The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1879-05-21
SENATOR THuRMAN'S SPEECH.
A afAsTERLY EFFORT IN MEDICATION
OF THE COURSE PURSUED by
THE DEMOCRACY IN
CONGRESS-.

1 CONGRESS.
| WASHINGTON, May l5.--Senato
Thurman, abiding to the clause 0
the appropriation bill relating t,
trial byjary and elections, said thcst
matters had not been the subject o
calm, deliberate senatorial debate
but OF the most infammatory an(
unJustifiable attempt to array one
portion of the people against the
|otler and to make sectional divis
ion in this country as permanent anf
enduring as the continent itself
Il the provisions ought not, on their
own merits, to pass, why had not
their defects been pointed out and
condemned? One-t third of the gene
raj statutes were passed on appropri.
alton bills, and part of the very cleo
ton laws sought by this bill to- be
repealed were so enacted. Speaking
of the election laws, be said there
came to him picture of their opera
ton in New York City Of a cage full
LOFT men sweltering and suffering un
der the arbitrary aud dictatorial
mandate Of a corrupt and contempt
BILE commissioner of election and be
could not suppress the thought that
a transaction had taken place in this
country that could not have occurred
in any other civilized country with
out bloo9shed. He proposed, how
ever, now to speak upon the consti-
tution--of that instrument which
might be mentioned without ofense,
and first discussed the jury laws
showing that trial by jury was dear
to our ancestors, because it shielded
the people from an oppressive gov
eminent. Discussing this topic with
great earnestness Mr.. Thurman ask!
ed, was the demand to return to old
and we'll trodden path Of justice and
legal procedure a matter to fire the
Northern mind and set all the dem
agogues, north Of Mason Dixon's
line, declaring against the designs of
the Democratic party? He analysed
the laws proposed to be repealed,
and argued that they shut out intel
ligence from the jury box and pun
ished those who could not take the
iron clad oath because they had given
a cup Of cold water even to any one
who had opposed the government.
If the law WAS justifiable in war, it
was not so now in a time when all
should unite in the paciflcation OF.
the country and restore harmony
everywhere. Passing from the sub
ject of jnries, MI. Thurman spoke of
the subject of elections, their free
dom from political interference anil
The necessity and justice Of repeating
the present laws which were instru
mentalities of corruption anil fraud.
The Senator commended that even
if the election laws were constitu
tlonal, they ought to be rcpealca, 70,
instead of being in the interest Of
pure and honest elections, the MUD
of man never devised worse in
strument Of fraud, corruption and
oppression than are these laws. He
had intended to say something about
the army bill and veto, though he
preferred to stick to his text. III
his Judgment there never was SO in
excnsable an exercise Of the veto
power as in the vetoes lately sent to
them. 1t is the first time Presi-
dent has vetoed an appropriation
bill, and the first time bill has been
vetoed because it repealed existing
laws; the veto power was intended
as a check upon constitutional, has
ty and ill-considered legislation, or
to enable the executive department
to protect itself against encroach-
ments from the Legislative depart
ment. 1t is also the first time a
President, in his message has quo
ted the remarks Of Senators and Re-
representatives. in Congress to impute
to them improper motives. He en-
larged upon the improperly ofsuch
illusions. They were other strange
things about his messages. In the
first message the President was I'M
derstood to say troops could not be
used at elections under the laws, but
in the second he tells US the govern
ment might be overthrow If the
military could not be used on cleo
ton days. Was there ever so thor
oughly shallow Che would not say
contemptible) and so transparent a
sophistry as this? In conclusion,