Year: 1876

=


Whereas it is alleged that the late election


Mississippi (in 1879 for members of Congress an


State officers and members of the Legislature wa


and violence exercised toward the colored citizen


of that State and the white citizens disposed to sur


pert their rights at the especially that the colore
| voters, account of their color, race previOu
condition of servitude, were by Intimidation an


force, deferred from voting, or compelled to vote
contrary to their Wishes for candidates and in sup
| port of parties to whom they We're opposed an'
their right to the free exercise of the elective fran
chise secured by the fifteenth amendment to tn
Constitution, thus practically denied and violatet
and that such intimidation has been since contin
ued for the purpose of affecting future elections
/ and whereas the people of all the United State
have an interest in and right to insist upon th
| enforcement of this constitutional amendment
and Congress, having the power to enforce it b,
appropriate legislation, cannot, properly neglec
the duty of providing the necessary legislation fol
| this purpose: Therefore,


Resolved, That committee of five Senators be
appointed by the Chair to investigate the truth oi
these allegations and to inquire how far these con-
stitutional rights have in the said election been
violated by force fraud or intimidation and to
the present session, whether any, and, if SO what
further legislation is necessary to to said
cOlOred citizens the free enjoyment of their con-
stitutional rights; and that said committee be
powered to visit said State, to send for persons
and papers to take testimony on oath, and to use
all necessary process for these purposes.


Mr.. KEY said:


Mr.. PRESIDENT: Much has been said





to the condition, opinions, and purposes
of the people in the Southern States
AS yet, little has been said by their
immediate representatives on this floor
In this, I think, they have shown most
cOmmendable good taste and wise dis
cretion, for they are placed in situa-
tiOn of great embarrassment which re-
strains or should restrain hasty and in.
considerate speech and, on many ques-
tions, demands of them silence. They
do not stand and cannot stand on this
floor with equal position and advantage
with the representatives of the Northern
States. That we feel and know. This
does not result from any want of courte-
sy toward US; for mustssay that there
is no ground of complaint on that ac-
count, but 1t arises from the popularity
of our position and that of our constit-
uencies in regard to our late civil strife.
/ think, however, that the Senate and
the country should know something of
the nature of our respective views upon
the peculiar questions growing out of
our present somewhat anomalous cOndi-
tion. And, sir, believe, notwithstand-
ing some of the fearful utterances which
we heard yesterday in the heat of this
debate, that at least some regard will be
paid to what we say and some respect to
the facts we state. 1t is a mistaken mag
nanimity which would permit us seats
on this floor and yet allow us to repre-.
sent nothing but deceit, treason, false.
hood, and hypocrisy.


The issues of the late contest between
the North and the South were decided,
for all time, against the people and States
of the South. The South must abide by
this decision, and dare not question it.
The quarrel was almost as old as the
Government and for almost century
had, with increasing intensity, been
transmitted from father to son, and could
never have been settled in the enfrau-
chisement of the slaves but by war The
conflict was irrepressible." II had to
be determined by us or by our children.
1t was fair trial of strength, and was
braYelY fought. 1t is determined, and
let us thank Heaven that it is over The
Southern States were not entirely to
blame certainly for this unfortunate con-
troversy. Property in slaves existed
long before our Government was estab-
lished Our Constitution recognized
this and threw around slavery guaran-
tees special and peculiar in their charac-
ter. By it the legal right was given to
own slaves, and under it remedies were
provided for the maintenance OF the
right Both sections of the country
framed and ratified this Constitution.
No man who engaged in the the rebellion
had introduced slavery into the country
or aided in establishing the Constitution.
This generation inherited this COnstitu-
tion and slavery. The South alone be-
came the heir of slavery; to the whole
country belonged the Constitution. 1t
would have been far better for the ma
ton, and especially the South, if slav-
cry had not been provided for in this in
strument. One section, finding warrant
for 1t In the organic law and accustomed
to slavery all their lives, were educated
to believe and did believe that it was
right. Its people had been taughtiso to
believe by those who ministered at their
affairs and by their trusted statesmen.
The other section was educated to be-
lieve and did believe that slavery was
wrong; that it was the sin of the age and
a blot most foul upon the character of
the nation. 1t was a war of education
and of the ideas resulting from educa.
tion. 1t followed necessarily and inev-
itably that free States sought, by un-
friendly legislation, to discourage and
weaken slavery, SO that its ultimate de-
struetion might be assured. The slave
States very naturally, under the circum-
stances, finding this species of property
assailed, undertook to secure their title
to it by strong legal enactments. The
quarrel grew in intensity and the antag-
onism between the sections increased
until they came to blows The sword
was appealed to to determine the con
troversy and the justice of the quarrel.
The questions put in issue were all de-
cided against the South. Its slaves be-
came freemen and citizens. Their own
ers are entitled to no compensation for
n HnTNf in, aSI = +l,o
lion are void; the soldiers of the armies
in rebellion, having fought against this
Government, have no claim and never
can have for pensions or other bouaties
for such service.


A State has no right to secede from
the Union The South has no ground
to complain of the loss of what it risked
on this result. 1t must accept, it does
accept and abide by the amendments to
the Constitution, and the legislation un.
der them, which establish and enforce
this determination and result of the con
fiict. BY this decision the people of
the South stand They feel that
not only patriotism but honor and
manhood demand that they should dc
so. All that claim for this people in
this regard is that they engaged in the
rebellion from motives which were hon
est, and, while the result establishes be
yond contradiction and controversy as 3
legal fact that the South only was in tho
wrong, / insist as a moral and historical
truth that it was not altogether to blame
for the cause of controversy; for if slav
cry had never existed under the Govern
ment this war would never have beer
waged. The people of the South do NO
believe that slavery ought to or car
again exist. They do not wish it to ex
| ist. They have no disposition to deprive
the colored people of any of their right,
of citizenship or of their free exercise
Trained to look upon the coloIed mar
as an inferior, they were reluctant to ac
knowledge his political equality and op
posed comforting upon him the highe
rights of citizenship, and loyal as vel
as disloyal men South agreed in this; bu
now they submit to be governed by th.
existing laws upon this subject and d,
not seek their change Such am sure