Thurman On Blaine

Mft. President: I attempted to off er that amcnrlment before ti.e Senator from Maine proöeoded with his remarks, hut failcd to havo ;my opportunity ti) do so. I íntended then tu Hay that, whatevor opinión migot bo eutortaiuod on this sido of the chambor afl to tho competoney of Congress to mako all tho nveatigations that these resolutions contémplate, yet we were disposed to waive. all scnjploa of that character aud suffer the reaolntjons to pasa without oppoaition, if tho amondment now proposed Hhould bo added to them. The Senator from Maino, however, having a Rpccch cal'efully Btndled and prepared, i'xercim'd his rigbt to di'livor that speech boforo any amoudtnent tíould bo olie rei!. Í do uot complaiu of that at all, uur do I now rifle to mako any extended roply to tho speech that I havo heard just now. Should this debato be protracted I may exercise hiy privilego of eayiug something in reply to tho Senator from Maine, but to-day I shall confine myaelf to a very few general observations. Tho Senator ia frank in ono thing - his rcsolution ia broad. It includea all tho States. It provides for an investigation whether th) rigbts of American citizeus in connoction with tho eloctive franchise havo boen violated or intorfered with in any of Uis States, but he franlílv admita in tho very outaot of his romarks that tliat tras not hia purpose, that his purpose wan to assail tlio t)emocracy of the South. Ho had two purposes in preparing a Carefully elaboratod BBeflch - not to vindícate the right of aúffráge shröughdul this wholo Union, but tó incluiré whethor tho Hriuoeracy uf Southern Staten liad violted tho nght of Amerioau dtizena, and then tu lind out what stiould bu dono with them. Now, Mr. President] that ia a very frank, and, I have QO doubt, a very truc statomnt of tho animiibot this reoolution. Mr. President. I said thero niïght bo Home doubts as to the própriety of this investigation. I repeat it There may be sueh doubts, ospecially to-day. Here ia th short session of Congress. We havo, excluding the recens that wo always take, loss, perhaps, tlian two months withiu which to dispose of tna appropriation billa and other Dieaaures of legislation that neoossurily raquJM the atrention of ' gress if tho business of tho session ia to be di8posedof and nooxtraHcssion istobocallod. And now, sir, tho Senator propoaos an invostigation that I defy any oommittoe that can be f ound to niake, with ttnytBhig Uko thoroiighncas - nay in any satisfactory manuer, with anythiug like juatness, either to thoso who aro implicated or those who may bo implicated - withiu tho timo that romaina of the soHsion of tho Sonate. It is i an impoaaibility. I have thereforo wondered why this roaolutlon Was intToduced utilcss it was to bo made a string upon wliicli to hang speeches to arouso aectionat hatred in ono portion of this Union against au almoat defenseless people in anothor portion of the Union. Now, Mr. President, thia aBsault of the Senator from Maiue is uot au assault simply upon tho people of the South. I said tfvo months ago in a speech, which I beg pardon for repeating here, that it did soem to mo as cloar as anything in American politica conld bo that thcre was a deliberatoly-formed purposc uudcr the pretext that there was a aolid South to oréate a aolid Xorth to rule not only tho solid South, but to rule one-half nearly, if not more, of the people ,of thoNorth. Ithoughtsothen- -I thinksonow. I thought then, and I think now, that a purpose more unpatriotic, more unjust, more fraught witli ruin to thia country, never enteroil tho brain of man. That is niy belief. Why, Mr. President) of what is it that the Senator of Maiiic complains? That thero were not enough liopublican votos at tho South. That ia tho amount of it. And how does ho mako that out? Hu assumcri, without ono ahadow of truth produoed here, that tho negroes of the South were Ërovouted from voting, or forced to voto the 'emocratic ticket. Ho aeSiimes, thorefore, that owing to those causea the negroes of tho South are not represented by meiubera of the House of llopreaontatives who come from that geation f the Union, or by Senators on thia ilóor who represent