The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-03-24
SPEECH
HON. D. w. VOORHEES,,
At Terre Haute.- Ind, March 13

: Upon taking the stand Mr.. Voor
i hees was greeted with prolonged ap
: plause. He then spoke substantial,
, as follows = ''i'.l
: MY FRIENDS AND FELLOW CIrI
: zENs: 1 am here for the purpose o
: talking to you upon great question
-one of the greatest that has. evei
i, been offered for your consideration
I have come long distance to speal
to you toni ght. have left that sea-
, in Congress, which ysur kindness
your confidence and your generous af.
fection gave me last fall, to discharge
what 1 conceived to be sacred duty
, to my constituents.
/ regret that travelling two days and
nights without sleep has left me in an
unfit connition to address you. II
may be said by some that / ought not
to be here at this time; that l ought
to be at my post, and in the discharge
of those duties which you labored SO
assiduously to place in my hands at
the last election. There is some
weight in this objection, and if it were
not that 1 conceived the condition of
affairs in the state of Indiana to be of
overshadowing Importance, I should
be in Washington. Upon no consid-
Grafton would have travelled the dis
tance / have and undertaken this can
yass except that there is no higher du-
ty incumbent upon the representative
than to mingle with his constituents
and reason with them, and encourage
their faith and their hope, and assist
them to meet important trials like
that which is before our people at this
time.
I am with you, citizen of the
State of Indiana. My lot has been
cast among you; my fortune is your
fortune. All that concerns your do
mestic welfare concerns mine also.
We have no separate interest, and
consequently 1 shall speak to you up
on this question as if were talking to
brethren. have often discussed with
you questions of great National impor-
tance-those which concerned the
whole country. 1 shall speak to night
again of those things before l am
done, but shall first confne my re-
marks to the limits of our own State.
The State of Indiana Is one of the
great States of this country. There
are thirty-six stars upon your flag,
and fifth in magnitude and glory is
the one which emblazons the bright
escutcheon of Indiana.
The question presented tonight, is,
whether Won, the people of this great
State of Indiana, shall have the right,
as you have had hitherto, from the
time you were admitted State into
this Union, to determine and regulate
your domestic policy for yourselves, or
whether you shall bow your knee and
bend your foreheads to the dust at the
behests of Congressional and legisla-
tive dictation.
Let us look at the question as pre-
sented by the resignation of the Dem
ocratic members of the Indiana Legis-
lature. For the first time in the his
ftory Of Indiana, the question of negro
suffrage is thrust boldly, nakedly and
squarely into the faces of this people.
Not whether you will have it down in
Alabama, in Georgia, or in the Caro-
linas, but whether you will have it in
your own State. I have often, in
days past, told this people that this
great question was coming closer and
closer to you. 1 have often told this
to my Rep lblican friends, but they
have always replied, "Not so; We
mean nothing Of that kind. Negro
suffrage will never come here to mo-
lest us. We will never allow the me-
gro to vote. Nobody will dare pro-
pose such mPasure."
My friends. I have seen a negro
stand in his place on the floor of Con-
gress, and attempt to make speech.
He stood where the proud representa-
tiyes of Anglo Saxon, Celtic and Teu-
tonic blood have hitherto held sway.
This I have seen. For years I have
seen the white people crowded out of
the galleries by the blacks but at last
/ have lived to see, since last / beheld
your faces, the black man stand up in
the House of Representatives, stam-
mer forth piece which somebody had
prepared for him, and then shrunk
away into the barber's shop. must
confess, however. that I have more
respect for this man than I have for
the Fandering carpe' baggers, coming
whence nobody knows, catching up
their carpet-bags and going whittier
nobody cares, and representing no
constituency.
have seen Coogress pass through
both branches q proposition to regu-
late suffrage for you here in Indiana
a proposition that the negroes among
you shall be allowed to vote whether
you will it or not, if two thirds of the
States say so. The question is not
left to the people here-it is not left
to the voters of Indiana, but if two
thirds OF the other States approve,
however much you may oppose it,
Indiana will have the negro as sasvot-
er. This brings the question squarely
before you. -'7-- 37.1.-
In relation to the proposition
which has thus passed both branches
lof Congress, the noble Democratic
members Of the Indian a Legislature
true TO their ,fealty TO the people. true
1 70 their pledges, true to the name OF
Democracy which means the govern
n1ent Of the people, said that II ought
to be and should passed Upon -di-
rectly blythe people Of Indiana. They
assaid it wassthe right ofthe people, TO
4 pass upon that question directly, and
fhfsr Irn,1id cnrrtS Il TO fhs ohaiiot .hnx