Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-08-03
,cx, aazETTE svlRaINIA ADVERTISER
MIR. Lanlar's Speech.

MIR. Lamar's speech.
In the Uuited States House of Representa-
lives, yesterday, when bill was reported to
transfer the Indian Bureau to the War Depart
meut, MIR. Lamar, of Mississippi, took the hoor'
and proceeded TO make speech upon the gen
era political situation, and especially with rel
ercucc TO the administration Of public affairs.
He argued that thaee was a marked dlSsatls-
faction with the present administrator OF pub
,ic affairs aud therefore change was demand
ed. Iu England such a sentiment a existed
against the Administration would have result
ed 10 change in tWeuty-tour hours. How
does it happeu hat 10 this couury OF popular
government the same result cannot De speedily
brought about? But this profound sentiment
of condemnation has no effect upon the ao
ministraiou. a quarter OF c.ntury ago TWO
of the most distinguished American statesmen
in the country, Of dlttcrcut schools OF poat'cs
and looking at the question iruu uiHcrrnt
standpoints, declared that the greatest dagger
TO the Republic was in the giving pow aaa
patronage Of the executive Officers OF The Gov
crum, lit; that the power OF the President was
TOO great for the Chief Magistrate of a free
u,
Prsideut ever became the head OF u party. At
this day an Intermediate and Irresponsible
n,rly, unkaown TO the Constitution, stauds te-
tween the people and their liberties. a pollt-
zeal marty has no legitimate connection with
The iioycrument, and yet We find that 1t makes
A hlph Cabinet officer It's chlei a1d moving
spirIt TO direct It's affairs. The party now ID
power is the great obstacle to reform 10 the
Government.
There arc hundreds Of independent men
who wuuIk ike 10 leave the party, but they
are held To it by some meaus. few months
ago a Republican, convention met lG MaSsachu.
setts to elect delegates TO national couvcn-
ton, and distinguished delegate there, IN
spcec,, warned his party OF the corruption OF
,he Administration, and suggested that there
must be a change Ii sucu sentiments had
been uttered on this floor by Democrat, they
woud have been denounced, and yet, strange
20 say, the gentleman who made the speech,
and The convention he addressed, is III tasor
and support OF party aud a candidate which
IS Indorscd by this Administration.
While he believed that many men would
chcrruliy vote to overthrow the Kepubllcan
party, they hesitate because they mlsuGder-
stand the Democratic party. But the oDly way
ia bring about genuine reform Is to overtime"
one party and raise up ano' her. lie ielt that
many persons opposed the Democratic party
because the South was united 10 It's lavor;
there was d.,ubt whether they would adhere
to and rec ,yuize the new amendments to the
Constitution. He believed bat all these ap-
prehensionS as to the course the democracy
woud pursue were uniouuded. sides, there
seems 70 be wid spread fear that, the South
being united, they would control the party II
case Of democratic success and would agaln
regain their ascendancy in the country and
control il. But that idea was preposcrous.
The peoplc of the South recognize the fact
that they re defeated in the late war, and
that the n rth was victorious. With her IN.
stitutons aboli he'd, her economy nearly dc
sroycd, aud her soil itself almost made sterile
her representation in every braUch OF the Gov
crpment was 50 small that the idea OF her
again obtaining 'he ascendaDcy 10 this great
republic was absuri.
All questions OF slavery have been eliminated
from the political problem, and the South was
u,w fully identified wi h the instincts al d 10,
,crc>ts OF the whole country. they look Tor
prosperity only iD that which affects h" pros,
p,rty of the whole country. Ii they arc united
with the democratic party, they are not so Tor
the purpose Of sectional aggrandiz ment or Tor
the purpose of again getting control OF the
Government. They are united from an instinct
Of self preservation Equally wrong Is the ap-
prrhens,on that the success Of the democratic
nar,v weu!d result iu the notification OF the
amendments TO the Constitution. The people
know that the democratic party Is the party OF
cou>ttuliouallty aud conservatism, and there Is
nothing in the past history OF the party that
points to an interference with the CONSTITUTION.
With regard to The question ot slavery, Mr.. IL
c,pteoded that the ouly difference between the
democrats and republicans was that the former
had held OUT longer than the latter. tic IN
stauccd the tact that as late as 1860 Tepuoh
can Congress demanded the sirct enforce
m.nt of the fugitive slave law, and tnat
number Of prominent republican leaders, ln-
cIudiay such men as Gov Morton, of ludlana,
and Gov. Andrew, of Massachusetts, had as
lat, as 1865 den unced the proposition to
rive the rlcht of suffrage to the entran
chi4cd slaves. With regard to the charge t
alleged ouiragcs in the South, nc sald that
the white people there had 10 desire whatever
to ahr,dge the rights OF single lndlVdua.
The causes of the conf Cts that often arose We're
prluariIy the il j'ctlou OF new element IN the
body po!itic of tue South. La the .wlnkllng OF
an eye 500, 600 slaves had been made voters,
and their mi .ctiou into the poIltcsot the Sou
was enough TO shattcr any system. lie ALLUDED
10 tue iact tnat WIKI ~ "a9 p'opoS ~
New NJ xico republicans otjt ctcd on the ground
that the citiz.us of the Territory could DOT read
and write.
The Pacific coast people had objected TO the
introduction of the Chinese element, aud yet.
in shor, time and wthous warning, the negro
clement was tlrown upon the Sou.h as DIS
turbng force. The tact Of investing the Iae
slaves with the franchise was looked upon WITH
fear even by republicans in the North as we'll
as iu the South.
In this connection Mr.. Lamar quoted at
length from speech delivered by Senator lthcn
G,veruor) Motion, of Indiana, 10 which he
reprobatcd the confcrripg OF the suffrage upon
tho late slaves; advocated that they should b."
placed 10 condition oil probatloG Tor fifteen or
twenty years. declared that to establish negro
governments would be to exclude emigration
from the South, ard insisting that the expert
mpnt wonId hn disastrous Ii this Was MIR.