National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-04-03
MR, BLAINFS SPEECH.


Haven, Conn, yesterday, a report of which
will be found in our dispatches this morn
ing, was, in many respects a most COM
mendablC effort. 1t was thoroughly and
radically Republican in every respect, and
for that reason reads very much like some
of the editorials printed in THE NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN at the time when Congress
was called upon TO enact laws for the pro-
lection of tn rights of Republican voters as
citizens in the turbulent and discontinued
section Of the country. The burden of his
thought and the evident bent of his theme
was for the preservation of all that the Re-
publican party has held sacred in the past
and expects TO secure in the future. The
results of the war seemed to be uppermost
in his mind, and the positive menaces of
the Democracy against the perpetuity of the
war amendments to the Constitution were
clearly set forth in his argument. With
the rare ability which has distinguished
him in political contests as chairman of the
Republican State Central Committee of
the State of Maine, he reduced the posi-
bilities and the probabilities of the future
20 the stern demonstration of mathematics.
Look at the figures" he said "with
"Colorado admitted, the total electoral
"vote will be 800, of which 1856 constitute
ga majority. The Southern States can
"give 1873 votes, leaving only AZ to be OBJ
"tained out of the 231 that belong to the
North. The three States of New York,
Connecticut and California can give these
"47 votes, and your own prosperous State
&c is one that is always found on the list of
chose who wish to control the govern
"ment by this combination and if this de-
"sign could succeed, it would only be his
tory repeating itself.
The readers of this journal will admit
that every word of this pregnant admoni-
tIon-pregnant with danger to the Republic
and the party-was first made public in
these columns, and made public at the
critical instant during the last session of
Congress when it was feared that the " Re-
"publicans would be unable to outvote the
Democrats in the House of Representa-
"tives"
Right here, let US pause for reflection.
Mr., Speaker Blaine is q Republican-avery
gCod one in the casual acceptation of the
tenn. But we ask him, as a Republican,
as citizen, and as patriot. to give us
some indication of the result which would
Lave ensued, if the Republicans had not
been able ITO outvote the Democrats in
the House of Representatives? The rules
of that body enabled the minority, by
means Of fillibustering motions and dilatory
parliamentary tactics, to delay its action al
most without limit. An amendment to the
rules providing against such possibility
was suggested early in the session-imme-
diately after the holiday recess, in fact. 1t
might have been adopted, and the Repub-
licans would then have been able ito out
"vote the Democrats in the House
"of Representatives" if Mr.. Speaker
Blaine and few other Republicans had
not in caucus and on the floor of the House
delayed decisive action on the proposition
TO amend the rules. The 1873 electoral
votes Of the Southern States might thereby
have been saved to the Union and the Re-
publican party-synOnymou terms; but
unfortunately the Republicans in the House
were prevented from outvoting the Demo-
Gratis by combin alton of the chicken heart
ed, pin feathered policy of few weak -kneed
brethren like W. Walter Phelps, of Mr..
Baine's nti-Administration Southern out
rage committee. and the Democrats, until
it was too late. The session ended and no
provision had been made TO protect the
Republican voters Of the Southern States
in their right to vote for the supremacy of
free suffrage and the Constitution with its
amendments" Mr.. Speaker Blaine admits
that Democratic success in the next ma
tional campaign means danger to the Re-
public, because he sincerely believes that
it would result in the reasonable assertion
Of State rights theories; but he does not
explain why it was that the last Congress
handed the Southern States, with their 1873
electoral votes, deliberately over to the
Democracy.