Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-13
TIE BLOODY SHIRT DEBATE.

presented MS case With all the precision OF
which the limited facts at his disposal per-
mitted. By laying down false premises and
deducing arguments therefrom, he managed
to present very tolerable argument, though
not strong or brilliant one, from par
tisan standpoint. Arguing that thirty-fve
representatives had been granted to the
South by reason of the enfranchisement of
the colored race, Mr.. Blaine asserts that the
entire political power thus founded on the
numbers of the colored people has been
seized and appropriated to the aggrandize-
ment Of its own strength by the Democratic
party of the South. He seems to argue that
these thirty-fve representatives were in
tended to give in their adherence to the Re-
publican party for all time, and that if the
negroes-to whom he presumes these repre-
sentatives solely belong-choose to elect men
OF. any other party, such exercise of their
constitutional right is forcible seizure-a
violation of the intent of Congress
and an outrage upon public rights. He re-
fuses the right to the negro which he de-
mands for all other citizens-the right to
cast his vote untrammeled and to assist in
the election OF whomsoever he shall SEQ fit
esteems it crime worthy OF condign pun
lshment for negro to vote for other than a
Republican. He therefore denounces what
he denominates "the seizure of this power
as "xanton usurpation, fragrant outrage, vio-
lent perversion of the whole theory of Re
publican government If 'sthe whole theory
Of Republican government is tho right to
vote the Republican ticket and no other, then
Mr.. Blaine is right. But if the theory of
Republican government is the right of the
citizen to vote as he pleases and for what
party he pleases, then Mr.. Blaine is wrong,
and in giving utterance to such ideas, he de-
sends to the level of the demagogue.
This is the sum and substance of his en-
tire argument: That the negro IS per Sc the
absolute and unalienable property of the Re-
publican party, and that any attempt to
make of him reasonable human being and
an independent political agent 10 an act of
wanton usurpation and a fragrant outrage.
The proposition is too silly to require refuta-
tion-too manifestly unrepublican to bs toll
Grated for moment by reasoning or reason
able men.
MIR. Thurnan's reply Was cool, tenn
perate and logical argument In submit
ting the Democratic amendment to the reso-
lutions he took occasion to say that he
doubted the wisdom of the inquiry suggest
cd, for tie reason that its range covered SO
wide ground that there was no hope of the
inquiry being completed. during the present
Congress. He limited that an inquiry was
not so much wanted as the opportunity fol
making string upon which to hang speeches
to arouse sectional hatred in one portion OF
this union against an almost defenseless
people in another portion ,of the union. He
called attention to the assumption of Mr.
Blaine, without enc shadow of evidence, that
the negroes Of the South were prevented
from voting or forced to vote the Democratic
ticket, and asked
What right has the Senator from Maine to
say that the negroes of the South are not repre-
South and the chosen Senators of the South
What right has he to vote the negroes on one
side himself. and say the men who bear Gre
dentials of election do not represent their con-
stituents?
Mr.. Thurman then proceeded to arraign
the Republican party for first drawing the
color line between the whites and negroes of
the South. He stated with emphasis what
every intelligent man in the union knows to
be true, that millions of
money Of the people OF the United
States were expended by agents of the Freed
mems bureau in getting every colored man
IN the South to the Loyal Leagues and
swearing him never to vote for Democrat.
That institution took charge of the negro at
the ballot box, took charge of him in the
cotton field, everywhere supervised every
contract he made, allowed no contract to be
made unless it had the approval of the agents
of the Freedmsn's bureau-it was that bu-
reau and its agents who first drew the color
line, and yet when the white people of the
South, owning the property and having the
intelligence and education of the South, saw
their very social system menaced with de-
struction, their very households threatened
with ruin under an inundation of barbarism
directed by the most INSCRIPTIONS of men,
and when they naturally came together as
people menaced with danger ever will unite,
then cry is raised against the solid South.
After calling attention to the fact that a
greater menace to the freedom of the ballot
lay in the corrupt use of money in elections
than in the intimidation of the negro at the
South, Mr.. Thurman closed by deprecating
that causeless and unpromising political
debate should have been allowed to super
sede the important business that demanded
the attention of the Senate-questions of
finance and economy of the greatest interest
to the people at large.
With his customary unfairness Mr.. Blaine
sought to place an unfair construction upon
some of Mr.. Thurman's remarks. but was
brought to the point with round turn.
Senator Lanar's remarks were brief and
pointed. He called attention to the fact that
inequality of representation in all the States
of the Union was great, nowhere more so
than in New England, whore population
of three and half millions was enabled to
wielda larger power in Congress than five
millions in New York or twenty millions in
the Northwest. He announced that on
some future Occasion he would take the pains
to submit evidence to prove the utter falsity
of MIR. Blaine's charges against the people
of the South. In concluding he made the
pointed remark, which the agitators would
do we'll to heed: