Year: 1876

House Of Representatives, March "a, 1875.


Mr.. Chairman, it is with some reluctance
that ! attempt to address the committee this
morning, being quite unwell but feel that
would do injustice to myself and to the peo.
pie represent il were to sit longer in this
House without raising my voice in behalf of
that noble constituency that sent me here. |
know, sir, that many gentlemen who occupy
a place like that which l occupy have been
considerably intimidated during this session
by the taunts and threats that have been hurl-
ed from the other side of the House. We
have seen bold leaders marching down the
aisles with their fists clenched and shaking
them toward this side of the House, and de.
nouncing us as rebels and the distinguished
gentleman from Massachusetts Mr.. Hoar has
read us lecture in which he says that he is
tired Of hearing men on this side Of the House,
who so recently have gotten here, giving him
their advice.


Mr.. Chairman, stand here by the grace
of the American people | stand here to-day
by the free choice of the people of my dis.
trict to represent that district and my State
in this Congress. am not accustomed to
hear men speak of myself and other gentle
men as rebels.


Sir, these Republican leaders have heen so
accustomed to tyrannize over men, that they
think now they can rule the country as they
nj and I ,nfa nj oil oafansaba1 vvhnR
| see them making such Herculean efforts to
hold the place and power they have held so
long.


1t may be thought by gentlemen that ] am
a red.hot rebel, and that am standing hero
to lecture them. That is exactly what want
them to understand | am not doing. The
people that represent are as loyal to the
Government as the people Of Massachusetts,,
New York, New Hampshire, or any other
State in the Union. My people, from the
earliest settlement of our country, have
been fred with the spirit of liberty and free
dom, and in all contests and everywhere have
never surrendered that principle. Why do
gentlemen, after saying that they have par
doned the people of the South and invited us
to seats on this floor, undertake repeatedly to
wave the hand Of tyranny over us and declare
that we ought not to speak and vote accord.
ing to the dictates of our conscience?


rise to-day, Mr. Chairman, to criticise
the character and acts Of the Republican par
ty since the war. march to the task, sir,
boldly, and when | do it, sir, want to dis
criminate between national honor and Re.
publican honor. Gentlemen on the other
side Of the House have for long time assum.
ed that disloyalty to the Republican party is
disloyalty to the Government, and they have
held the rod over our friends who have come
from the North until they have shaken the
confidence of some of them; but tell you,
sir, that disloyalty to the Republican party is
not disloyalty to the Government. l claim,
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen of the commit.
tee, to be as patriotic man as there is in
the House. came here with no other pur.
pose but that Of serving the country honestly
and faithfully. | am not a very hot partisan,
but / am determined to maintain the princi.
Piles hold according to the best OF my ability.


| want to draw comparison and show to
my friends around me that the cry of gentle
men on that side of the House in regard to
rebels, is not honest, but hypocritical. When
you hear them talk sometimes, you would
think their idea was that man who had been
in the army Of the Confederate States was not
fit to occupy place ON this floor or to hold
any Office of profit or honor under the Gov.
ernment. The gentleman from Maine, [Mr.
Blaine, when we had under discussion the
amnesty bill, undertook to produce here let.
ter which he said he had received from dis.
tinguished gentleman from North Carolina.
want the country to know who are his asso.
ciates in the South He had read here let
ter of Governor Holden, of North Carolina
his political ally, his warm friend, his sup.
porter perhaps for his ambitious views and
schemes, and he held that letter up here as 0
letter from model patriot, who was crying
out for his own liberty and his own rights
Sir, Governor Holden for twenty-odd years
was the leading secessionist in North Carroll
ma, the head and front of the rebellion
member, gentlemen, of the secession conven,
tom and he signed the ordinance of seces
sion with new gold pen, and then waved il
three times around his head and said il should
be placed away among the valuable archives
of the family, and that no mortal man should
ever write with it again. This is the friend
of the distinguished member; this is the mar
he wants to make out is better than the men
on this side Of the House. But that is not all


could go through the Southern States and
select leading secessionists of the country
whom the Republican party has hugged to it.
bosom long ago. There is one distinguished
hero and leader, General Longstreet, whose
fiery columns were felt on every battle. field
but few years ago, and whose name wal
worth thousand men to the cause Of seces
sion. Where is he to-day, and where has h,
been for the last eight years? He is on thai
side, and they think him marvelously prop
er and good patriot.


will tell you secret. The Republican
party undertook to buy up the men of tn,
South with Office and money. Those who
sold themselves they thought to be patriots
and those who did not they denounced as reb
els. That is what you have done. There
fore, gentlemen, feel free to speak in thi
HOusei for people have sent me here as the,
sent you, to represent them as o free and indie
pendent man. Let the country understan,
that. Do not let it be said or thought that be
cause there are great many southern Demo
Gratis here this is, therefore, an ex-confederat
House of Representatives. They are under
taking to weigh down the Democratic part,
of the North by saying this is an ex.confed
crate Congress that has met here. Why, Mr.
Chairman, and gentlemen, they carried m
up on a high mountain, showed me the glo
ries and beauties Of the Republican party, an
! said can this viii give thee If thou vii
fall down and worship me-" And said +
them: "Get thee hence, Satan; tits write


thou shalt not live by Office alone" [Grea
laughter.] And not only my humble self
there is not q southern Democrat here bu