Year: 1870

/ From the Nashville Banner.l


mckenzie, May 2.-Colonel Hawkins
/ made speech to-day at Huntingdon, TO
! large crowd assembled at the courthouse.
/ He touched upon the public debt, and
/ declared that the national bonds were
payable In the currency OF the country.
| Upon the subject of tariff, he argued


against a high protective tariff, and IN
favor Of one for revenue with incidental
| protection, and favored the payment of
I the loyal people for the supplies which
they furnished the Federal army. He
/ assumed that the debt thus created was
as binding as the bonded debt. Upon the
subject of reconstruction he said: find


the people in every part of the State in
kind of expectation, with sort of dim
and underlined idea that there is TO be
some sort OF Congressional interference


with your State government, and every
where the people seem to love and ad-
mire their present form of government,


and to regard the Constitution as the


surest guarantee for their rights and the


pro ection of their present form of gov


ernment.-- 1t may be prudent to inquire


what there is in the Constitution which


confers the power on Congress to over


throw the government of State that is


in harmony with the Government of the


United States.


By the sixth section of article fiveOf the


Constitution, it is provided that the Uni


ted States shall guarantee to every state


in this Union republican form Of govern


ment, and shall protect each of them


against invasion.


We have generally understood that a


government, republican in form, was one


in which the fundamental law provided


that the government should be by the
people, and that they shall make and eX
ercise the law. Then, may / ask what


there is in the new Constitution which


makes the State Government other than
republican? By virtue of its provisions
all the people, both white and cOlored, are
made equal before the law, and this is not
by the vote of a minority, but of a very
large majority of the people of the State.
If five years since l had said TO you that
within so short a time the colored man
would have been made equal before the
law by decided vote of the people of the
State, I should have been regarded either
as insane, or as fanatic and l now re-
gard the action of the people in this par
ticulaT as the boldest and granuest tri-
umph of reason over prejudice that has
ever taken place in the history of civiliza-
ton, and as offering one of the surest and
most reliable guarantees for the harmony
of the two races that could have been |
given. All people are equal participants |
in the making ofthe laws. So far as State |
action is concerned, all are henceforth to |
be equal in the execution of the laws. All |
are equally charged with the enforcement |
of the law and the protection of society |
gsinst the depredatiOns of the lawless. |
Where, then, is to be found in the form of |
our State government that anti-Republi- |
can feature which would authorize Con- |
gress to set aside, overthrow or abolish |
the government of the State and estab- |
lish in its stead either a military or civil |
provisional government Aftera careful |
consideration of the subject, l have ar
rived at the conclusion that no such |
thing eau be done but no doubt some |
gentleman feels like asking this question, |
''Shall fraud be permitted?" Ny answer |
is, No. Then / shall be asked if there |
was not fraud in the Governors election? |
1 answer if there was, that it was not the |
fault of your acting Governor, and r,
suited from the fact that we had conferred |
upon the Governor too much power; in |
fact, powers which were dangerous to free |
elections, and incompatible with the |
rights of a free people. But just here |
let me remark that we had provided by /
the fundamental law tribunal to inves- /
tigate and determine the fact, and if any |
body wished 10 have the matter inVesti- |
gated, they had the right to do so. The |
Legislature is the judge of the election
on the qualification of its members, and /
that body has the authority to try and |
determine a contest ia the election of /
Governor.