The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-12-19
ELOQUENT SPEECH BY THURMAN.
His Reply to the Remarks of Mr.. Blaine,
of Maine.
WAsltiSGroN, December II.

| In the Senate, Blame SAID the pendlng
resolution directing an investigation into
alleged frauds and outrages in the recent
elections was offered by him with two
fold purpose in view. First, to place OH
record, in definite and authentic form,
the frauds and outrages by which some
OF the recent elections were carried by
the Democrats in the Southern States,
and second, to find if there be any
method by which repetition of these
crimes against a free ballot may be pre-
vented. In South Carolina, he said,
there appeared to have been, no election
at all, bit d series of skirmishes throIigh-
out the State, the polling places being
regarded as forts, to be captured by one
party and held against the other. We
know that LOG Congressional representa-
tives were chosen in the States formerly
slaveholding, and that the Democrats
elected 1O2 of them, that the entire po-
litical power thus founded on the num-
bers of the colored people has been
seized and appropriated to the strength
of the Democratic party. Blaine said
the method of voting in the South gave
the white man there double the power
of the white man at the North, and ar
.gued that the white men of the South do
not hold this superior power by reason
of law and Justice, but in defiance there
of. The war was fought in vain, he said,
unless equal rights for all classes be es-
tablished in all parts Of the Union.
Upon the conclusion of Blaine's re-
marks Thurman submitted, as an amend
ment to Blaine's resolution, that the
committee also inquire whether any
citizen of any State has been dismissed,
or threatened with dismissal, from en-
ployment or the deprivation of any right
or privilege by reason of his vote, or in
tention to vote, at the recent elections,
or has been otherwise interfered With,
and to inquire whether, in 1878, money
was raised by assessment upon Federal
employees for election purposes, etc.
and whether such assessments were or
not in violation of law; and shall fur.
ther inquire into the conduct of United
States supervisors of elections in the
several States, and as to the number OF
marshals, deputy marshals and others
employed to take part in the conduct OF
said elections.
Addressing the Senate thereon, Senator
Thurman said, in replying to Mr.. Blaine,
Ehe would confne himself to very few
general observations, reserving the priv
ilege of speaking further should the de-
bate become protracted. The Senator
from Maine, be said, had two purposes
in preparing his carefully elaborated
speech-not to- vindicate the right of suf-
frage throughout this whole Union, but
to inquire whether the Democracy OF the
Southern States had violated the rights
of American citizens, and to find out
what could be done with them. There
we're doubts as to the propriety of the
resolution, inasmuch as no committee
could, in the time for this session, make
the proper investigation in satisfactory
manner. He wondered why this resolu-
ton was introduced, unless it was to be
made q string upon which to hang
speeches to arouse sectional hatred in
one portion of the Union against an al
most defenseless people in another por-
tion. Applause.
Here the Chair said that persons Gre
ating disturbances would be arrested, and
Thurman, adding that he hoped no fur.
ther interruption would occur, said: 81
did not say anything when the galleries
cheered the peroration of my friend from
Maine, for 1 love an eloquent thing as
much as anybody can, and have some
times cheered it when l did not agree
with it ALL" Laughter. Continuing
his remarks, Mr.. Thurman said: 'This
assault of the Senator from Maine is not
an assault simply, however, upon the
people of the South. ! said FIVE months
ago, in d speech which beg pardon for
repeating here, that it did seem to me as
clear as anything in American politics
could be that there was deliberately
formed purpose, under the pretext that
there was solid South, to create solid
North, to rule not only the solid South,
but to rule one-half nearly, if not more,
of the people of the North. l thought
so then; l think so yet. l Thought then,
and l think now, that purpose more
unpatriotic, more unjust, more fraught
with ruin to this country, never entered
the brain of man. That is my belief.
Why, Mr.. President, of what is it the
Senator from Maine complains? Z? That
there were not enough Republican votes
at the South. That is the amount of it /;
and how does he make that out? He
assumes, without one shadow of proof
produced here, that the negroes of the
South we're prevented from voting or
forced to vote the Democratic ticket. He
assumes, therefore, that owing to those
causes, the negroes of the South are not
represented by the members of the House
of Representatives who come from that
section of the Union or by the Senators
OIL this floor who represent the Southern
States. What right has the Senator from
Maine to say chat the negroes of the
South are not represented by the chosen
Representatives of the South and the
chosen Senators of the South What
right has he to vote those negroes
himself OH one side, and say that the
men who bear the credentials of election
here do not represent their constituents
1t is bare assumption on his part, that
lie has no right whatever to make. am
as much in favor of respecting the rights
of every man under the constitution as
the Senator from Maine, or any other
Senator on this floor; but l do know
that property, intelligence and education
will assert their supremacy everywhere
on the face of this globe.
"Who was it that drew the color line
between the whites and negroes in the
South? Let me tell you, sir, that mil
lions of the money of the people of the
United States were expended by YOU
agents, the Freedman's Bureau agents
in getting every colored man in the
South into the Loyal League and swear
ing him never to vote for Democrat
That is where the color line began to b.
drawn. That institution which tool
{ charge of the negro at the ballot bo,
took charge of him in the cotton field
took charge Of him everywhere; super
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