St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-13
Senator Butler Denounces a
Statement Made by Sem
atop Hoar.
Negroes in Oregon Prohibited
From Working on Public
Buildings.
Resume Of the Apportionment
Bill as Now Before the
House.
Proposition to Revive Sheri-
dams Grade of Lieuten-
ant General.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12.-In the senate
the resolution offered yesterday by MIR.
Doiph, inStructing the committee on
privileges and elections to inquire and
report whether the right to vote at any
election for presidential electors, menl-
bers of congress or state legislatures, or
officers. Is denied to any male citizen of
any state, or is abridged. except for par
ticipation in the Rebellion or other
crime, was taken up. and Mr.. Dolph
stated the reasons when had induced
him to offer it. Mr.. Vest moved an
amendment, instructing the committee
to inquire further whether, by any
state legislation. any citizen of the
United States was denied the right to
work on any public Improvements by
reason of their color. There was, he
said, right antecedent to and superior
to the right of suffrage. That was the
privilege of every human being to obey
the Divine iniunction: "By the sweat
of thy face thou shalt eat bread" 1t
was the right of self-sustenance, of
self-preservation. While the
Senator From Oregon
expended his logic and eIoauence on the
wrongs of the colored people of the
South. he (Mr. VesD simply desired
with eQual-handed justicel to commend
to him the legislation of the Republican
legislature OF Oregon. which deprived
the negro citizens of the state of the
right to labor on works of public i'm
prOvement. Mr.. Vest read clause from
a recent statute of the Oregon legisla-
ture, authorizing the building of
bridge. and providing that none but
white labor should be employed OH the
work. 1t might he said (NIr. Vest re-
marked) that the provision was intended
to exclude Chinese labor; but the lam
guage of the statute was white Labor
and it excluded the Mongolian, the In
dian and the negro. Not one of the
$4,000 negro soldiers who fought in the
Union army could draw a dol ar for his
labor on bridge authorized by the leg
islativc assembly of Oregon. Whatever
might be said of the Democratic states
OF the Union, not one of them had ever
denied to a negro the right to earn his
bread and that of his family by his OWE
honest labor. Not one Democratic state
had ever peTpetrated such All outrage.
Mr.. ID olph replied to MIR. Vest. A
further aliusion to Gov. Tillman's in
augural message brought out the declar-
alton from Mr.. Butler that he was per-
fectly willing to stand by that message
and that it was conclusive proof to his
mind that there were no people on this
continent who were half so anxious to
settle race difficulties as were the peo-
pie of the South.
Mr.. Dolph said that he was informed
by senator on his side of the chamber
that the senator himself had threatened
colOred men in his employ that he
would diScl arge them if they should
vote the Republican ticket.
Mr.. Butler-Whoever made that stateme Mt
is guilty of deliberate and wilful falsehood
"a deliberate and wilful falsehood.
Mr.. HoaEI suppose that l read within
twenty four hours the testimony of the sena-
tor from South Carolina, before committee
of this body or the other house, in which he
stated that he had told the colored people OH
his plantation that he-should dismiss them
from his employment If they voted the Re-
publican ticket. / made the statement N.Y.
self TO the senator from Oregon.
Mr.. Bnller@Then the remark that made
applies. of course, to the senator from Massa-
chusetts.
Mr. Hoar-I am not to be deferred from
saying what i have to say
Nh. Butler-I do not propose to deter the
senator.
Mr.. Hoar Concluding the sentence)-
either by the manner or behavior of the SEN
ator from Souh Carolina. / have read that
in public document within twentyfou-
hours, suppose. if there is any mistake
about IL. / have made the mistake.
The election bill was then taken up and
hr oil h0l l.
When Mr.. Walthall closed his speech.
MIR. Hoar rose and called attention TO
the remarks made to-day by MIR. Butler.
stating that any one who said he had
threatened to dismiss cOlOred people
from his employment il they should
vote the Republican ticket, was guilty
of deliberate falsehoo,l. He sent to
the clerks desk and had read the offic-
ial reporters manuscript of what took
place, and said:
a rule of my life. long since for med, does
not permit me to reply to the senator from
South Carolina in such language as he
Lhou6nt proper to utter. Whether | should be
guilty of a deliberate and wilful falsehood
about matter contained in public docu-
ment will be settled in the estimation of
those who know me. 1 vii. read, for the in
formation of the senate, from the document
10 which / referred.
Mr.. Hoar proceeded to read from
minority report made to the house of
representatives in 1876, signed by Mr..
Lawrence, of Ohio; Mr.. Banks, of Mas
sachusetts, and Mr.. Lapham, of New
York, in which Mr.. Butler is repre-
sented to have testified as follows:
Question-Did you say to these colored
men that they could not remain on your land
unless they voted the Democratic ticket?
AuSwer-I do not know that | said that /
SAID this: / went down and gave them tick
cts, and said to them that they had O right to
vote the Republican ticket if they pleased;
that they were free men-as free as was;
but that if they exercised that right and i'm
posed taxes upon me that would destroy my
property and prospects, ] should throw my
self Lack on some rights that had under the
laws of the country, and would see that they
left my plantation.
ticketi Pi0 '' o. '''' Tue DsnO''a'0
A No. sir. Six or seven of them voted
not vote at all. and do not know how the
others voted. but intend to inform myself.
@. With view to turning them off if they
voted the Republican ticket?
A. Not for voting the Republican ticket,
if they had an honest ticket, but for voting
for these thieves and robbers.
If that language (Mr. Hoar said) did
not justify the statement that the seDa-
tor from South Carolina had threatened
to discharge men from his employment
for voting the Republican ticket, then
he had done the senator injustice; but
he thought that it did. Mr.. Butler sa;;ii
that he had denounced as false the
statement that ne had threatened to
discharge colored men on his pIanta-
ton if they voted the Republican
ticket, He had no retract OH to
make. If the senator from Massa-
chusetts had said that he gave the in