Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-10-20

publican party fixed the apportiol
ment of the Districts in such mal
ner that both Houses of both I4egi
latures are Republican. They pra,
| tically set aside the right of the pc,
| pie, the right of the majority to rul
or even fairly be represented. Th
Democrats carried New York b
over fifty thousand majority, an
still the Legislature had to renal
Republican. The Constitution {
New York distinctly requires a re
appOrtiOnment after every census
but this would deprive the Repuh
lican minority of its only chance t
rule, and two successive Republican
Legislatures shamelessly refused t,
obey this mandate of the Constitu
ton. The same method has beel
carried into practice in the election O
Congress. You no doubt remembe
that there was an Overwhelming
popular majority against the Repub
licans last fall, and still they claim
ed a majority in the House indeed
the Democratic majority in the mex
House will be very small. But the
only wonder is that the Democrats
could carry majority at all if yoU
consider this most infamous appor
tiOnment.
STARTLING RESULTS OF GERRYMAN.
DERING.
Take, for instance, the five lead.
ing States as they lie contiguous
from the Atlantic to the Mississippi
New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, In
diana and Illinois. These five great
States gave at the last election 3, ,499,-
507 votes, or much more than one
third of the whole. They had in
1870 nearly 15,000,000 of people.
They are entitled to 102 mem
bers of Congress, or over a third
of the whole. These, as well as all
subsequent figures, are taken from a
Republican authority, the New York
Tribune. In every one of these
States the Republican party made
the eappOrtiOnment. The Democrats
had popular majority of over
twenty thousand in these five States
at the last election. Nevertheless
they could only elect thirty-six out
of the hundred and two Congress-
men. Though the Republicans, in
the aggregate, were in minority
they nevertheless elected siXty-six
out of the hundred and two Con-
greSsmen. Though, for instance,
the Democrats carried Indiana by
about eight thousand majority they
could only elect four out of thirteen
Congressman. Though they carried
New York by a majority Of thirty
three thousand, the majority of the
delegation is Republican. Thus you
see how the spirit of self-govern-
ment and the essence of the repre-
sentative character of Congress is
destroyed though the old form re-
mains. Not content with this, Re-
publicanism had to go still further,
and undermine the higher branch of
Congress too. Not content with adj
mitting worthless adventures, more
fit for the lowest penitentiary than
the highest laW-making assembly
in the world, more votes being re-
quired to overrun the Constitution,
rotten bOrOughs were admitted as
sovereign States.
THE TIVECHARACTER
OF THE SENATE RUINED, TOO.
Nevada, Oregon, COlOrado-all to-
gether numbering 173,27S souls,
have now exactly the same repre-
sentatiOn in the Senate as the twelve
millions of people living in New
York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. So
far as the political power in the Sen
ate is concerned, it requires about
citizens of the three
greatest States of the Union to be
equal to one single soul of either of
those three rotten bOrOughs. That
only partisanship, in utter disre-
gard of public interest, induced the
dominant party to admit the Terri
tories, is best shown by the fact that
not one of them has improved in
since its admission, but,
on the contrary, rather actually de-
creased.
Thus you see the Republican par
ty for years undermining republican
institutions, retaining their SEM
blance, destroying their substance.
to vassalage? They eresoreduced.
Was it necessary to admit boroughs
assOvereign States? Nebraska, Ne
Vada, Oregon and Colorado, alto
gether having but One-tenth of the
population of Ohio, were so admit
ted. Was it necessary to have
more votes? Eight hundred thOus-
and negroes were made voters. Was
it necessary to have less votes ? The
of the South was dis
franchised. Was it necessary to
have money? Two hundred and
ninety millions of acres of land and
a hundred millions of dollars were
granted to railroad iObbers alone.
Was it necessary to have money?
Whisky rings, CustOm-hOuse rings,
Indian rings, MObiliers, &C., robbed
hundreds of millions. Applause
Was the appetite growing? Was
there still more money desirable?
Placards were put up before at least
four of the seven Departments in
Washington, in large, plain letters,
"EVery thing for sale" Applause.
Was it necessary to curry favor with
"a special class and section? A pro-
tective tariff was levied, which
robbed the West of hundreds of
millions annually, putting it in the
pockets of a favored class of monOp-
Olists in the East. Applause.
WHAT IS REPUBLICANIsN?
Who represents it? Who consti-
tutes it? Let us look at the leaders
of the dominant party; let us begin
with the United States Senate. |
call the roll of Republican states
men in alphabetical order:
Alabama-George Spencer. His
residence, though still a Senator
from Alabama, is in the Black Hills,
at a place, possibly named in his
honor, DeadWOOd. Twice in sue
cession Spencer was elected Senator
from a State with which he had no
identity whatsoever. ] hear the
word carpet-bagger. Yes, Spencer is
a carpet-bagger, but mis- Republican
brother Senators honor him highly
For this same indict-
ed, fugitive Spencer is Chairman
of the important Committee of Mill
tary Affairs and a member Ofa num-
ber of other important Committees.
His term, happily, expires on the
4th of March, 1879. He might as
well claim to represent the Sand
wich Islandsas Alabama. Ofcourse,
Spencer is a strong supporter of Re
publicanism. Applause.
have, no doubt, all heard of him.
II L. IL L L 4 Il L, q