Year: 1879

The Senate, by vote


of yeas %, nays 10.


took up the bill reported yesterday


by Mr.. Bayard from the Judiciary


Committee relating to juries and


to the repeal of sections sol, $40


and 821 of the Revised Statutes.
Mr.. Hampton, of South Carolina,


after briefly supporting this bill,


proceeded to speak upon the gener-


al political issues of the session.


Mr.. Hampton said he could not
claim to speak as leader of his
party, nor would he try to shield
himself from the consequences of
bis actions behind any party. If
the policy supported by him was
revolutionary and reasonable, he
wbs a revolutionist and traitor, but
what policy is before Congress
worthy of such charges. Continu-
ing, Mr.. Hampton said: "By no
vote of mine will the appropriations
necessary for the efficient main
tenance of the army be refused.
1t is competent for Congress to de-
clare under what conditions the ap-
preparations shall be made. The
form in which this is done l regard
immaterial.


In my judgment it would be best to
adhere to the general form, but to
secure unanimity l shall acquiesce
in the decisions of the majority !;
but in no event can l consent to
aid in disbanding the army or i'm
pairing its efficiency it is the army
of the South as well as of the
North, it is the army of the whole
country. In its history from the
days of the revolution L have some
reason, by right of my birth and
blood, to be proud. In the late
civil contest on many a bloody
field tested it's valor, and no word
or act Of mine shall deprecate its
value or lesson its usefulness.
But because [ so regard
it, no act of mine shall tend to de.
grade it. [ will not so legislate
that against its own honorable in
stincts and traditions it shall be
the instrument Of tyranny in the
hands of any factious party, or any
unscrupulous Executive who may
desire TO use it; nor shall l assent,
because of any differences of opin-
ion between the minority and ma
jority, to close the courts of Justice
or embarrass the life Of the Gov
ernment. The Constitution has
provided means by which an appeal
to the country can be had, and it
Is for the people to decide
whether the Presidential veto had
been wisely used to defeat the will
of Congress, which represents
majority of the people. Mr..
Hampton proceeded to say that he
had no intention to embarrass the
Administration, and although he
considered the provisions of the
bills just, he recognized the difficult
position in which the Executive
found himself. Mr.. Hampton's
people remembered that in the
critical period of their history,
when any injudicious action
would have been fatal, the President,
by the conscientious construction


OF his duty, removed the United


States troops from Louisiana and


South Carolina. Thus enabling the
people to restore their local govern
ment to those who represented the
popular will, for this wise and patri-
otic action he was grateful, and
while it would be his duty to op-
pose the policy of which the Presi-
dent was a representative, that op>
position would not be captious nor
such as to drive the President into
coalition with those who would
madly trample on the rights of the
people in their struggle to retain
power. Mr.. Hampton said his party
was denounced for wishing to restrict
Federal use of troops, but men
high in the Republican whose words
he quoted, had also pointed out and
denounced the danger and abuses
of such use. 1t was not the imme-
diate action of the army that he
feared, but the ultimate effect of its
and he would oppose any
legislation giving the General Gov
ernment power to interfere in any
way with elections. Better have
in one or two great
cities than military despotism in
the whole country. 1t has
been complained that Confed-
crate officers were sent here
IS Legislators. Nearly every man