246 



CONGKESS, UNITED STATES. 



" Speaking for myself alone, it seems to me 

 that the majority, having demanded the repeal 

 of these iniquitous laws, have reached a point 

 where retreat is impossible, and where it will 

 be easier to go through than retrace their steps. 

 Whatever responsibility attaches to either 

 House or either party, or the individual mem- 

 bers of each, either the one or the other, for 

 the failure of these appropriation bills, the 

 people will fix it where it belongs. That the 

 majority of this House should be blamed for 

 demanding the repeal of statutes which are un- 

 just and unconstitutional, is hardly probable. 

 Believing, therefore, that the repeal is justified 

 by every consideration of fairness and right, 

 the majority can well afford to submit this 

 issue to the verdict of the people." 



Mr. Durham of Kentucky : "I shall not de- 

 tain the House more than a very few moments, 

 and I certainly should not have said anything 

 but for the fact that I have had to bear my 

 share of responsibility in the difficulties of the 

 situation that now surround not only this Con- 

 gress but the whole of the people of the United 

 States. 



" Every member upon this floor, Mr. Speak- 

 er, knows what have been my ideas on the 

 subject of putting general legislation upon ap- 

 propriation bills. Anticipating a result of this 

 kind, it is known to all that in the regular 

 course of legislation a bill repealing all these 

 laws was introduced by myself, referred to the 

 proper committee of this House, and matured 

 by that committee ; and the gentleman from 

 Wisconsin, General Bragg, and myself have pre- 

 pared a report in the regular course of business 

 of this House. That report is now in print. 

 That report gives expression to my sincere and 

 honest sentiments. I believe and have ever 

 believed that the States, and tke States alone, 

 have a right to regulate their own elections, 

 and that the Government of the United States 

 has no right to interfere in any election or in 

 any of the domestic affairs of any of the States 

 unless the States prove themselves insufficient 

 to preserve order and carry out and maintain 

 the laws of the country. 



" Whenever, Mr. Speaker, insurrection ex- 

 ists, whether it be at the ballot-box, at the 

 polls, or at any other place, and the constituted 

 authorities of that State are insufficient to 

 quell insurrection, to secure every individual 

 that right which is granted to him, not only 

 by the constitution of his State, but the Con- 

 stitution of the United States, then it may be 

 proper for the Federal Government to inter- 

 fere ; but I do not believe such a state of case 

 has existed anywhere, either North or South. 

 I believe, Mr. Speaker, that these supervisors, 

 these deputy marshals who are employed un- 

 der the pretext of preserving order at the polls, 

 have been more corrupting to the ballot-box 

 and have thwarted the will of the American 

 people more than would have been done had 

 those officers never been created. I believe 

 it is one of the cardinal principles of the De- 



mocratic party certainly it is one with my- 

 self that the States must regulate these mat- 

 ters for themselves, and, believing so, I had no 

 hesitation in saying from the beginning that sill 

 these obnoxious statutes should be wiped and 

 blotted from the statute-book. 



'* I would have preferred, Mr. Speaker, that 

 these matters should have come in the regular 

 course of legislation, as I said a moment ago ; 

 but if that could not be accomplished, then, 

 when it was put on this appropriation bill by 

 the majority of the House, I felt that, as the 

 organ, in part, of the House, I was in honor 

 bound to stand by the instructions given to 

 me ; and I should have stood by those instruc- 

 tions until the hands on that dial pointed to 

 the hour of twelve. But if the session had 

 continued one month longer I would have 

 obeyed them. Unless the House had directed 

 me to surrender, I never would have surren- 

 dered, but would have stood by the action ot 

 the House. 



" Only one or two words more. I believe 

 local self-government is the cardinal principle 

 involved in State sovereignty. I believe that 

 it lies at the foundation of all free institutions. 

 Believing, as I said a moment ago, that all these 

 laws in regard to supervisors and marshals cor- 

 rupt the ballot-box rather than preserve its pu- 

 rity, I am glad that, as I perhaps shall never 

 stand in the American Congress again, that as 

 I shall within a few minutes step out of the 

 position which I have occupied here for the 

 last six years, in the last declaration I shall 

 probably ever utter in the American Congress, 

 the opportunity is presented to me to raise my 

 voice for free elections, free ballots, for State 

 rights, and for unrestricted local self-govern- 

 ment." 



Mr. Hale of Maine : " Mr. Speaker, I do not 

 think there is a sane man in the country who 

 wants an extra session of Congress. The em- 

 barrassments that will follow from it are grave 

 and many. The inflammation of political is- 

 sues and discussions, the possible conflict be- 

 tween the executive and legislative branches 

 of the Government, above all, the great finan- 

 cial and currency questions, touching nigh the 

 business interests of all the people, which will 

 be disturbed and kept in an uncertain condi- 

 tion, altogether nothing more calamitous could 

 befall the country. 



" This side of the House has sat here every 

 day since this session began trying to urge for- 

 ward the needed legislative business. We 

 have been willing to pass appropriation bills, 

 pure and simple, and to adjourn and let the 

 country have the peace which it needs. The 

 other side of the House has, without need, 

 forced political amendments upon appropria- 

 tion bills, and the responsibility is theirs. I 

 have faith to believe that there are many 

 moderate, prudent, and patriotic men on the 

 other side, who dread the result of this, who 

 are not satisfied with it. But the spectacle 

 presented is not a rare one in history, where 



