Year: 1867

4 IL


Unter the rules and constitution of the


House, if it were continued session, the


same bill could not come up and pass if IL


were not a continuation Of the same session.


then the power 70 aet ia the premises was


exhausted at the last session. He was not
| discussing abstractly whether the negro


should vote; he was for abiding the law.


Temporary advantages NAV be gained by


resorts to grasp and hold power, but there


would come a reaction spirit of retaEia-


tlon might be aroused that would ostracise
1 you and me. Then let us adhere to the law


as the surest method Of safety. Exaspers-
| tons might be otherwise aroused. He had


eounseled them heretofore to prudence and
moderation. He did the same now. III the


white men are oppressed in one county and
the negioes in smother, protect them if


the Rebels are perseeated, give them that


legal protection to which they are entitled


and no more. Do whatever will advance


the interests of the State and of all classes.


but do it according to law, and not in


spirit to subserve present designs Were
he to 60 otherwise than in accordance with


his convictions of law and right, he would


De an unworthy member of the House.


He felt well assured that the time would


come when the colored people and the
white men would all vote. But lei


that time come legally He cited
instances where officers Of Justice had
ridden over dangerous communities and
made arrests of desperate characters, and
no insult had ever been offered, because in
q spirit of right and honesty of purpose
they fortified themselves BY the dignity of
the law and went forward in its execution.
There we're bad UHion men ana bad
Rsbels He wanted no evaporation
if We wonld conciliafe and stick 10
the Law and the constitution of the |
State showing that while we exaeted |
justice, We were willing to mete out the |
same to others, peace and quies would be |
established throughout the State. From
one county we received the Wailings of ]
Union men, from another petitions per
mitting as the last expet;ent to secure |
harmony, the return of Rebels and BUSH |
whackers to the enjoyment of citizenship. |
he closed by asking the House to take the |
cooks and look for themselves.


Mr.. RaulstOn, of Marion, said that the


gentleman had made very ingenious argu-
ment. One point which he had aimed TO /
make, was that the bilfc0uId not pass. that /
the striking cut of word white as contem-
plated in the bill, could not be ac-
complished, because ii had before been
acted on. II was but an amendment offered |
in extra session. The gentleman from /
Madison, had suddenly become very fond
Of the Governor and the government One |
would have thought that he wOuld have
always have been at his post vet in the
extra session he could not be brought here


NJ hen fha ant at 1
his attendance, word came from Madison |
that ne could not be brought. A |
Rebel was a Rebel the world over
and those of talent who went with |
the bell weather, lsham G. Harris. were |
more to blame than the young and mex |
perlenced. 1t Ill became such to come |
here and try to hector over those who |
had borne the brunt of the fight. We want
the negroes enfranchised They had been
the shade tree of the white man. The |
Rebels were disfranchised, and he wanted |
them to remain so till they had given evil
dence Of repentance. Those who went off |
and tried to make a government of their
own, when they found themselves in diff
Guilty, brought on by themselves sud- |
denly found that they loved the constitution
Of the United States better than ANYTHING
in the world. 1t remidded him of the
black man and his wife, who belonged to
the same master. the negro and his wife
got into fight. The master was going to
chastise the man, but after few strokes,
the man begged of, suddenly concluding
that he loved his wife better than ANYBODY
else. Laughter. He should never for
get the first Rebel flag he had ever seen. It
was bright from Georgia, and had rattle
snake coiled upon its folds. He told the


bearer at the time that he would get bit by


it, and he did. There was no harm in en-


franchising the negro. He could vouch


for their loyalty. He had laid in the


woods 10 escape the Rebels 8 great deal,


and he always found the negroes ready and
willing to help him. We hear it said by


the former owners that the negroes were in


a worse condition than they were before.


"Ah yes,they have lost their shade tree"
| Now, said the speaker, let us place the


shade tree at the ballot-box. The gentle


man very well knew all about the amend
ments at the constitutional convention
| The opponents ofthe proposed amendment
| to take out the word WHITE, called the sche-
| dule a scatiold around the main building
| well call it q scaffold. We have kept our
| scaf1old up. We set out to build the house
| and the scaffold is still up, and we in


tend to keepthe scaffold up and at work on
the building till completed. The opposi-
| tion was stubborn and would ingeniously
| go contrary to all that was right and proper.
/ They reminded him of the man whose wife
fell in the river and was drowned The
| husband went up stream to seek her He
| was told that he need not go in that di-
rection, that she would float down stream.
| "Ah," said the husband You did not
| know her as well as / did, she was so con-


trary that she never would 90 in the same
| direction other people went" Laughter
This was something like the opposition.
| Their contrariness led them in different di-


rections from other people, though it took
them up stream. "a r.....


Now, said the speaker, they hint at war,


in talk and in their papers. He wantedno


more bl0odshed or strife, but il they


force itupon Us, let it come " Onr boys


in blue have not forgot!their drilling IL


Illustrating the remark with an amusing


anecdote, he said those opposed to the


franchise could make the constitution either
| pig or puppy, as it best suited them.


| At the close of Mr.. Raulston's remarks,


the House adjourned till tomorrow morn


ing OF o'clock, fixing the further con-
| sideration of the question as the special
r