The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-07-26
Hon. H.. p. e.. Lamar Rennrl<"
wuDn the KTamb;srg Riot


the circumstances in which II originated.
Bat those circumstances are OF no mo-
ment here upon this question, nor are the
provocations which led to the final fear
ful tragedy involved in the proposition
! 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 10 another tribunal 10 which the
constitutions of States as we'll as that of
! the Federal Government remit these sub
/ jects.
Whether in the circumstances and
/ these provocations the whites or the blacks
were most to blame is a question to which
| | shall not now recur. Through all the
confusion which has been thrown around
this transaction, (and | must say, not
withstanding the honorable character OF
| the informant of the member from South
| Carolina, which do not question in the
| slightest degree, his document was evil
| IDENTIFY written, and perhaps very natural
! ", under great evaporation and excite
ment.) through all the uncertainty which
evaporation and eXaggerations have
thrown around this subject, there is one
fact which CLEANS out acknowledged, or,
if not acknowledged, is indisputable.
1t is that a body of white men did, with
out authority of law, put TO death mum
| Der of black men, who had been taken ~
prisoners; | mean who had been captured
and deprived of their liberty, but who were
/ not prisoners in the legal sense OF the
term, inasmuch rs those capturing them
had no right under the law to deprive
| them of their personal liberty.
Now, sir, l wish to say here In my
place-and what l say here, just as il
drops from my lips and falls upon the
reporters notes, is at once sent through
; out the entire South and every constitu-
ent of mine in every home and hamlet
will read what | say; and even if /
we've base or ignoble enough to utter
here what would swerve from there, a.
has been falsely charged against South
ern men, the record would always con
Wet me-in my place here and with the
responsibilities surrounding me, | assert
that no excuse or palliation can possibly
be found for these outrages and this bar
barism. [Applause.l
AS Southern man and as Demo
crat | have 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 rs
you have such riots, with this difference:
Ours without preconcert flame up in diff
ferent localities and are confined to
short periods of time, while yours in more
than one instance have held several coun-
! ties in terror, have extended over months
Of time, and have involved larger loss
| of human life, defying the authorities OF
| your States.
There is another fact which / wish to
mention. In those Southern States
where disorders and violence occdr there
are governments of a peculiar character
and type, invariably governments of one
character and type. They are govern
ments which are called Republican gov
ernments, bat it is IA spurious Republi
canism which has no identification or
sympathy with the views and purposes
that have inspired the following of the
great Republican party of this country.
And, sir, those State governments, have
invariably encouraged these disorders
and these murders By their ineficiency,
by their imbeciIity, by their cowarGice. !
anu ny IIlCll GUILTY. diiCct III IutN nave |
in every instance not only failed to pun |
ish these murders, not only failed to adj
minister justice, not only failed to exc
cute the laws, but they have used the oc-
currences as occasions 10 appeal to Con
gress and to the North for help in main |
taiGing the power which they are so ruth
lessly exercising.
The gentleman from Ohio Mr., GAR |
FIELD asked if this was q sporadic case
or one typical Of .Ae general condition Of |
things South. / answer that there IS no |
community in the South that il rot |
thrilled with horror at such occurrences. /
Sir, it is wonder that 1oQiety does not /
90 to pieces under the operation Of gov /
ernmonts that allow such lawlessness to |
stalk abroad in the land UNPUBLISHED. |
They are governments which live on vic. /
lence aud disorder, and when they can.
not have violence they provoke it in or |
der to use it as an instrument of political /
power.
word IN answer to the argument Of
the gentleman from Michigan Mn. Con
GER Saturday, in all good-tcmper. The
use OF the army never produced any
good effect in such cases az khis The
troops always get to the scene Of the dis
turbanc2 after the occurrence and too
late to prevent 1t, and as a means of
r9htlng personal and private wrongs,
ms 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 sc.
lions cannot be too highly commended.
it is converted ;ato monstrous engine
CT political oppression and corrupt pOlit-
ical intrigues. That is the only use to
which 1t IS put in the South. The gen
tleman must see how utterly iuappro-
pirate the use of the army is in such ca
ses. A rot like this in the streets Of
town or village is not thing for the Fed
eral Government TO intervene about. for
it violates no Federal law, it does not
conflict with national authority, it has no
relation to the exercise Of the right az
suffrage
lis was a riot like The riots which &c
CURED il the state of PENNSYLVANIA in
The mining regions, or in Indiana, where.
On the day of the last election, three or
four colored men were killed CT like 4
that which occurred the other day in
New Jersey, where seven men were killed.
Two OF them put to death by stoninp
why do you not apply the same remedy
mere? Why confine your Federal in
-erventlon to prevent murder and riot to !
2Ge section alone? What is the rem
edy IN this case 1t is clear. II
8 the duty Of the Governor of South
Carolina to take prompt and severe meas
lreS to have apprehended and punished
he men who committed such q crime