The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-07-10
IIURRAHFO HEMPIIILL
HE STANDS UP IN CONGRESS AND
DOES STRAIGHT LIKING.

LILO ueDate Ill The Lodge election
bill commonwealth the House on Thusr-
day.
Lodge made the opening speech,
urging the measure as necessary,
Just, wise and constitutional.
Hemphill, Of South Carolina, fol-
lowed, beginning with an argument
to demonstrate the unconstitutional
nature OF the bill, that Congress
should not interfere with the returns.
ne read of the Legislative declara-
tons IN the past by. the States of New
York, Ohio and New Jersey against
congressional usurpation of the right
to conduct elections. He declared
that tins wasnOt anational bill. It was
sectional. Under the provisions of
the first section some portions of the
United States would be under the
supervision of from two to five super
V!Sors according to the respective
SIZE or the congressional and judicial
dstrlcts He could conceive of no
honest purpose for such provision.
1t could have no effect but to place the
people of some districts between
the upper and neither mill
stones. AS to the terms under which
the law was to go into effect (petition
OF limited number of persons,)
why WAS it SO limited if it was a
good thin3g The law should be uni
vcrsally applied. Whr ~'&as it that
this very complicated pA]Qstlsatisfac-
tory provision was puts f,less there
was an intention to lo sobN woke on
some portions OF tlrtab People of this
country and allow others to do as they
saw tit! He called for an explanation
OF that provision. Now suppose the
United States Courts were corrupted
amt from the amount of corruption
reported by the gentleman from Mas
Sachusetts it might safely be inferred
that onc-half of the people were un-
worthy of trust, that they were to be
watched rs criminals or ticket of
leave men. Suppose that the super
VISOR were to turn to Il Democrat. He
had life tenure and could not be
removed. That hadn't occurred to
the gentleman from Massachusetts,
This was measure to rob them OF
their dearest rights. Hc had march
ed before the glittering bayoncts of
United States soldiers to cast his
ballot. Troops of soldiers had been
sent to his town, and every soldier
had cast a ballot for Greeley. The
result was that the party had a big
ger majority than it had ever had in
any Presidential election.
Under this system, which it was
proposed to revive, the people of the
South had been robbed by picked
Villains Of the North, backed up by
the bayoncts of the United States
army. The South didn't want to
be caught i'll that position again.
'We," Hemphiu continued, 'know
that we must either rule that country
or leave it. Now for myself, before |
the people of the United States and
before God, i'll all reverence, 1 swear
we will not leave it. Applause.) 1t
is the home Of our fathers. There
their bones lie buried They bought
it with their blood when Concord
and Lexington were the battle fields
OF this country. They have handed |
it down to us unimpaired and, gen
tlemen, are we not our fathers sons? |
Shall the blood first turn back in our
veins? Shall we transmit to the COM
ing generations great and noble
State which has been overruled and
down trodden by those who God
never intended should rule over us?
don t hesitate to say the colorcd |
man has us many rights as I have. |
but he can't have his rights and mine
too, and this law is intended TO put
him again III control of the Southern
States-intcndcd to wakcn their pre-
judiccs which are fast dying out-in-
tended to bring about again that
constant irritation and clash between
the two colors in the South which
will retard it's growth and which will
be the destruction of the Joys of hu-
IMAM life"
Hcmphill then read from d recent
address by Ex-Governor Chamberlain
of South Carolina, Republican, in
Boston to show what former Gov
crnor and Republican thought of tho
negro situation in the South. He
knew it was useless toreason with Ger
tain men i'll the North. They did not
want to and would not believe any
thing the South might say But there
were many people in the country who
believe III honesty and he had not
doubted that "when we pass back of
politics and get to the great body of
the American people and have stated
10 them honestly and fairly the truth
as to the Southern country and the
black man in it; when they have un-
dcrstood the whole facts and have
come to a conclusion, Ihave no doubt
th$y Will render an honest and right
cous verdict, and whatever that ycr-
dict may be, as common citizen of q
common country L pledge the Deoplc
of the South to accept it as the fnoI
arbitrament of this great problem,
and relying upon Him who is tho
God OF Justice we will go forward in
the great work of life before us and
endeavor to perform our whole duty
to this country honestly, patriotically'
faithfully"
Hemphill was loudly applaudcd by
tho Democrats as he sat down and nil
OF them pressed forward to ocongratu
late him. .