt being usurpation.
Mr.. Thurman withdrew his mo-
ton to postpone the consideration
and his amendment to have the demo
cratic committees report printed
with the presidents message was
agreed to.
Mr.. Sherman defended the State
authorities. They had prosecuted
criminals, but these couldn't be arres-
ted out of the parish where the crime
occurred, without tedious legal pro-
ccedings, and some time it was i'm
possible to hold court. In truth the
young men of the South were deter
minded that the negroes should not
have the constitutional rights. A few
could ride rough-shod over numer-
Gus negroes.
Mr.. Sherman said there would be
peace in Louisiana but for the dem
ocratic clubs. If this violence sue
ceeded in electing a President now,
the same violence would soon extend
over the whole country, and our gov
eminent would be at an end. He
didn't want to see war of races, but
it would come unless the negroes in
the south had their rights. The real
trouble was the democratic attempt
in the midst of this Presidential
trouble to organize a party on the
color line and to make man Presi-
dent who was not the choice of the
people. The people, North and
South, were gradually concluding
that these rifle club crimes must cease.
Mr.. West said he received tele-
gram from the United States marshal
at New Orleans saying witnesses who
had testified before the returning
board concerning intimidation had,
on returning, been driven from home,
and some killed. 1t was on account
of the encouragement in Congress
that the mob rose in New Orleans in
1874, and fifty or sixty lives were lost
thereby.
Mr.. Morton said he desired to con-
graduate the cause of humanity and
justice upon the evidence of progress
exhibited in the Senate to-day, and
that was the fact that the existence of
violence and enormities in the South
was no longer denied in the Senate.
He argued that the crimes in that
section had not been punished because
intimidation went into the courts.
Assassination awaited both Judge and
Jurors. This rufiianism would be
stopped when great party no longer
exercised il.
Mr.. Thurman said of course there
had been violations of law i'm the
south, but he denied that the southern
people were set of assassins. He
argued that the democrats had de-
nounced il in the south where crime
existed. These charges of intimida-
ton were exaggerated, but they
would not cease so long as the vote of
a whole state could be overthrown by
them. His colleague (Shcrman) spoke
about the color line. He (Thurman)
was prepared to prove that the re-
sponsibility of establishing the color
line rested with the republican party.
When the right of suffrage was con-
ferred upon the negroes, it was OPEN
ly avowcd in the Senate that the
republican party needed the votes of
eighteen hundred thousand negroes.
He then referred to the use of the
army in the states, and said if the
elections were to be carried by the
army of the United States, it was
the worst kind of intimidation, and
there would be an end to republican
institutions. The world had had its
Caesar and its Bonapartc who over
threw republican government. But
republican government had never
been ovcrthrown by this kind of in
timidation, which his colleague
(Sherman and the Senator from In
diana (Morton) complained of. The
resolution to print the 1850 copies,
as amended by Thurman, was agreed
to without division.
The Chair presented the Presidents