Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-05-22
THE LAWS.
From senator Thurman's
Speech.

From senator Thurman's
Speech.
Mr.. Thurman maintained that the
avs now sought to be repealed were
unconstitutional, but leaving that
Of the subject went on to
characterize them as being also in the
interest of corruption and fraud. He
also stated that when they were pass
ed there were only eight Democrats
in the Senate, and they we're power
less to prevent their adoption.
Mr.. Conkling asked il it were pos
sible that eight men could have made
as much noise as was created at that
period.
Mr.. Thurman: Those eight MEL
were inspired. (Langhter.) They
stood up for the constitution and
honest election laws, and naturally
made much noise and even something
more than noise. They made argu-
msnt after argument, and these were
not without result. They have filed
these seats and increased the number
Of Democrats from seven, as when he
first came to the Senate, until they
spread out and reached over into the
promised land. He did not believe
at that time, that those laws were
to protect the freedmen, and history
had shown his incredulity to be we'll
founded. These laws originated in
New York, in the Union league
club, bipartisan political organization.
He read from the report of the COM
mittee on expenditures in the depart
ment Of Justice, in the forty-fourtf
Congress, the testimony of San uel /
Glasson, which showed him to hav,
been the chief-counsel employed b,
, that club to get up these Laws, an'
. therefore entitled to be acknowledged
D as q respectable nan by the othe
s side. He was assisted by a man o
less responsibility, who has becom
e historically known, one John Daven
% port. Mr. Thurman also read fror
: the testimony showing what measure
J, the Union League Club took to pre-
,t cure the passage of these laws, an
ID the connection OF Davenport there
with. When these laws we're fir
r, proposed they contained many pre-
% visions not ultimately passed. 4
e first proposed they almost disfranA<-
rSo.e.y n~aturalized citizen IN &
IA -, ''--iai /. almost insno
sole to be naturaliEed. and c,o.
;, na~turaiized citizen security in h
right to vote. Mr.. Thurman co,Io
senator Morton's attention To tho.
provisions and said: "Mr. Morto,
you cannot support thos. sao,;o..,,
he saio' after examining them. seer
'Aihiy cannot" and he used +;
influence against them, and thew x.r,
defeated. These laws we're nssse[
TOT party purposes. and r~...ere wer
d profsafpervisors of elections. q
which l,779 were appointed in tn,
state Of New York, nearly one
), half the whole number. There wer.
u ll,6lO marshaIs and more than one
, fourth OF them In the state Of New
York, but the main point is, wher,
did the money go? In that yea,
. 1885, 924 were expended. How much
of this was paid out to protect the
poor freedmen down in the South,
where the nieht-rides, the White
Leagues, and Kuklux Cypress him ?
In the ten southern states there vas
expended S4s, 7Is, and in tile other
states $3.50 ,s50 were discussed, that
Is to say, about one-sixth of the
money went to the South, and five.
sixths to the Nsrth., That ia the
way the freedman was protected.
They made the South give the negro
a right to vote, but when 1t came to
using money OF the United States, for
every dollar they expended to pro-
tect him, they used five dollars To
corrupt elections at the North, and
deprive citizens of their right to vote.
The Senator from New York, (Conk-
ling had carefully enumerated the
different varieties Of things, shoulder
h'tters and roughs, that formed q
part ofhis constituency. If New York
City were raked from Harlem to the
Battery, there could not be found In
it q worse set Of men than the depu-
ty-marshals, selected In 1875 and ,
1873 to execute these laws. In the
selection Of them, persons thought DO !
'e purchasable were preferred. In 1
his manner large Democratic ma 8
were destroyed. II the /
Democrats were to gain power i'm Q
1871, and there was such a blessing ,.
8 q Democratic president, the Re-
'ublicans would clamor as loudly
or the repeal OF those laws, as they :
ow do for their maintenance. They
'ould not trust such power over the
nrse and Offices to the Democracy.
lr. Thurman said it was no surprise a,
hear that Davenport had feathered x
Is nest. $s4, 600 Of the public money b%e
nd passed into bis hands and has not
cen accounted for. He hated to deal u
it'll such q fellow, he was the most D.
.werfal political man in the country. p p
q rAad tnsffrnnuu pho-f~~ r. -