The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-01-29
The PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THE FACTS
II their Government is Powerless to
Protect Its Citizens.
Points from the Senate Debate on
the Aberdeen. Miss, Outrage.
The Direct Tax Bill Passed In the
Senate-other Matters.

at O'Clock today resumed consideration of
Mr.. Chambers resolution in relation to the
maltreatment at Aberdeen, Miss, of Henry
j. FAM. and Mr.. George made an argu
ment against it, declaring his belief that the
adoption of the resolution would be a seri-
GUS infraction Of the constitution and seri-
GUS encroachment on the rights of the peo-
pie of Mississippi He went on to say that
not only did he condemn the hanging in
efigy of any respectable officer of the United
States under any circumstances or under any
provocation but. in the case of Secretary
Proctor, there was no provocation for the as
sault. He had never heard from any other
Democrat any other comment on the con-
duct OF Secretary Proctor, for which this
indignity was attempted, except that he had
performed his painful and delicate duty with
consideration to the feelings and prejudices
even of the people of the South. The pend
ing proposition he described as an annex, or
adjunct, of the original offence The only
end 10 be obtained was to blacken the name
and reputation Of a state whose sons had hon.
0red and served their country. Among the
distinguished sons of Mississippi. Mr..
George referred to Jefferson Davis as man
who had never betrayed his trust or failed
In the discharge of his full duty, whether he
served the United States or the Confederacy
He claimed the pending proposition was with
out warrant In the constitution which the
the resolution except to show that where the
interests, rights. honor and good name of
the people of the South were involved, the
constitution was nothing but rope of sand?
If the Senate were to go on this crus ade
against the white people of Mississippi for
alleged violation of the law and the cons IT,
tuition, would 1t not be we'll for the Senate
to set ap example to that despairing people
of an observance of the constitution?
Mr.. Spooner said SO far as the resolution
appeared on Its face it was not an assump-
tion by the Senate to deal with crimes, is OLA
ted or general, in Mississippi. 1t did not
involve the constitution of the UnitedStates.
The government by any existing aw or by
any law that could be constitutionaly
passed, could punish man In its courts for
issippi. He. was not ready to ad-
init that there might not be circumstances
under which jurisdiction might be conferred
by Congress on the courts Of the United
States to secure q citizen of the United
liberty s a and the pursuit of happiness. W hichi hihi
a state denied him by force and fraud.
Mr.. Spooner said he was glad the day had
come when the United States had an Attor
ney General that would take notice of an
denied the existence in theNorth of any feel !
ing of animosity toward the people of the
South. The hanging In effigy of Secretary
Proctor had not only brought out a feeling
of bitterness that existed in the South which
had no counterpart In any ~ village in the
that recklessness, brutality and indifference
to law and decency OF which the country had
for many years had occasion 20 com
plain. He expressed his regret that the se sen
ator from Mississippi (Mr. George had felt
fQrcan navie II xunuld etriRa a horc oh ord
In the breasts of millions of men all through
the North. The people had not believed
what the senator said today about Jefferson
Davis, that whether under the constitution
his trust. The people had believed that he
sat in the Senate chamber betraying, daily,
hourly. the highest trust ever reposed In
man, but not for that they execrated his |
memory. It was because they had held him |
he devilish, horrible cruelties visited on un-
Isle, Salisbury and Andersonville. |
The resolution would turn the light on |
hat transaction at Aberdeen, and would |
prove the existence of a spirit of bitterness
and brutality there; II would show that
igent and law-abiding, where the love of |
Jefferson Davis's memory was stronger than |
The respect for law. the love Of liberty, the |
impulses of humanity and the law of God, |
WTltten IN every human 1edrt.
Mr.. Gray remarked that no greater COM
pliment could have been paid to the COM |
pact, clear, lucid and exceedingly able argu- |
ment of the Senator from Mississippi, than |
the fact that the able Senator from Wiscon- |
sin (Mr. Spooner) had eyaded the issue ten
1ered by the Senator from Mississippi, and |
replied to it only in an eloquent diatribe. |
The Senator from Mississippi demonstrated |
with positiveness which left nothing to be |
said, that the power of the Senate to inquire |
into, or investigate, any given subject was
iictlon committed to Congress. The Sena-
tor from Wis consin lodged every issue thus |
raised. The hanging of high official In eff |
fgy, while the thing was to be condemned |
most severely, was not so unprecedented an |
outrage as the Senator described it. He re- |
ferred to the fact that quite recently Presi- /
lent Harrison was hung in effigy in Indiana, |
and moved to amend the resolution by add |
ng the words "and also the letter of instruc- /
ion to the said marshal to which the report |
IF said marshal was in response; ;"also to add
70 it, "And that he be requested to inform |
in the alleged assault on FAM, any |
right secured to him by the Constitution or |
)r violated"
Mr.. Butler offered an amendment instruct
ng the Attorney General to furnish all pa |
oers in the office of the district attorney of |
Indiana, or on file In the United States court |
here, relating to the charges against w. w. |
Dudley for c0rrupting, or Offering to bribe |
Indiana voters in the last presidential elec- |
ion.
Mr. Platt said he understood Mr.. Georges |
to be that Congress was power |
ess to pass any law to protect citizen of |
one state in his rights in another state. If |
hat was so, it was pretty important that the |
country should understand how weak, pow |
,rless and Insignificant, he had |
almost said contemplate, was
he government they lived under. 1t |
lad not been the idea of expounders of the |
constitution and Of the courts. He held that un-
Ter the constitution there was power in Con- |
,ress to protect a citizen in the enjoyment Of |
lis rights guaranteed him by the constitu-
ion and to punish those who deprived, or
attempted to deprive him of those rights |
# there were not laws on the statute book to
punish, in any State, any infract ion of the |
lights guaranteed by the constitution, it was
nigh time that such laws were passed. The |
1ebate was further continued by Senate RS |
Gray, Chandler and Hoar. The first part of |
MI. Gray dmcuuuIUut was u5rCUu to aud |
,he second part not voted on. Mr.. Call Of |
[ered an amendment, calling on the Attorney |
General for report as to the hanging In |
effigy of President Harrison in Indiana and |
)f President Cleveland in Kansas. Without |
action on any of the pending amendments,
tar vE.A..