Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-05-03
WHOLE NO.a2,,267. !.

IT ment. In that belief you have been permit
ted To return 10 power in the two Houses.
lie To-day. after eighteen years defeat, tn
H. book OF your domination i again open
y, and your first act awakens every unhapp
at memory and threatens to destroy the conf
te dence which your professions of patriotism
as inspired. You turned down a leaf Of tn
1T history that recorded your last act Of powe
~ in 1861, and you have now signalized you
ut return to power by beginning "a SeconS
s. chapter at the same page; not this time b,
heroic act that declared war on the battle
" field, but yon say all the legislative pow
is ers of the Government do moi consent to le
s. you tear certain laws out of the statute
20 book you will--not shoot our Government
% TO death, as you tried in the first chapter
a but you declare that If we do not consent
against our will, if you cannot coerce an in.
, dependent branch of this Government
b against its will, to allow you to tear from
Il the statute-book some laws put there by
IS the will of the people, you will starve the
g government to death. lGreat applause on
/ the Republican side.l
; Between death on the field and death by
q starvation, do not know that the Ameri-
I can people will see any great difference.
: The end, if successfully reached, would be
r death in either case"
Mr.. Chairman, this is grave charge, an
z, accusation which, If true, discloses a state
= of affairs no less dangerous TO the stability
: of this Government than il Is dishonortng
: TO those against whom Il Is made II Il Is
( true that there are Representatives upon
o this floor who cherish in their hearts a hos
I tility to the Government under which they
e live and which they have so solemnly
G sworn to support so deadly that they only
D need the power and await the opportunity
to strike the fatal blow, then indeed is this
[ great Government reposing in fancied secu-
ityNupon the trembling summit OF q volca-
l no, subject at any moment to be ingulfed in
one tremendous ruin. If the horoscope
) with which the gentleman scans the politi-
cal heavens has correctly forecast the prob
, able fate of the country, then dangers,
doubts and darkness rest upon its future.
There Is 10 security, there can be none, for
anything ln a government when the white
caps of threatened revolution are ever Visi-
| hlp "a hOxro fine nOlitical hnriEnn Hinder -
uncertain protection labor may we'll des-
pair of reaptng the fruits OF its toll and cap
ital hesitate toNemerge from its hiding place
to invigorate the industries and energies OF
the land. Commerce may fold her white
wings and well fear to spread them upon
such sea The artisan, the manufactures,
the mechanic, the banker, the farmer, the
merchant, the day-Naborer, and all who fol-
low the avocafionsN of a state of blessed
! peace NAV sci theiA houses in order and
await in trembling suspense the advent of
| red-handed revolution and the carnival Of |
! ruin that always follows in its footsteps !
for the enemies of the Government are in
| possession of both houses of Congress, and /
from Capitol Hill, where these traitors plot |
| their treason, their guns are trained on the /
| White House at the other end of the Ave- /
| nue. Such are the pictures which republican /
leaders have seen Mt TO paint of the situa- |
ton at the National Capitol and which are |
now being scattered broadcast among the /
| people of the North for the purpose of infia- |
/ ming passions that are fast dying out for |
want of fuel to keep them burning and |
awakening prejudices that should be per- /
mitted to sleep in grave above which no |
| trumpet of resurrection should ever be /
sounded. .r
| MT. Chairman, am one of those who do
/ not believe that sectional hate is a national |
| blessing. / have seen il rage with wild and
/ reckless fury. have seen il cuiminate in a
war that shook the world with the thun-
ders of its reverberations. Along the track
| of desolation where ID has passed l search
| in vain for one solitary monument IL has
! ever erected to the glory OF the country. We
look over this country, and along the marts
OF trade, in the thorOughtares of commerce,
in the walks of humber life, we can hear
the cry of financial distress and behold the
wrecks OF broken fortunes. Everywhere the
battle with bankruptcy has been fierce, a
hand-to-hand conflict, and God only Knows
how many have gone down in the struggle
or how many may yet go down before II Is
over. What benefit il Is proposed 20 confer
upon the country by seeklngt 70 SOW distrust
among the people broadcast and to repress
and repel Indications ofreturning confidence
may have shown themselves, must confess
am at a loss to see.