tho Southern States. What right haa tho Sonator from Maine to aay that tho negroos of the South aro not represented by chosen Representativos of the South and ehosen Senators of the South? What right has he to voto tho.w negroos on one sido himself, and aay tho men who bear credentials of election do not represent their constituontsV Why, Mr. Prosideut, it ia a bare aaaumption on liis part that he has no right to mako. lint, arain, the Senator oiiKlit to havo thought of tilia lien ho was framing Iiïh Fourtcouth and Fifteeentb atncndinent, or whon hn wanassiating in framing them. Thero were men then - men of his own party, too - wbo told him witli long foresight that'in the oud property and intelhgeuco will rulo tho land, aud Igaorancfl cannot. Mr. President, thore were men of hia party who foresaw that thoso people who have the intelligence, the etlucatiou, and property will not be ruled by those who have neither, and in that it ia not neceasary to separate the community into white people" and colored people ; not at all ia it neceaaarv to do that. No, Mr. President, the rc It of tliese conetitutional amondnieuts was eayy onough to be foreseen. 1 am not here toda to justify the violation of thorightaof any man, nowèvef bomble ho may bo, or v.hatever may le the poveity of liis aitnation. I am here for" no sucü purpose as that. If I know iny own hcart, I am here aa mueh in favor of ro►pecting the rlghts of every mahnnder the conMinution as the Sonator from Maino or anyother Senator on thia Hoor. But I do kuow that property, intelligenco, andoducation will aBsert their aüpromacy everywhero on the faco of this globe. Now, Mr. President, let me say ono word more on thia subject S'ho was" it that drew tho color-litie betwoen the wbites and negroes in the South? Let me teil yon. air, thLt miliióhs of money of the people of tno United States were expended by yonr agents - tho Freedmau'a Bureau agenta - in" getting every colored man in Ufe South into loyul u-agues and sweariug them never to vote for a Democrat That is where the color-liue began to bo drawn. That iuBÜtution whi ü took charge of the negro at the iallot-box took charge of him in the cottonlii !da - overywliero - suporvisod every contract ho made, aliowod no contract to be made onleea it liad the approval of the agenta of tho F-reedman'a Bureau, and speut money and prop.ettj called "eaptnred and abandoued property" that wa aurrendored to it and maiiy milhons of niOTiey diroctly appropriated outof the treasury of the United States. It was that bureau and its agenta who firat drow tho color-line. And Let, wheu the wliito people of the outh, wheu the men owning the j . rty and having tho intelligenco and education of the South, saw their very sociai systom menaced with destruction; aaw thoir very houséholds thre;it'ned with ruin under an inundation of baibarism directed by tho most unscrnpuloua of men; and, when they natuially camo together, when thoy naiurally united, ;lh poople menaeed with duñgor ever' will unite, then a cry is raiaed against tho " SOlld South." Oh, Mr" President .it will not do. This sys tem of legislatiou toward tho South that began ten voara ago is reaping ita fruit, and it is not by additional penal laws that yon can better the coudjtion of this country. What does the Benutof want more penal lawrt for? Ix't him look into tho statuto-book on tliis vory subject Let him read the statutes in regard to tho enforcemont of tho rights of (dozens to vote, and I defy him to tind in the statute-booka of auy civiliwd i-oniitry on thia globe a body of laws f. minuta, so soarebing, and bristling all over witli penalÜee and linoa and forfeitnres as do theao lawa. But that ia not all. In aciflition to that you havo the vant niachinery of Superintendente of Elections, Federal Superviaors, Marshala, üeputy Marahala - paid ejectioneerg out of tho treasury of the United Sta-tos uniler the gmV of boingmen to preserve tho freedom of siittvage and the poace al oleelions. Yon have a wliolc armyot them provided for by your statutee. What moro doos th, Smiator want? I think I seo, Mr. President what is wantod. I think this ia a noto which is sounded to tho pooplo of