Year: 1879

was enforced, Gas | tru,t in God the
time will come when whe1 1t be enforc-
ed again. when it was enfrced we had
fair elections in the South. L undertake
to say that the only fair ELECTIONS that
have ever been held in msny of the
Southern States were when tn President
of the United States saw propr to give
protection to all classes of peole under
the provisions of this law tht they
insight 60 freely to the ballot-bx and
vote and none dare to molest or make
them afraid.


| desire to ask q appeal to the ,ther
side of the House, what harm can Aese
laws do, what harm have they doc /?
When has Federal soldier in all tA
South ever interfered with the freedom
of the ballot-box or prevented democrat
from voting? Born and raised in the
South, having lived in the South all the
days of my life, representing southern
constituency as l now do upon this floor
all my sympathies and afinities being
tinged with a degree of preference for
the people among whom l have thus
lived, | have for years, as gentlemen on
the other side of the House of different
political opinion we'll know, anxiously
awaited the day and the hour when
these laws making any distinction on
account of politics between the people of
this great country should be wiped from
the statute-b books. When the President
of the United States inaugurated his
policy of Cancellation, when he withdrew
the troops from the South, when he
commenced that policy of civil-service
reform in which political distinctions
were no longer to be recognized, | fond
ly trusted, and | believe men all over
this country trusted that the era of good
feeling was rapidly approaching, when
"the lion and the lamb should lie down
together" and we should all "shake
hands across the bloody chasm" and be
friends forever. l expected ''peace like
a river to spread over the South. But
in this was mistaken. desire to say,
Mr.. Chairman, in this connection, that
if the reasonable expectations of the
President and his friends had been real
lied, if his policy Of Cancellation had
been met half way, if his overtures to
the South had been responded to by
peace instead of riot and blood-shed, l
declare here in my place to-day that l
would have been found standing here
IlItlng my voice, casuIug NY not
only to repeal these laws, but to wipe
out and obliterate every conceivable
character of political distinction on ac-
count of the rebellion. This Govern
mcnt is great enough to be magnanimous
to all, and its loyal citizens and Their
Representatives can afford to forgive all
who prove true to the Constitution and
laws.


But, sir how has this effect at con-
ciliation been met? l appeal to this
House to say how has 1t been met? Why
another gentleman in illustrating anoth-
er point on this floor on former day en-
forced his argument by thought that
will enforce the idea desire to present
to the House on this occasion, and |
adopt it. | call the attention of the
House and the country. and every ele-
ment that desired Cancellation and peace
in this country, to the fact that when
the President of the United States was
offering peace and reconciliation, offering
to meet the democratic party in the
South. shake hands with them and have
peace-when "he has asked for bread
they have gwen him stone; when he
has asked for fish they have given him
serpent" when he has pied for peace,
the response has been riot and blood
| shed.


Why, Mr.. Chairman, unless all hu-
man testimony is to be disbelieved, un-
less the current history of the times
written in blood in many parts of the
South is to be discarded and 60 for
naugbt, unless the sworn testimony of
the best men of the country is that Of
perjured wretches and rascals, instead
of peace and Cancellation, rife clubs,
red shirts, bulldozers, White Leagues
and the like have taken possession
of the ballot-box and controlled the
elections in many localities iu the South,
instead of giving that protection which
was reasonably expected under the poll
CIV of the President of the United States.


Why, Mr.. Chairman, ten years.
want to emphasize this before this
House-ten years ago the South was
republican. She sent republican Repre-
sentatives to represent her interest. To-
day, under fair election and an honest
court, majority of the States of the
South are republican, as every man Of
intelligence knows. Applause. Bu
what has been the result? Where are
these Representatives, and how do We
account TOR their absence from this foo
to day? Why, under false and sickl.
, notion. the democratic party attempt t.
educate the people of the North to tn


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