Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-05-31
SPEECH OF HON. zEBULON B. VANCE,
OF NORTH CAROLINA,
In the senate of the United states.
Monday, May 10. 1879.

Monday, May 10. 1879.
The senate having under considers
ton the bill (H. R. No p making appro-
priations for the legislative, executive,
and judicial expenses OF the government
for the fiscal year ending June 30. 1880,
and for other purposes. Mr.. Vance said:
Mr.. President Before entering upon
the remarks which I propose to make
am requested to say. and that request
accords with my own inclination in the
matter, that the school literature re-
ferred to by the senator from Maine
(Mr. Blaine) is non-existent in the
southern states During the war there
was some literature of that kind preva-
lent, but even then it met with little ia
vor, and am assured that since the war
no child. white or black, in the southern
states has ever seen any such literature
And now. Mr. President. 1t seems to
be the peculiar misfortune OF the section
from which l come, and believe it to
be also the misfortune of the whole
country, that no question in any way
pertaining to the south or originating
with any Representative e from the south
has been able to obtain q fair hearing In
these halls upon its merits Indeed 1t
would seem as if the day for that kind
of discussion had passed away forever
l had been taught to believe that the OBJ
iect OF all discussion was to elicit truth,
and not only was 1t useless but such dis
cussion was mlschievous if that was not
the object to be attained. If this indeed
be so. I might appeal with confidence
to every fair-minded man in the United
States who hears or reads our debates
here, and ask ii the questions now be-
tore the senate have been fairly or logi-
cally handled with the view to ascertain
the truth. 1t Is proposed.
First-By the legislation which is now
in part before US, and which has been to
repeal the laws under which authority
is assumed to interfere with the cleo
tons OF the country by the use OF the
military.
Second-To repeal the laws by which
the United States marshals and supervl-
sors were authorized to control the cleo
tons OF the country.
Third-To repeal the law requiring
Jurors in the federal courts to take the
test oath.
Now, these are the questions. plain and
|
tion OF the American congress and the
people for the last three months. Com
mon sense and decent regard for the
public interest require that they should
receive at our hands the calmest and
most dispassionate consideration which
it is IN our power to bestew upon them
that they should be abstracted and dis
associated from every local passion or
,lxA1vy vryIfE I, oCy1r rH
to their effect upon the public welfare
Has this been doneP The record OF our
proceedings is evidence that it has not
The staple of the arguments in oppesi-
ton has been as wide of this object as il
is possible for human imagination to
conceive. One senator. as his argument
CRIES out rebellion; another cries out Sc
cesslon; another exclaims. with alarm,
that rebel soldiers are here in these
halls another claims that the north pay:
the larger part of the direct taxes, anc
nearly all of the taxes collected on i'm
ports another sees a goblin in the shape
OF democratic caucus another holds
up his hands in holy horror in contem
plating that there is absolutely demo
cratic majority in both branches o.
congress; and yet another sees ruin in s
solid south and last. but not least. ont
senator exclaims in the famine OF argu
ment, Jefferson Davis" and that is th'
contribution that he furnishes to the lit
erature of the country.
These various and logical appeal
have not even the merit that the old ne
gro groom attributed to John Mino
Bolts race-horses; for when tauntet
with the fact that his horse could no
beat anything, he congratulated himsel
that they could beat each other! Thes
apologies for argument cannot eve1
beat each other in absurdlty. An homes
judge will be compelled to decide tina
the race is drawn one and all bets ar
off.
If our proceedings. Mr.. President
were in the nature OF a complaint an
answer, there Is not court in the lam
but would be compelled to order that tn
answers put in here by the repub
lican defendants to these bills b
stricken out as frivolous, an
:. that judgment be rendere
in favor of the plaintiffs. l wi
not recapitulate the arguments in favo
of these bills. They are before tn
= country, and will be properly judged c
s in due season. l desire only to make
>. few observations IN reply to these sec
- tional appeals.
,,s Mr.. President, who made the sout
n solid? The answer is as PLAIN and un
!. mistakable as it is possible to make any
l. thing to the human intellect the reput
,e lican party is responsible for this thing
" At the beginning of the late war almos
10 the entire whig party OF the south, wit
d q large and influential portion of til
;e democratic, were in favor OF the Unio
lie and deprecated with their whole sou
n the attempt at its destruction. br
!, through love OF their native states an
p sympathy with their kindred and neigf
OF pors they were drawn into the suppo
Is of the war. What became of them a
N ter the WARP Their wisdom in opposin
~ it was justified by the ruinous results
. their patriotism and courage were higl
- ly appreciated, and when peace can
:. this class were in high favor at tt
= south. while the secessionlsts as tt
h. original advocates OF disastrous polio
at were down in public estimation.
Ms If YOU. gentlemen OF the north. ha
!, then come forward with liberal tern
s. and taken these men by the ham
| you would have established
he party in the south that would ha,
L. perpetuated your power in this gel
he ernment for generation. provide
of you had listened to the views of tho
b. nen and respected their policy on que
tions touching their section. But ye
he pursued the very opposite course
r course which compelled almost ever
er decent. intelligent man of Anglo-Saxt
d. prejudices and traditions to take fir
b. and determined stand against you
n course which consolidated all shades
g. political opinion into one resolute ma
81 to defend what they conceived to
NJ their ancient forms of governmer
Ia avs, liberties and civilization itself
II. confscation and the destruction of wa
Div you had already stripped Us of proper
,h- to the extent of at least So 900, 200, 90
ch and left our land desolate, rent and tor
our homes consumed with fire aud O.
nm nm pleasant places a wastedwllderness.
to Peace then came-no, not peace, b
IA the end ot,war came-no, not the el
an of war, but the end of legitimate, civ
put put lied war. and Tor three years you dalli
md md with us. One day we were treated
pie though we were in the Union and
* X, though we had legitimate state Cover
tic ments in operation another day we we
ily treated as though we were out OF t
'ey Union and our state governments we
a. rebellious usurpations. 1t was the re
10. ular game of Nov you see it. and nc