The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1877-03-16

1t; without 1t we DRIFT into confusion.
Our escutcheon is unstained. We can
better afford to accept disappointment
and defeat than by parliamentary shifts
and tricks to avoid the orderly executio
of the law against which only eighteen
| democrats of this house and only one in
! the senate voted.
Something has been said Of bargaining
with the south. You can not win them
over by brides; they want nothing but
| Justice. | see before me a distinguished
and cherished friend from the south, Mr..
Lamar, a gentleman of the highest ability
and unspOtted integrity; honored by his
people and worthy Of their trust.
speak not by his authority, but as his
name has been mentioned in this COLI
nection, / say tina; I am sure he would
! shrink from such q coalition az his soul
would rec0il from cruel wound Of dis
honor.
The men YOU could bribe in the south
are not worth having. You would loathe
| them when you got them they would
| have no following or influence at home.
| And if they were to join your party to
| sustain il in its past and pres mt policy,
| they would find themselves Political
/ paTiahs In the land OF their birth. Moth
| ing will conciliate the south but justice,
and you will SO find it. They want rest,
order, home rule. Your largess there
will be thrown away if given to corrupt.
| These people are your peers, equals, be-
fore the law ; and neither by bribery noI
force can you change them from serfdOm
to villainy. In the precious name OF
their manhood and womanhood 1 repu-
| date the intimation with scOrn unutter-
able.
There will be no division in the dem
ocracy. Lay not that flattering JUNCTION
to YOUR souls. 1t is a difference to-day
only among them as to the policy OF the
hour. And now | ask you, my country
men of the republican party, in the name
of Justice, of peace, of truth, of liberty,
of civilization, in the name Of all these
ask you to halt. Forbearance has its
limits say it not in menace, but in
sorrow and solemn earnestness.
The manacles must fail from the limbs
of our siste- southern states. You must
call off your dogs. These unfortunate
people have been baited and bOdgered
until the Just sentiments OF the world in
Indignation condemn your cruel policy.
Is yours to be an imitation of the cele-
| bration of a Roman victory with these
| long-sufferipg states chained to your tri-
umphal car. Are the clanking Of their
| chains to be heard mingling with your
| h0zanna5 To liberty and free government
| 1t the fraudulent action of a viliainOus
| returning board of a state is so sacred III
your eyes that by reason of state rights
you will not go behind the certificate oI
| q governor whom you have adiudged g
usurper, how dare you longer keep your
! soldiers there to sustain the thieves who
have been necessary to your disgrace,
unless It is by bargain with successors
in villainy?
While you stand up for the inviola-
bility of state rights, while you car not
go behind the corrupt return of a board
in Louisiana that huckstered the vote OF
their state from one end of the country
to the other for price, you organize the
! legislature of that state with your bay
onets. While the gentleman from Ohio
TMr. Foster says that "the flag shall
| float only over states, and not provinces
over ireemen and not slaves" your pres
ident forbiGs in South Carolina Il peace
full celebration of the anniversary OF
the birth of Washington While the
gentleman from Ohio says this, your sen
ate on the same day. twelve years after
the close of the war, is refusing amnesty
and your president has a pardon for every
bribe taker and every whisky thief.
Estates and provinces-treemen and
slavesn'
What means this language. but 4 con-
fession on the part of the gentleman from
Ohio Mr.. FOsterl, VINO represents the
district of Mr.. Hayes, and sovereign
commonwealths have been degraded and
their citizens denied their rights All!
well do you know the crimes you have
committed on these states. But / must
hurry on, as my ten minutes are nearly
gone.
Inconsistency and contradiction mark
the whole course of your policy. You
have seemed to try to achieve for your
selves the lament of JuniOus concerning
q party of whom he wrote, you have
given immortality to the perishable
parts of your infamy." What a hollow
mockery will be the pageant of
your inauguration of your presi-
dent. With this record, with the
sun of truth blazing upon the iniquities
by which your power was obtained, this,
instead OF being the day OF your victory,
will be the day of your death. The vials
of the peoples indignation VIII be
emptied upon you; you will hear the
hisses of scorn for what you have done.
The page of history will record the
eternal verdict against yOu. Just so
surely as God of justice rules the af-
fairs of men, Just so surely will the vic
tories of truth and justice in time prevail.
Democrats, peace, courage, prudence,
moderation! I impl0re you HUw 20 re-
L. IL
sent.
As have stood here for moderation
and peace throughout this congress, ]
accept to-day defeat, bitter as it is,
rather than dishonOr. ] ''bear the ills /
have rather than fly to those | know not
Of" When / am asked to give my vote
to resist the execution OF this law, my
answer is, no objective point is given to
which we would move that would not
bring upon us confusion, anarchy and
chaos.
The strength of our position is in its
moral grandeur. Let us not impair this
and throw away our great opportunities.
Let us not take counsel of our passions.
Principle, craftsmanship, policy all
these command us to stand by the exc
cution of the law we have made. We
agreed to trust certain men, and they
have betrayed us. To rush into revOlu-
ton would be suicidal it is madness.
Be patient; the people will rebuke the
iniguiti,s of which we complain. The
day of deIiverance will soon come. The
authors Of misrule will cali upon the
to fall upon them 10 hide them
and their crimes from the sight of men.
There will be no divided democratic
party. Those who so prophesy only pro-
claim what they wish.
mistaken, unseduced, let us stand for
our honor-like Clan Alpine's oak, "the
firmer it roots him the ruder it blows"
[ Loud applause