just before the close of the last session of
Congress I heard from the distinguished
gentleman from Ohio a declaration TO the
effect that any political party which sought
to gain popular favor by an appeal 10 the
passions and preiudices engendered by the
war would find itself without power /
hear that statement with great pleasure,
both on account of the influential source
from which it came and as an earnest that
a kinder and more conservative feeling had
become prevalent among the masses Of the
Northern people. little thought then that
within short space of q few weeks that
/
step to the front and make an appeal 70
those very prejudices and passions In the In
terest of his own party, and to sound a note
of alarm to the country based on the as
sumption that those who took pant in the
late war on the southern side were present {
in the Halls of Congress as the authors or
abettors of another revolution that sought
the life of the Government. Mr. Chairman,
it is unQuestionably true that many gentle-
men who drew theirswords for the South in !
the late struggle now have the honor OF
seats upon this floor. But bow came We !
here? We neither came in at the back door
nor did we crawl in at the windows. We
came in at the open door in broad daylight, !
and at the desk took an oath % support the {
Constitution OF the United States. If we
had no right To seats here, why was Objec-
tious not made to our being sworn in2 II 1
we are here by the provisions of law and by
the will of our constituents, Why is it that
we arc not allowed to form our opinions 5
upon public measures and ara virtually de- q
MED the right 10 exercise the courage OF our Y
convictions?
act upon the measure of public interest IN !
opposition 10 the opinions OF gentlemen OF {
an opposite political faith, that our action l
should be ascribed to feeling of disloyalty s
and hostility 10 the Government? 1t is true I
we have not Joined the Republican party;
it is true that we vote for many measures {
which they oppose and oppose many meas Z
ures which they support, surely we have a / I
right to do this, if we have the right 10 be
here at all. If Representative is denied q
the privilege of acting from his convictions I
on any and all measures that may come be- !
fore the body of which he is q member, 4
then he is in no sense a representative OF I
the people. He is nothing more than po- v
litical prisoner in the hands of keepers who L
claim the right of censorship over his ac- /
tions and utterances, holding in terrorism 1
over him and over the people he is said by =
courtesy TO represent, the wrath and indig- I
nationDft the loyal people ofthe country ifhe I
dares to step aside from the path which has q
been marked out for him to tread. He was q
once in rebellion and what right has he TO {
express opinions on public measures and Sc 5
iect a course of action distasteful to those by {
whose sufferance he holds his seat. Have '
they not the undOubted right to put such 4
manacieS on his limbs as VIII make MIN /
harmless, and to carry in their pockets the \
key of The paddock that swings from his |
mouth Il
Mr.. Chairman, am not unmindful OF the \
fact that the Republican party when they =
were in power passed amnesty laws remoV- q
ing the political disabilities Of Southern 4
men who had participated in the late civil 4
war and thus rendered them eligible to I'LL
all positions of honor and trust 70 which 4
their fellOw-citiZens might see fit 70 select d
them, nor do l seek to detract from the Re-. !
publican party any of the honor that may Il
belong to them for the passage Of those laws, /
or qualification, that In accepting positions y
of responsibility and power aftfr the pas a
10 preserve the peace, promote q
the prosperity and glory Of the country, and n
defend the honor ofits nag, as high ana Sue S
red oS can bind the conscience ana tue 4
honor of man; and, standing here to-day In I
my place, as one of the humblest Represen- q
tatiVes from my section, challenge any n
man in Congress or out of it 10 point To the I \
time and occasion when any Representa- h
tive of the South who ever took the oath 0f d
office at that desk has proven false and re- {
creant to that obligation. How and where I
in have we been unfisithful to our plighted n
honor or disioyal in any respect TO the Con- II h
stitution and the Government of the United h
States That we love our own section \
will not deny. / trust shall never reach Z
that point of political degradation and per- b
sonaI infamy when / shall feel willing to h
turn my back on the land where l hrst q
saw the light" or to be unInindful of the Il
welfare or the wo Of her brave and generous b
people. N
Its true we were engaged in a terrible and 4
disastrous war in which we were unsuccess- 4
ful. The cause which led tothat war, the mo- Z
tives of the men who engaged in IL on both \
sides, its victories and defeats, and all the y
Vcissitudes and incidents that marked the 4
struggle, belong now TO the do \
main of history. Before that august trtbu- \
nal let the matter rest, and when reason
shall mount her throne, when the fires Of
passion shall have burned themselves 70
ashes, the Impartial historian will tell to Y
other times and other men the true story OF
the great war in which their fathers We're
engaged. I think he will find in the vaiOr
and heroism display on both sides much
that will not cause the children Of those r
brave men to hang their heads In shame on ,
account of the achievements OF their anees- :
tors. God grant that he may tell his story 5
to a powerful, united, and prosperous coun- I
try ,
Sir, the restoration of the Southern States !
to their normal condition in the Union, the a
of their state governments, (
and the passage of the amnesty laws were /.
uFN