The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-05-21

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sends q representative for 8 lsW-mske
who is rot notorious law breaker.
But the gentleman from Tennessee
[Ar. Housed 10 his argument yesterday
commended that such procedure woult
strip citizens of the United States Of th,
rights and privileges that freemen mos
value the right to vote and hold Office
Why, sir, L read in the statutes of thu
Rentleman's own state that for an sc
which is not crime or misdemesnor Al
common law, and in bat few states by
statute, citizens of Tennessee NAV bt
and are deprived of the right Of suffrage
and the right to hold Office. refer e
the set of 1870, I'd session; chapter SO
section l and 2, IS found in Thompsor
and Steger's Compilation, volume 9
section 2, 437. The sections are as fol.
lows:
Section l. The intermarrisge of white
persons with negroes, mHl0ttoes, or per.
sons of mixed blood descended from 8
negro to the third generation inclusive
or their living together as man and wife
is hereby prohibited.
Sec. 2. The persons knowingly vio-
lating the provisions of the first section Of
this act shall be deemed guilty of fell
ony, and, upon conviction, shall undergo
imprisonment in the penitentisry not lesc
than one nor more than five years.
Under the constitution and laws Of
Tennessee any person convicted Of fell
Ony is deprived of the; right to vote OF
hold any Office Of profit, honor, or trust
thereafter. Thus it will be seen that the
mere marriage Of "White person with q
person of mixed blood, descended from
. negro to the third generation inclusive
is a felony in Tennessee, and on cOnvic-
ton the defender is deprived of the right
to vote or hold Office, which the gentle
man priced SO highly in the case of the
lecherous, polygamous Mormons, who
live in open violation Of law. It would
be we'll, SIR, for the gentleman from Ten
nessee TO revise the statutes Of bis own
state before he criticises the action Of the
Americon Congress and condemns it for
imposing, as a penalty for the crime of
polygamy, Acknowledgement and the
farther disability as TO holding Office
One W o serenely indorses q statute
which by its operation DISTINGUISHES 8
citizen because ne marries one woman q
shade darker than himself. ought not to
be SO indignant and wroth against law
that Furnishes polygamist who boasts of
four wives or more.
But the gentleman has still another OBJ
lection. He says:
When took seat in this House, I
took an oath to support the Constitution
Of the United States. cannot and will
not swear to lie even to emphasize my
adherence ofpolYgamy or to punish q
Mormon, and with my views Of this act
would have had to do SO If I had voted
for the bill when it passed.
Why, sir, when did he become such 8
stickler for his oath that he needs thus,
by inRuende, accuse other members of
this body of violating theirs? l find By
an examination Of the Congressional Di-
rectory for the Forty. seventh Congress
that in ]S53-'54 the gentleman was
memb Der Of the Tennessee Legislature; as
such he necessarily took an oath to sup
port the Constitution of the United
States. But scarcely was that oath dry
upon his lips before he took part and
participated in the rebellion OF 1876.
He occupied a seat in the confederate
congress, and he held some position in
the confederate army; l know not
whether as judge-sdvocste or not; but
this know, that he occupied q position
he necessarily disregsrded his
oath taken in 1653-'54. He has become
wonderfully conscientious in this year of
1882, when he sees the monster PUlygo amy
about to be throttled, and he invokes the
Constitution and his oath Of Office to pro-
tect it-thst Constitution and that oath
Of Office which he could waive and put
aside in order that he might &id in the
attempt to destroy his country.
Mr.. Atkins-Will the gentleman al
low me to interrupt him2 l think it
would be better taste fer the gentleman
to attack the gentleman from Tennessee,
my colleague, if he were in his seat.
Mr.. Miller-Mr. Speaker, / was at
tackled yesterday by the gentleman from
Tennessee when l was not in my seat,
and the gentleman ought to be here. He
ought not to expect to throw stones and
tnen not be in his seat to defend himself
if necessary. Have charged anything
against him that is not true? | refer
gentlemen of this House to the Congress
sion al Directory; and what Is there ]
suppose he wrote himself.
Mr.. Atkins-Will the gentleman al
low me-
Mr.. Miller-Not if it is to come out of
nv time.
The Speaker-It will have to come out
OF the gentleman's time.
Mr.. Miller-Then do not yield.
Mr.. Speaker, L think the true ground
of opposition of this gentleman to the re-
port Of the msjority of the committee on
elections is found in that portion Of bis
speech where he says:
Mormons have been guilty Of believing
in, and some Of them of prscticing,
polygamy. But they have been guilty
of another sin also. T5ey have COM
mitted the ofense of belonging to the
democratic party.
thank Ged that they do belong to the
democrAti, party. I thank God that
every polyRsmist, that every man who
disregsIds the laws Of the United States
in that Territory of Utah, belongs to the
democratic party. ! am also rejoIced
that it devolved upon q democrat, and
upon one who in 1S61-'65 spst upon the
Constitution of his country und upon the
oath that he took to support it, to stand
up in this House 10 defend that mon
strous evil. [Applsuse on the repub-
lican side.]
Mr.. Moulton-How much time, Mr..
Speaker, have we left on this side?
The Speaker-An hour aud twenty
minutes. according to the understanding
Of the Chair.
Mr. Moulton-I yield Eve minutes TO
the gentleman from Wisconsin, [Ar.
Bragg.l
KR. BRAGG.