Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-03-31


"grip sack" party?
Mr.. Dawes replied that he did not, but
thought the Senator from Georgia ought TO
know not only that but every phase OF every
political party that has ever come up, for
certainly If anybody had tried them all the
Senator from Georgia had. He then pro-
eeeded to make quite q lengthy speech, in
which he said that unless the untrammelled,
unterriied and undismayed voice of every
voter IN the land could tell upon the policy
and laws which he was called upon to obey,
the government OF the country would be
failure, and 1t was therefore conflict OF
the life and death Of this nation that the
Republican party was now engaged In on
this floor.
Mr.. Hill, replying, said there was not
word In the Senator's speech in which he
did not fully concur. He had been waiting
patiently for the appearance of the speech
of the gentleman from Virginia Mr..
Mahone), in order to make
some reply to it, He did
not wish to misrepresent that gentleman,
but II he had understood his speech, he
had made use of some of the grossest mis-
representations upon the Southern States
that had ever been uttered. He, however,
did not intend to say anything upon that
subject until the speech appeared in the
Record. There was one point to
which he wished to call the attention
OF the Senate and to do 1t in no
equiVocal language. He had noticed that
in nearly all the Republican papers and in
the different speeches made on this floor, an
attempt to justify this coalition with the
Senator from Virginia and his party by the
claim that they led off in favor of the dual
rights of free ballot and of fair count in
the Southern States. No man had had the
face to say that the Southern people were
opposed TO free ballot and a fair count.
[Derisive laughter on the Republican side. |
They sought TO imply that. Whether they
stated or implied it, he stood here to say
that 1t was gratuitouslV false and untrue,
and that the charge that the Democratic
party in the South desires by force,
by fraud, by intimidation, or ty
any other means to obstruct
the amendments to the Constitution, and to
prevent the enforcement OF the laws which
guaranteed equal rights to all men, without
regard to race, color or previous condition,
was utterly untrue. He read extracts from
a speech delivered by his colleague Mr..
Brown at Atlanta, just previous
which he advocated free ballot
and an honest count for all men. In the
face of that fact he was astonished that gen.
tlemen should assume that somebody must
move off In the South in favor of free
ballot. The position of the Senator from
Virginia (Mr. Mahone) was distinctly the
position OF bis colleague, distinctly that of
the Democratic party in Georgia, which af-
firmed Its approval OF those sentiments
by electing his colleague by two
thirds VOTE He maintained that the masses
OF the people in all sections were honest,
and were equally interested in good govern
ment. He did not desire to do injustice to
any portion of the country, nor to any color
or race in the country. This move
ment to get up party by
coalition between the Republicans
and the Readjusters of Virginia,
if based on the idea that the Democracy of
the South was unwilling to do justice to
the negro, was based on a false idea. 1t
was based on pretext which was nothing
but a pretext. The people of the South
were Just as honest as the people of the
North. Who were the men In the South
who owned property and who were
interested in the peace and good of
societY2 Were they not the
men who composed chiefly the Democratic
party? Why should they be in favor of
fraud and violence9 1t was an incontro-
vertible fact that those States In which the
troll. were now the most prosperous and
most peaceable. A greater wrong could
not be inflicted on the colored people than
to organize a movement based on the
idea of doing something for the
colored race Independent Of the white race.
Race distinctions must be kept down. Did
this movement mean an attempt to place
the Southern governments under coalition
of the colored people with the worst class
of the white people? Was carpetbag-
ism to be revivedi Was that ordeal
to be repeated II so he had
confidence that the Northern people would
repudiate it.
Mr.. Cameron, of Wisconsin, sent to the
Clerks desk and had read the letter sent to
Mr.. Chittenden by Mr.. Hill shortly after the
election, and inquired whether Mr.. Hill was
still of the opinion that the Democratic
party ought to dtsband.
Mr.. Hill stated that he would answer the
inquiry, though it would have been fairer II
the Senator had broadened the question and
asked whether he was in favor of both par
ties disbanding. There was nothing new
in the letter so far as his opinions were con-
cerned He was of the opinion that the
bt st thing that could happen for
this country, looking to it's future,
its peace and prosperity, would be the or.
ganiEa alton of parties wholly disconnected
with the differences of the past. He con-
tended that the worst element In this coun-
try, the worst traitor to this country, the
only real rebel in the country, was the man
who imputed to the people of any section,
desire in their hearts to destroy the gov
ernment. The differences In the
late war had eliminated from
an honest difference as to hat was the true
meaning of the Constitution. The North
had a right to maintain her views, the South
hers. When the South could not maintain
her side she had yielded as bravely as she
had fought. Her honor was pledged to
maintain the settlement that had resulted,
and the Southern people would maintain 1t.
In answer to a question of Mr.. Hoar, he
said that the people OF the South accepted
In good faith the constitutional amend
ments, but expressed the opinion that it
would have been q benefit to the colOred
race in the South and the country If soma
tellectual condition OF the negro
before he was given full rights.
He asserted emphaticalIy that the condi-
tion of unguiet and unrest out of which the
Southern States were emerging nad been
due to the reconstruction measures adopted
by the Republican party after the war. The
evil which afflicted the South after the war
was again threatened to be repeated.
What was it but coalition
Of the Republican party with the
minority element In the South, seeking
not to do good TO the colored man but to
get domination In that country Every
movement that came from the South in
favor of burying the issues Of the war; In
favor of forgetting the passions of war, in
favor of hiding from view the wrongs of
war, was met bv the Republican party with
slap In the face. Every movement
that comes from the South in favor
of burying. the issues of the war
is met by a demand from the
Republican party that the people of the
South must evidence their faith by joining
the Republican party, and no Southern man
is allowed to be patriot unless he accom-
panies his profession OF patriotic sentiments
With heglra oyer to the Republican party.
In conclusion he warned the Republican
party that this coalition, over which 1t was
now rejoicing, was going to do more to set
back the real liberal movement than any
thing else could do.
Mr.. Hoar denied the statements made by
the Senator from Georgia that the people
in the South were allowed q free
ballot and an honest count.
He challenged Mr.. Hill to
state on what important measures
In regard to the South the Republican party
had not been In the right, and upon Mr..
Hills replying ''the reconstruction
pdeclared that the so o-calledcarpet-
bag governments had been necessitated by
the laws, enacted in many South
ern States, practically reestablishing
slavery.
In the midst of the controversy,
which was kept up at some length, Mr.. Lo-
gan entered into the discussion, and asserted
that every time an opportunity is offered
the Senator from Georgia digs up every
question growing out of the war. The Sena-
tnr from GaOrgia he said and every other