tlio North that they must retraco thoir steps, and thin vm-y party, thich required the amenamente to the consötntion to be made in theintere.it, it was said, of tlio colored population of the South, U njjjr prciiaring to faco about, retraee its sktps, and indo what it did only a fow yoars ago, oillior directly or by indirection. Indeed, I thought while the Senator from Maine waa making hm speech how much rcaon this country, and eapeoially tho southern part of thö country, had 'to congratúlate itsolf that the noxt" IJowo of ItepresontEtiyo i will not have a majority of gentlemen thinking fililí the Senator irom Jlaine; for, if be ia right I in what lm said ; il' his t'.ireata are not mere idlo wind (and! uertamly do not nHribnte any sucii I thing to him); if they aro tho doep-seated and p ■■rmanont thonclitn' of thoso with whom he acts, then I should bo propared to neo a House of Representativos in which thero was a t licau majority oxcludo Southorn nn-mbors by tho score; thou I should havo beon preparod to seo them decide tliomselvos tliat tlio right of suffratje waa prohibited down there to the negro, aud thoa to sec them in thoir supremo authority, as tliey would construe it, voto ont tho dbosen RepreeenWöves of tho South- not by qñes, uot dj tiros, but by tho score. It is a fortúnate thing for thia country- it is a fort i unato thing for our freo inatitutions- that there ! ie not in the present Houmo of Koprnsentatives, and will not be in the uext, a majority thinking as tlio Senator from Maims tliinks, and willing to act as he is williug to act Mr. President, ono word on the amondment havo offerod. ltismyown belief that thero ia a far groater dangor tiiat menacoa our tostitntions, and moñacos the rights of snffrago in tliis country, than that to which tbc Senator from ! Mamo haa alluded. Sir, the mostdishe tcteoing , thing to an American who loves free institutions is to seo that year by year tho corrupt uro of money in eiections is making its way, until tho time 'may come, and that withiu tho observation of even tho oldest man here, whon I tionain the United States will boasdebauchodas : ever they woroin the worst daya of boroughj'arliamentary elections ia tho niother laii'l. .Mr. President, there ia the greatest danger. Tho danser is whothorthis country shall hogoVerjied with a view to tho rights of overy man, tlio poor man as woll a tho rich man, or wbotl: largest pnrso shall oarry elections, and time be i a muro plutoeraey iustead of a deroocratio repnbUo. Xhat in tlie flanftr, um that dnngov, lot mo teil my friend, oxists far more in tho Korth than ili tho Kouth. Bir, if lio wants to preserve tiio pnrity of oloctlons; if ho want to havo this Govornraent pwnetuatrd asa system that cftii bc honestly admimfstered from thepriniaiT clection to the signaturo of a bilí by tho Prcsidoüt, let him set hia face toward and exercise Iiíh great abllitv in stopping the floodfjates of c'orruption that hreatan to tfwige the whole land and brhip; republican institutiona intoutter ruin and diegraoa Mr. President, thero i ono thing that madorao doubt a littlo as to tl! proprietyof this resolution, although, a I saiil, I ivm oiiif; to vote for it, and vrhat tho Hunator from Maino hs naid haaadded to tl' great doubt wliich 1 miterUÚDed on t]iat subject, and that ïh that I am not oiiit! snro thore are not persons who favor this Mud of rosohition, and as niuch dolatt apon it hh yon can bttS. and aH muoh invontiyation a yon c'an huvn, ín gtáfC tu dlvfri attcntion fiiiiii the reu qtlestwns whioti ought to SngAgé tlio OongreBS of the United Ktatea - quostions of cconomy, qttesiiODS of tinancn, queations of governmönt - all aro shoved asidü taat popular speeohe'M may bi: made, tcnding to (xcite ono Beobon of tho people against anothcr, and to set their ininds mad with paseion iustdatl of appealing to their cool and delibérate reaaon. I certainly do noi dhfll'gé tno Senator from Malne with haring got thia up for the purpoao of putting amde and ihrowing out of view that whiuh Hhonld form tlic Hubjf.'t't of our KlongulA and of our leginlation, but ï foar that such may ho in nomo men'8 minds ono of the thiuga to bo desired by such a rosjlution.