Year: 1875

republican party We admltteo representatives on


this floor who had thundered against the gates of


liberty for four bloody years. IL that the tyranny


and oppression of which you complain at the


hands of the republican partyi Il thst part Of


our oppression against you southern people


Let us 60 q little further. When the armed
democracy, for that is what they were, laid down


their arms in the southern States, after dsputing


the right of freedom and liberty in this land for


fouryears, how did the republican party show it.


self In its acts Of tyranny and oppression toward


you get it Not man was punished for his


treason: Not man ever knocked at the doors OF
| q republican congress for q pardon who did not


get it. No man ever pettioned the generosity Of


the republican party to be excused for his crimes


who was not excused. Was that oppression upon


the part Of republicans in this land Is that part


of the oppression of which you accuse us -


Let us look little further. We fnd to-day
twenty seven democratic Representatives IN the


other branch of Congress who took arms in their


hands and tried to destroy this Governmt hold
| ing commissions there by the clemercy of the re-
publican party. We find in this Chamber BY the


clemency Of the republican party three Senators
| who held such commissions. Is that tyranny; Is


that oppression is that the outrage Of this repub


ilcan party on you southern people' Sir, when


JEFF Davis, the head Of the great rebellion, who


roams the land free air, North, South, East and
West, makes democratic speeches wherever invt-
ed and the vce-president ofthe southern rebellion
holds his seat in the other House Of Congress, are
we to be told that we are tyrants. and expressing
the southern people These things may sound .
little harsh. but it is time to tell the truth in this
country. The time has come to talk facts. The
| time has come when towards should hide and
| honest men should come front and tell you plain,
| honest truths. You Of the South talk to Us about
depressing You. You drenched your land in blood
| caused weeping throughout this vast domain, COW


cred the land in weeds Of mourning both North


and South, widowed thousands and orphaned


many, made the pension roll as long Is an army


list made the debt that ginds the poor of this land
for all these things you have been pardoned,
| and yet You talk to us about oppression. So much


for the oppression Of the republican party Of your
patriotic souls and selves. Next comes the Presi


dent of the United States. He is q tyrant, too.


He is an opposer still in conjunction with the
publican party. Oppressor Of whats Who has be
| oppressed of your Southern people, and when, and
| where When your Ku-klux, banded together


for murder and plunder in the Southern seates,
were convicted by their own confession, your own


representatives pleaded to the President and said
"Give them pardon, and 1t will reconcile many OF
| the southern people" The President pardoned
| them Of their murder, of their plundcr, Of their


piracy on land; and for this ! suppose he is ty-
rant. .f.~ss
More than that, sir, this iyrant in the White
House has done more for YOU southern people
than you ought to have asked him to do lie has
had confidence in you until you betrayed thaf con-
tidence. He has not only pardoned the criminals
of the democratic party, but has placed in high Of
fetal position in this Union some Of the leading
men who fought in the rebellion. He has put in
his Cabinet one of your men; he has made COVER
nors of Tern toI les of some of your leading men
who fought in the rebellion; he has sent on for
eign missions abroad some Of your men who
warred against this country he has placed others


in the Departments: and has tried to reconcile
you in every way on earth, by appealing to your
people, by recognizing them and forgiving them
for their oe nses, and for these acts Of kindness,
he is arranged to-day as q Caesar, as tyrant, IS
an oppressor.


Sherman has not been denounced, but the only
reason is that he not one Of the actors in this
| transaction; but want now to say TO my friends
on the other side. especially to my friend from
Delaware, who repeated his bitter denunciation
against Sheridan yesterday-and ! say this 10 all
kindness, because am speaking what future his.
tory will bear me out in-when Sheridan and
Grant and sherman, and others like them, ne Tor
COTTON in this country, you will have no country.
When the democratic party is rotten for centuries
in its grave, the lie, the course, the conduct OF
these mt will live as bright as the MONDAY sun
in the heart of every patriot of republic like the
Amer lean Union. Sirs, you may talk about tyran-
ny, yom may talk about oppression, you may de-
nounce these men; their glory may fade into the
darkness Of night. but that darkness will DC bril-
liant light compared with the darkness ofthe DEM
glory; yours by dark deeds against the Gov
ernment. That is difference which the country
will bear witness to in future history when speak


ing of this country and the actors ON its stage.


Now, Mr.. President, have word to say about
our duty. a great many people are asking, what
shall we do Plain and simple in my Judgments
the proposition. / say to republicans do not be
scared. No man is ever hurt BY doing an honest
| act and performing patriotic duty. II we are to
have war of words outside or inside, let us have
them in truth and soberness, but in earnest. What
then is our dutyi did not believe that in 1877
there were official data upon which we could de-
eide who was elected Governor in Louisiana. But
this is not the point of my argument. 1t Is that
N. H., md hf,,. tas sunra ms
court of the State has recognized him; ono branch
of Congress has recognized him. The duty Is
plain and that for this, the other branch ofCon
gress to do it, and that settles the question. Then
as the President has told you, he will perform his
without fear favor, or affection. Recognize the
government that revolution has been against and
Intended to overthrow, and leave the President to
his duty, and he will DO it. That is what To- do.
Sir we have been told that this old craft Is rap
idly going to pieces; that the angry waves Of dis


sension III the land are lashing against her sides.
We are told that she is sinking, sinking, sinking
to the bottom OF the political ocean. Is that rEs:
Is it true that this gallant old party that this gal


liant old ship that has sailed through troubled seas
before is going to be stranded now upon the rock
of fury that has been set up by u clam0r in this
chamber and few newspapers in the country
Is it true that the party that saved this country in
all its great crisis in all its great trials, is s,nking
to-day on account of its fear and trembling before
an inferior cremy' | hope not. l remember,
sir, once was told that the old republican ship
was gone; but when | steadied myself on the
shores bounding the political ocean Of stiife and
commotion, l looked afar off and there could see
a vessel bounding the bolsterous billows with


white sail unfurled, marked on her sides Freight
ed with the hopes of mankind, while the great
| Mariner above, as her helmsman, steered her,
payigated her to a haven OF rest, Ofpeace and Of
safety. You have but to look again upon that


broad ocean of political commotion to-day, and the
| time will soon come when the same old craft pro-
yidsd with the same cargo, will be seen flying the
same flag, passing through these tempestuous
waves, ancboring herself at the shores of honesty
and Justice and there she will lie undisturbcd by
strife and tumult, again in peace and safety.


Manifestations of applause in the galleries.


Such kindness in return rs the President has
received from these people will mark itself in the
history CT generosity. y, but say they, Grant
wants to oppress the White Leagues in Louis-
ana; therefore he is an oppressor. Yes. Mr.
President, Grant does desire that these men should
quit their everyday chivalric sports Of cunning


upsn negroes and republicans. lie asks kindly


that you stop it. He says to you. "Iha, 10 all


want you to do = and YOU say that you are desir-
GUS that they shall quit it, You have but to say IL
| and they will quit ii. II is because you have


never said it that they have not quit il. Ii Is in
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