Year: 1875

Federal Judge in Louisiana, by midnight


order, usually recognized as gross and most


unjustiiable usurpation, virtually making a


State Governor and Legislature; the National


Executive with the army sustaining that


usurpation, and Congress permitting Il TO be


done. and now the eliminating glory, Federal


soldiers with fixed bayonets marching into


the legislative hall of Ia State, dragging


out by force men universally recognized


a. claimants for membership, aud having


been. seated; soldiers deciding contested


election case ami organizing legislative


body; the Lieutenant-General suggesting to


the President to outlaw by proclam alton a


numerous class Of people by wholesale that


he may try them by military commission, ard


then the Secretary Of War informing the


Lleutenant-Generai by telegraph that the


Government has full confidence in his wis


dom, and from this the whites of the South


are gradually driven to look upon the Ma


tional Government as their implacable and


unscrupulous enemy, and the people of the


whole country are full Of alarm and anxiety


about the safety of republican Institutions


and the rights of every man in the land. He


would hail the day as a most suspicious one


for the colored people Of the South when they


threw off the scandalous leadership Of those


adyenturers who, taking advantage of their


ignorance, made hem toois for their ra-


paeity.


Mr. Schurz appealed to Senators to turn


u
place like ours, fails to stop or even justifies
blow at the fundamental law OF the land
makes himselfthe accomplice of those who
strike at the life of the republican liberty of
the people. The people of the South were
not murderers and banditti. There were bad
elements among them, but the National Gov
ernment itSelf was giving to these bad ele-
ments a strength which they would never
have possessed otherwise, by its unconstitu-
tional proceedings. II put every one Of these
bad men in the position of being oppressed
and pleading for freedom. He argued that
Virg ginia, North Carolina and Georgia, where
sef-goyernment was unobstructed, were ad-
vancing in prosperity, while in Louisiana and
other States where self f-government was OBJ
structed there was no prosperity. He
thought the iawlessness OF power was becom-
ing far more dangerous than the lawlessness
of mob.


Mr.. Scburz continued: shall be the last
man ON earth TO say a word Of excuse for the
southern ruffian who threatens negro voter
with violence. l know no language too Sc
we're to condemn, but j cannot forget that the
only act of terrorism and intimidation | ever
happened to witness with my own eyes was
the cruel clubbing and stoning of q colored
man in South Carolina, in 1872, by men of his
own race, because he had declared for the
Conservatives, and if the whole story of the
South were told it would be discovered that
such a practice had not been infrequent. l
cannot forget that, as to the discharge of labor
ers from employment for political causes q
most seductive and demoralizing example
is the act by the highest authority in the
land. While we have a law on our statute
books imposing penalty for intimidation
of voters by threatened or actual dis
charge from employment, it is the no.
torious practice of your Government to dis
charge every one of its employes whe dares
TO oppose the Administration party. have
always condemned every species of intimida-
tion or interference with the freedom of
political action, and therefore l am for gen.
uine civilservice reform; but while your
National Government is the champion Of ill.,
in the land you must not be sur
prised if partisans on all sides profit from its
teachings. 1t will be fortunate for the
Southern States and for the blacks of the
South when, according to their best judg-
ments, they divide their votes between the diff
ferent political parties; when, thus giving 70
each party a chance to obtain their votes,
they make it the interest and natural policy
of each party to protect their safety and re-
spect their rights in order to secure those
votes. | repeat what | once said in another
place: mot in union is their safety, but in



The Senator advised the people of Louis
lana not to allow any impulse or passion to
carry away their judgment, and said: Be
right. Trust to the justice of your cause, for
surely the time cannot be far distant when
every American who truly loves his liberty
tue- cause OF constitutional government In
Louisiana, when that spirit of peaceful vic
tory will bury the usurpers under crushing
load of patriotic Indignation. The people
have lost confidence in the truthfulness Of
those who parade the bloody stories of out
ra ges because in many instances it was too
glaringly apparent that the blood and MUIR
der cry was used a convenient partisan
stage-Ihunder to catch votes. / declare it
here as my solemn conviction that the Con-
servatives of Louisiana did fairly carry the
election bya considerable majority fyotes;
that they were defrauded by the Returning
Board of the results of that election that the
soldiers of the United States, when they in
yaded the legislative hall of Louisiana, did
not vindicate, but trampled under the foot of
lawless force the true will of the people of
Louisiana Lawfully expressed at the polls.


No man will be able to obscure the real
question before the Senate by any fiimsy side
issues. He hoped his motion to instruct the
Judiciary Committee would not res4t in
call for new election in Louisiana, with Gen.
Sheridan as chief ruIer and Packard to con
which did not boldly vindicate the constitu-
tional privilege of the land and preserve TO
the State the right of self- government


Senator SchurZ concluded as follows: In
the name of that Inheritance OF peace and
freedom you want to leave to your children,
in the name of that pride with which, as
Americans, you lift up your heads among the
nations of the world, don't trife with the Con-
stitution of your country; don't put in jeop
ardy that which is the truest glory Of the
American name Let not the representatives
of the people falter and fail when the liberties
of the people are at STAKE.