Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-06-05
Senator Thurman AZ the FrOnt


IN the late debate in the Senate on
the legislative and executive bill. Sem
atoT Thurman, Of Ohio. spoke sabssan-
italy as follows: He said the legisla-
ton on The bin was so Objectionable to
the Republicans that they would rather
refuse the needed supplies to the Gov
ernment than vote them with the repeal
ing clauses. They had made many
speeches. and none Of them had ad-
.geess ! sflhsa lsrz - Ne gsieriln "a ne
question involved. Il had been made
the subject Of most infammatory, un-
founded and uniusdfable attacks by
men who were seeking TO make Sec
tionalism as enduring as the continent
itself. The speeches OF the opposition
had been burdened with passionate and
partisan appeals, all striving to revive
the memories Of the war and arouse ha-
tired against the South. The chief OBJ
lection urged had been that the legisls-
ton was upon an appropriation bill, and
that, too, when Zone entire third OF all
your general statutes were passed upon
appropriation bills"
Again the opposition had howled
about this being a Southern scheme, a
Confederate conspiracy, when, in fact.
not a single line had been dictated BY
a Southern man or written by a South
ern pen. Speaking of the outrageous
conduct of John /. Davenport in sum-
marily arresting and penning up citi-
zens of New York, Mr.. Thurman be-
came earnest. He denounced it as an
outrage that would not have been toler-
aied in any other free government on
the globe. Placing his hands to hIs
head, as il TO repress pain, he said he
was admonished 10 remain calm and
save himself, but when contemplating
the cowardly expressions Of this con-
temptible Commissioner Of elections,
his Indignation would express itself.
He then took up the subject Of juries.
and pointed out the wrongs prachced
under the test oath. Formerly iuries
were made up for the purposes OF JUS
tice, but now the United States mar
shals make them TO subserye the inter
ests of the Republican party. Revcr-
ence for the jury system grew out Of
the fact that il is the great CONSERVATION
of the liberties Of the people; il stood
between them and the power that ruled
them. He read from English history
to show what a farce liberty became
when the trial by jury was made mock
cry, and warned the Senate that though
there were no Jefries here, PARTISAN
ship had invaded the jury box and the
system had been abused for years. OPP
pressIon had been practiced and the
channels of justice had been muddied
and dirhed. Jurors were selected for
political reasons, and il was time to re-
pair the wrong.
The pending bill proposed to correct
this abuse and provide for the drawing
of Jurors in an impartial manner. Yet
this was made pretext for arousing the
Northern people; they were told that
their liberties were in danger. He
would not speak OF the necessity for
test oath law at the time Of its enact
ment though he would never have sup
ported it. "But now we propose to re-
peal it and go back TO the old system
that prevailed so many years, and this
sets all the demagogues m the North to
crying revolution. Great God they
say, for what was the war fought, if
these Confederate brigadiers are allow
ed 10 have impartial juries.' " He IL
Iustrated the mode Of procedure under
the test oath. Han estate in which two
boys born since the civil war ended
were involved, and the attorneys and
the court were satisfied with the jury,
the United States attorney could inter
pose and reject one or more of the ju-
rors because they had given poor,
half-starved Confederate soldier drink
OF water. No matter how honorable the
men, they would have to leave the Jury
box. Don't say :his is impossible, "
said Mr.. Thurman, "for il has taken
place since the assembling Of this SEN
ate." The test oath had once been re-
pealed, but by one of these marvellous
manGuyers Of revision il was slipped
back into the statutes in the same way
that the word "white" was mysterious
ly omitted from the naturalization laws,
and that silver was demonetized. lie
had seen The report Of the revision OF
the statutes brought into that chamber
from the printer, laid upon the table
and passed without the cords that bound
the package having been cut. The
work was approved in the dark.
Coming TO The election law, DIR.
Thurman said he had given them long
and careful study, and as Senator and
lawyer ne pronounced them uncOBsti-
tulional. The Constitution could not
confer the right Of suHrsge, and alb the
Fifteenth amendment did was TO prohib-
it discrimination IN the right to vote on
account of race, color or previous con-
dition Of seTyitude. The States could
and did impose other conditions. In
Delaware a man had TO pay certain
amount Of taxes TO enf;tle him 10 vote,
and he remembered once, when guest
Of Senator Bayard, seeing him hunt all
over his house for his tax receipt, and
he was very uneasy for fear he had lost
il and would thus lose bis vote. These
election laws assumed TO prescribe con-
diiions Of suffrage, and the men who ad-
vocated them had never referred to bat
q single clause Of the Constitution as