The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-07-26
THE HAMBURG AFFAIR IN con-
GRESS.
Speech of Mr.. Lamar.

WASHINGTON, July lS.-The pend
ing question was on the amendment
offered last Saturday by Smalls, of
South Carolina, in connection with
the Hamburg troubles, that no troops
shall be withdrawn from South CaiOli-
ma.
In the course of the debate, Lamar,
of Mississippi, spoke of the Hamburg
affair as terrible and disgraceful, but
lie denied that its circumstances were
legitimate subject of debate i'll the
House. There are one or two facts,
however, that cleaned indisputable.
One of these was that body Of white
men had, without authority of law,
put to death number of black men
while prisoners-not prisoners in the
legal sense, however, inasrnuch as
these white men had no right to de-
prive them of their personal liberty.
He wished to say in his place that no
excuse Or palliation could possibly be
found for that outrage and barbarism.
1Applause ON the Republican side of
the House, The South had its law
less classes, as the North had, with
this difference-that in the South they
famed out in different localities, and
were confined to short periods of time /;
while in the North whole countries
were sometimes held in terror for
months at a time, and the State au-
thorities defed. In those Southern
States where disorders occurred, there
were governments of peculiar char
acter and type. They were called Re-
publican, but it was spurious Repub-
iicanism, which had no sympathy
with the purpose and feelings of the
great national Republican party: 1t
was these State governments which
had encouraged these disorders and
these murders by their inefficiency,
their inability and their cowardice.
In reply to Garfieldrs as to Whcthe
the Hamburg case was sporadic or
symptomatic, Mr.. Lamar declared
that there was not community in the
South which had not been thrilled
with horror at such occurrences. He
deemed it wonder that society, un-
der the operation of governments
which allowed such lawlessness to
stalk abroad in the land, did not 60 to
pieces.
In reply to Conyer,s argument on
last Saturday, Mr.. Lamar declared
that the use of the army had never
produced any good effect in such cases.
The troops always got there after the
occurrence. The use of the military
power was al instrument that was in
effective, cumbersome, slow and al
most useless, and in spite of the good
faith of the army officers, it had been
converted into a monstrous engine of
political oppression and corrupt in
trigue. It was the duty of Gov.
Chamberlain at once to adopt meas
ures, swift and vigorous, to bring to
Justice those who shot down those
prisoners in cold blood and If he did
that, he would receive his (Lamar's)
support and praise. If, instead of do
Ing so, hewever, Gov. Chamberlain
rushes to Washington for the purpose
of making this occurrence the founda.
ton for fanaticism and strife, he will
not stop that disorder. Arkansas was
an illustration for the last two years of
the advantages of good government,
under firm and intelligent man
Gov. Garland.
In conclusion, he declared that the
occurrence at Hamburg was a morbitlc
element, not sporadic, but unnatural,
and one that would disappear and un-
der good government.
The debate was further continued by
Kasson, of Iowa, Hartridge, of Geor-
gia, Hale, of Maine, and Mackey, Of
South Carolina.
At the close of the debate, Hancock,
of Texas, moved substitute for
Smalls' amendment. to the effect that
no troops shall be taken from any
State or service where the public inter-
est requires their continuance.
Smalls accepted the substitute, and
it was agreed to by sc to 80.