Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-05-16
EXTRACT OF SENATOR HALE'S
SPEECH IN THE SENATE,

Senator Hale of Maine in a political
debate in the Senate after quoting
large number of Southern papers in
which sentiments like the following are
found,
SIT is true that some Of the southern
Senators, in their speeches during the
debate, declared in favor Of a fair ballot
and free count, but it cannot be denied
that there is firmly rooted conviction in
the minds Of very large portion of the
southern people that the democratic par
ty, which contains the wealth and intel
igence Of the South, ought to rule,
whether it has majority of the votes or
not. There is deep-seated aversion to
allowing negroes voice in public affairs,
or to allowing men, not natives, to ac-
quire political prominence through the
aid OF negro votes" said:
cit is the profound belief of a very
large majority of the northern people
that the sentiments contained in these
newspapers have been made the prevail
ing sentiment of the South. Senators
deny it. They take that form of meet
ing the questisn; and that denial in
wolves denial of the statements of
fact upon which this northern belief
rests. 1t is attempted to sweep it all
away by the simple declaration that
none of these conditions exist, that the
facts have not been proved, that the
story of the Louisiana parishes is lie,
that the tale of the Shoe-string district
IN Mississippi is conjuring of the i'm
agination, that Kemper county has never
been understood, that the tissue ballots
of South Carolina and the atrocities in
Sumpter county and other counties exist
only IN the brains of bad men who have
deceived the people.
Why, sir, it is as easy to blot out all
the undoubted historic landmarks of the
past as to wipe out what is the truth as
demonstrated by scores of investigations.
Denial does not help this. You may as
we'll take up any piece of accepted his
torlc testimony and deny it; you may
as we'll deny the horrors of the Black
Hole of Calcutta or the massacre of
Glencoe in the Businesses of Scotland or
the raVage of Bulgaria as to deny that
these atrocities in the South have been
committed and have been proven. That
is no wise way to deal with this ques.
ton. | speak with unfeigned reluctance
upon this subject; but can assure yGu
In all sincerity, with no desire, with ne
tendency in my mind to infame or ex
asperate, that every time these subjects
are presented and brought before tn,
public mind in Congress or elsewhere
the proofs of the southern methods O
violence and fraud only leave their cas-,
in worse condition in the northern
mind. That mind will not brook tina
the suffrage shall be longer molested
1t may as well be known that the repub
lican party is dedicated to this one singh
proposition over and above all othe
things, and that everywhere, all owe
the Republic, the man who has RICH
to vote under the laws and the Constitu
ton at national election shall be pei
mitted, if he will, to exercise that right
This may assume thousand forms;
will be thing. it may be. to be Tough
out and settled and ended by an
other generation, but there will neve
be abiding peace in this country unit
this question is settled and settled right
There will never be the peace that south
ern Senators, patriotic and enlightene