The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-12-12

Senator BIaine's Speech.
Senator Blaine's remarks, delivered In the
Senate yesterday and printed in this issue OF
the PRESS, call for the careful attention and
earnest thought of all good citizens. They
are in the nature of explanation of and com.
mentary upon the resolutions offered by him
last week directing an investigation into
alleged frauds and outrages in the recent
elections. The resolutions were in these
l words:
Resolved, That the Judiciary Committee be
Instructed to inquire and report to the Senate
whether, at the recent elections, the copstitu-
tional rights of American citizens were violat ed
1 in any of the States of the Union; whether the
| right Of suffrage Of citizens of the United
States, or of any class OF such citizens, was de-
| MED or abridged by the action of the election
officers OF any State. in refusing to receive their
| votes, in failing to count them, or in receiving
| and counting fraudulent ballots, in pursusuce of
l conspiracy to make the lawful votes of such
citizens OF non-effect, and whether sueh cit-
zens were prevented from exercising the elec-
tive franchise or forced to use it against their
wishes by violence or threats or hostile demon
strations OF armed men or other organizations,
or by any other unlawful means or practice.
| ReSolUed, That the Judiciary COMMITTEES be
further instructed to inquire and report whether
it is within the competency of Congress to pre-
vide by additional legislation for the more per-
feet security OF the right of suffrage to citizens
OF the United States in all the States of the
Union.
Resolved, That in prosecuting these inquiries
the Judiciary Committee shall have the right
to send for persons and papers.
No one at all interested in the political
future of the country or having any stake in
its material development can fail to see that
the issue before the country is not merely the
question of the preservation of the rights of
negro citizens, though that is of great impor-
tance, but question also of the equality of
the white voter of the North with the white
voter of the South. This issue the Maine
Senator dwells upon and emphasizes, pre-
sentiDg aformidable array of facts and figures
to justify the grave attention he pays to the
question. He points out that the Northern
white voter who fought for the Union has
not so weighty voice in the government of
the country to-day as the Southern white
voter who fought to destroy the Union; that
in the States that formed the Southern Con-
federacy $4,000 whites have as much
political power as $4,000 voters in. the
loyal States that the Southern whites have
thirty-fve more Representatives in Congress
than they are entitled to; that this dispro-
portion enables the Democracy to control the
House and will after the Fourth of March
give the whole legislative power of the gov
ernment into the hands of minority; that
the ], 1,035, 900 white citizens of South Caroli-
ma, Mississippi and Louisiana have as many
members Of Congress as do the 2,247, 900
voters of Iowa and Wisconsin; that the added
political power given to the South by reason
of the enfranchisement of its negro popula-
ticn, and taken from that population BY the.
Southern whites to be exercised for the az.
grandizement of the Democratic party, Off
sets the entire political power of the six New
England states or of New York.
1t is thus seen that the virtual dsfran-
chisement OF the negro 10 eleven States of
the Union works the partial dsfranchise-
ment of Northern voters. The white man
South exercises double the political power of
the white man North. We are put to dan
gerous disadvantage not only in a strife for
political supremacy but as regards all our
material interests. In the levying of taxes,
In the appropriation OF money, in the franz
ing Of tariffs, in the pensoning of soldiers, in
the ordering of public Improvements, In the
protection of commerce, in the facilitation of
trade, in the regulation of the finances, in
word, in all matters of legislation the white
voter South casts a ballot twice as infuen-
tial as that cast by the Northern voter. The
South by the political enslavement of the
negro is enabled to exert upon all questions
of national interest twice the influence to
which it is legitimately entitled. Sixty
thousand Southern whites have as much
power in the enactment of tariff that seri-
ously affects Northern commercial and in.
dustrial interests as have one hundred and
twenty thousand Northerners. They have
twice the voting power that we have in de.
termining upon the improvement and de-
tense of Northern harbors. They have
double the power we have in passing upon
the question of continuing pensions to Union
soldiers or granting pensions to Rebel veter-
ans. A solid North in defense of interests so
menaced is but selt-defence.
This power TOO has been acquired and is
held in defiance of the laws OF the country.
The fourteenth amendment to the Constitu-
ton provides that if any class of voters be de-
MED, or in any way abridged in the right Of
suffrage that class shall not be counted in the
basis Of representation. 1t is matter of COM
mon knowledge that the Southern negro has
not the privilege of voting as he chooses, nor
of having his vote honestly counted when
given. that the political power belonging to
him is seized and used by the Democratic
party. Mr.. Blaine simply proposes to inquire
how far and in what manner the Constitu-
ton and the laws have been disregarded. The
inquiry is proper and necessary, and must be
prosecuted; for, as Mr.. Blaine intimates, the
people of this country, though they may for
get or ignore the rights Of the negro, will nev-
er consent that white mans vote in the
South shall be twice as powerful in the ad
minstration of the Government as a white
mans vote in the North.