The Portland daily press., 1890-01-28
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT ITp
Southern Senators on the Recent
outrages at Aberdeen.
Republicans in Caucus on the New
Rules and the Contests.
Mr.. Chandler Declares Our Big Bat
tIeshIps Already Obsolete.

l
sjppi concerning the maltreatment of Henry
]. Faunce at Aberdeen, Miss, was taken up
for consideration. and Mr.. Walthall ad-
dressed the Senate. 1t could not possibly
be pretended he thought that Congress had
anv jurisdiction over the subject From
reading the report of Senator Ingalls's speech
last Thursday, he saw that Mr.. Ingalls, COM
nented on the hanging in efligy Of Secretary
Proctor at Aberdeen and on the most brutal
and outrageous assault committed on the
citizen named in the resolution. From what
Mr.. Wathall had heard of that affair, he felt
warranted IN saying that 1t was simply the
wanton condgct of few persons and dis
approved by the community in which 1t oc'
| Cured. He knew that community Intimate
ly and never before had heard of the per-
sons concerned in that outrage, Speaking
for himself and representing the sentiment
of the peopls all over Mississippi and OF the
South, he condemned unequalihedly and un-
| reServedly that outrage on the Secretary OF
War and on the citizen named in the resolu-
ti0n. Mr. Walthall agreed with Mr. ingalls,
| that the race question was the most Iormld-
able and pOrtentous ever presented TO a
free people for solution. He saw no remedy
| that Congress could apply that promised any
| practical result. He believed that arbitrary
/ enactments could but increase the difficulty
and was unable to divine how the evil could
be mitigated by any Congressional action,
| since the laws. of nature could not be re-
| versed by the laws Of men. The prop"sf-
tion of federal control of elections
| was aimed, he said, at the Southern
| States and its pr0fessed purpose was 10 Sc
| cure fair counting OF the negro vote its
actual object was to count that vote tor the
| Republican party, on the assumption that all
negro voters were Republicans. The propo-
| sition was such menace to the rights OF the
| people that 1t must meet with tne con-
| demnation of all men anxious to preserve
the spirit of the government a. proof
not deprived of their rights, he said the ne
groes OF that State knew that In single
| congressional district in Mississippi there
| were more of that race in office. voted for by
white people, than Mr.. Harrison had ap-
| pointed since his term began. but when the
| negroes were encouraged, by the passage OF
such bills by Congress, to believe that they
could rule when they arrayed themselves
against the whites, there would be serious
disturbance OF present conditions and tne
troubles of the two races would be greatly
augmented. Prosperity would be hindered
and business enterprises crippled by the
friction and disuuiet and even bloody strife,
which all deplored. In his dpinidn,. the re-
sso1aS Southern State would tsasrsI BE GS1, lSG
that Congress could enact. The white peo-
pie would be driven into closer cooperation
than ever before for protection because the
election of negro judges and officers, In the
state meant negro domination and meant
death to every interest, hope and aspiration
of the people. He could not counsel his pe0
pie to accept such desolating barbarlsm with
out struggle, nor yet to flee from the
homes of themselves and their ancestors
He would not counsel them to violate atg
public law or private right, but he would
urge them not as remedy. but as means OF
present safety, to unity and would appeal to
them. for their own safety, to subordinate
all party differences and party divisions to
that end and PURPOSE. rhdre was no safety
for them in a2yy-difeFeht course Dlr.
Wathall criticized all the proposed remedies
for race troubles, including deportation and
disfranchisement, as impracticable and i'm
possible. Such colored men as Douglass,
Bruce and Lynch were. he said, .prodiges
and some people at the North, judging the
whole negro race by them, did not appreciate
the dread in which the Southern people
stood of negro rule. The people Of the
North did not know those colored men.
Mr.. George spoke of the resolution as un-
parallel in the history of the legislature OF
this country; It was g simple and bold
Senate the report Of an United States mar
shal acting as detective. While there
might be some excuse for that official inter-
meddling in an affair with which he had no
legal authority to intermeddle; no excuse ex-
cuse existed for the Senate calling such
document from its pigeon hole In the De-
partment of Justice and dignifying 1t as an
official document.
Senator Ghandler advocated the tessclul
tion and declared that he had not read or
seen the report, and did not know what it
contained. He had heard there was such
report and had offered the resolution believ-
ing the report was oneit was the province
OF the Senate to call for. Ii the Attorney
doing wrong to the State Of Mississippi, the
Senate ought to ilud it out and would find It
out by the adoption Of the resolution. Ii
theSenate was not only TO be tainted when
wrong Of this kind was committed by being
You can't help yourselves The cOnstitu-
punish ODys Wrongs H0' of "'l0T that kind
but was also TO be told
by the Senator from MississiPpii You
have not the right to enquire You cannot
| enquire into outrages OF this sort on q citl-
zen." then; indeed, had the Senate fallen On
woeful and lamehtable times,
Mr.. ingalls, said be had no comment to
make on the, ,eulogy PRONOUNCED on; the peo-
| pie of Aberdeen, except to say it was 10 EVIL
| dence that no less than 800 of them stood by
when the caStigation was inflicted on Faunce
| without word of protest or an attempt 10
interfere. The victim of this wrong was not
citizen OF Mississippi If he had been, l
have allowed the powers Of that State to
deal with the transaction as they pleased He
was d citizen of Indiana, temporarily In
| Mississippi, and peacefully pursuing his le-
gal ayocati9n. We are to be told here that ~ u
Is beyond the competency and power OF the
Senate OF the United States and, the govern
ment OF the United States to induire Into
wrong inflicted by the people of Mississippi
on citizen OF another State. 1t may be
that you will succeed in procuring decara-
tion from this body that the Senate of the
United States has no power to inquire into
wrong against its citizens or protect them
against such invasion of their rights, but l
say to that Senator If Faunce had been
citizen of Kansas, and If il should appear
that the authorities of Mississippi would
not avenge that wrong, and If 1t should ap-
pear that the government and authorities of
the United States were powerlesS to pre-
vent such wrong will guarantee to him
into their hands to resent tand exact re
aticn.
Mr.. George challenged the Senator from
Kansas, or any Senator on the Republican
side. to put his nhger on that clause Of the
government, in any of its branches, to pun
isb or take jurisdiction of crimes committed
within State and not against the laws of the
United States.
doubted the power of the Senate to charge
an appropriate committee with power of in
yestigating the Department of Justice and
compelling the Attorney. General to produce
| anV paper Oh HE III HIS department, III the
Senate could do that, could it not, by resolu.
tion. require the Attorney General to pro
duce this document?
Mr.. George repeated his challenge to show
a clause in the Constitution that gave the
general government power TO take iurisdIc-
fion of a crime committed against the laws
of State.
Mr.. Hoar thought that In this case it was
not necessary to enter on that debatable
ground. Congress had among its Obligations
mat of protecting certain rights of citizen.
shin He held II was within The eonstitu
tional powers of the Senate to inquire into
every transaction that took place within tbs
limits of the country with view of ascer
tanning not merely whether the constitution
and laws gave adequate powers to the United
States to secure rights Of citizenship, but alst
for the purpose Of determining whether /
was expedient, convenient or necessary t
} ask the people to enlarge those powers. Ol
} that proposition he rested the right to max,
} | the inoniTy in this case
Mr. Wilson of Iowa, in response Ia Mr.
Georges challenge, referred him to section 2
of article 4, of the constitution, in the,
words: "Citizens of each State shall bp en-
titled 10 all the privileges and immunitips q
citizens of the several States"
MIR. Reagan condemned the outrage q
? Aberdeen, but denied the right of the gov
| ernment OF the United States to take inris
4 diction of it. He spoke of what the peopl
t of Texas and other Southern States we're dc
9 ING in the way of education for the bpnef