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CONGEESS, UNITED STATES. 



South. Yet there are those here who would 

 make it appear that the proposition is a South- 

 ern measure only, and they pretend to see in 

 it treason and rebellion. The gentleman from 

 Maine [Mr. Hale] has told us that ' the propo- 

 sition to repeal all these sections takes hold and 

 violent hold of the whole body of criminal law 

 applicable to the purity of elections in the South 

 and ruthlessly repeals it.' He seems to have 

 forgotten that the sections sought to be re- 

 pealed apply not only to elections in the South, 

 but throughout the whole country, and at the 

 same time to have misapprehended the purport 

 and scope of the amendment. For it does not 

 propose to repeal the whole body of the crim- 

 inal law applicable to elections, but only those 

 sections which provide for the appointment of 

 supervisors and deputy marshals. Again, sir, 

 it was very strongly intimated, if not expressly 

 stated, a few days since by the gentleman from 

 New York [Mr. Chittenden], that the object of 

 this amendment was to give to the South abso- 

 lute control of this Government, and that the 

 proposition to repeal the unwise and iniquitous 

 sections, as I regard them, was an exhibition 

 of audacity which the North would not for a 

 moment tolerate. Sir, the South does not de- 

 sire absolute control of this Government. It 

 does desire though that the vicious and tyran- 

 nical legislation, the enactment of which was 

 the result of bitter feelings engendered during 

 the late great struggle, should no longer re- 

 main in force. It does desire that laws which 

 are used as political machines by the political 

 party now in power, and which are manipu- 

 lated and run altogether in the interest of that 

 party, regardless of the rights of those who 

 are opposed to it, should be repealed. And I 

 fail, Mr. Chairman, to discover in the amend- 

 ment that audacity which seems to be so appar- 

 ent to the gentleman from New York. And 

 I could not see it even had the amendment been 

 offered by a Democrat from the South ; for in 

 this House the privileges and rights of mem- 

 bers are the same whether they come from the 

 North or South, from the East or West. 



" And again, sir, it has been argued by the 

 gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hanna] that the 

 adoption of the pending amendment will sweep 

 away all that legislation which sharply defines, 

 as he expressed it, the difference between loy- 

 alty and treason. And it has been said by the 

 gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Baker] that it will 

 undo all the results of the war. Mr. Chairman, 

 I can not appreciate such arguments ; neither 

 can I believe that they emanate from sober re- 

 flection and sound judgment, but rather do I 

 think that they are the offspring of bitter par- 

 tisan feeling and uncontrolled prejudice. The 

 members of this House from the South claim 

 no rights here which are not granted to them 

 by the Constitution and laws of their country. 

 And when they assert those rights on this 

 floor, and in a fair and manly manner endeavor 

 to maintain them, that it should be said they 

 are audacious and intimated that they are trea- 



sonable is not only unkind, but also most won- 

 derfully presumptuous and arrogant. 



" Sir, the proposition on the part of the 

 Democrats to repeal the odious sections men- 

 tioned in the amendment is not prompted by a 

 desire to obtain any undue advantage of Ee- 

 publicans. They seek only to take from them 

 that advantage which, owing to partisan legis- 

 lation, they possess, and which they so harshly, 

 unfairly, and corruptly use at elections in some 

 of the States use not merely against the in- 

 terest of the Democratic party, but also in 

 violation of the rights and privileges of the citi- 

 zens of those States. Mr. Chairman, wrongs, 

 great wrongs, have been and will continue to 

 be perpetrated under the operation of this law 

 so long as it remains in force, and therefore it 

 ought to be repealed." 



Mr. Hale : " Mr. Chairman, I rise only for 

 the purpose of stating the position of this ques- 

 tion. We may as well understand exactly how 

 this matter now stands before us. The gentle- 

 man from Ohio [Mr. Southard], in pressing this 

 amendment, has thrown down the gage of 

 battle. The gentleman from New York [Mr. 

 Hewitt] has asserted this morning that the 

 Democratic party stands here to-day, and will 

 stand, in favor of sweeping from the statute- 

 book all that body of law which he says inter- 

 feres with the operations of the State govern- 

 ments and State laws with respect to the ballot. 

 Now, there is a plain, distinct challenge ; and, 

 Mr. Chairman, I know that, strong as is the 

 feeling on the other side, it is equally strong 

 on this. These laws for the protection of the 

 ballot must not and shall not be repealed, I 

 repeat that this side of the House will never 

 consent to this project of repeal being pushed 

 forward and carried through. Gentlemen on 

 the other side may as well understand that 

 now as hereafter. Thus we are confronted 

 with what the other side must take the respon- 

 sibility of, an extra session of Congress. Last 

 Tuesday, one week ago to-day, an almost solid 

 vote of this side of the House was given in 

 favor of going into Committee of the Whole 

 npon this appropriation bill. We were voted 

 down by the other side. On Wednesday the 

 bill came up, was discussed, and went over. 

 On Thursday the Eepublican side again voted 

 solidly to take it up and pass it pure and sim- 

 ple; but we were antagonized with an election 

 case upon which the other side, refusing to 

 consider this bill, unseated a member who had 

 been here within twenty days of his entire term 

 of office. On Friday this bill was antagonized 

 with private bills, and that day was wasted. 

 On Saturday the Eepublican side again rallied 

 for the purpose of pushing this appropriation 

 bill through; but antagonized as it was by the 

 morning hour and by the bill for the repeal of 

 the tobacco tax, the motion to proceed to the 

 consideration of this bill was, on a vote by tell- 

 ers, defeated by one vote. I only wish to say 

 that we on this side have done everything to 

 push this bill, and at some stage of this pro- 



