The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-12
BLATANT BLAINE.
THE SENATOR From MAINE GETS OFF
THAT SPEECH.
Liberal Extracts from Radical Papers De.
Iiyered 10 the senate Yc.terday.

WAsHINGToN, Dec 1l-Mr Blaine to-day
spoke on the resolution offered by him direct
Ing an investigation into alleged frauds and
outrages In the recent elections, as follows
The pending resolution was offered by me
with a two-fold purpose in view First, to
place on record in definite and authentic form
the frauds and OutrageS by which some re-
cent elections were carried by the Democratic
party in the Southern States Second TO
lind II there be any method by which a repeti-
tlon OF these crimes against u free ballot can
beprevented.
The newspaper Is the channel through
which the people Of the United States are in
formed OF current events. and the accounts
gwen u the press represent the elections in
some OF the Southern States to have been ac.
companied by violence, in not a few cases
reaching To the destruction Of life; to have
been controlled by threats that awed and in
undated large class of voters; to have
been manipulated by fraud Of the most in
famous and shameful description. Indeed
In South Carolina there seems to have been
no election at all, in any proper sense of the
term. There was instead q series Of skir-
mlshes over the State In which the polling
places We're regarded as forts to be captured
by one party and held against the other and
where this could not be done with convenience.
frauds IN the count and tissue ballot devices
We're resorted TO IN order to effectualy y destroy
the voice Of the majority.
=. Mr. Blaine said that the issue is whether
the white voter Of the North shall be equal to
the white voter Of the South in shaping tho
or whether, to put it still more boldly, the
white man who fought in the ranks of the
Union army shall have as weighty and in
huentiai vote in the government of the Re
pubic as the white man who fought in the
ranks OF the Rebel army 1t appears that /
throughout the States that formed the late
Confederate government s. 600 whites the
very people that rebelled against tho Union. /
are enabled to elect Representative in Con
gress, while in the loyal States 1T requires |
$4,000 Of the white people that fought for the
onion to elect a Representative. In leyvinp /
every tax, therefore, in making every appropri-
atlon o. money, N fixing every line Of public
policy, in decreping what shall be the fate and I
fortune OF the Republic, the Confederate sol
dier South Is enabled to cast vote that is
twice as powerful and twice as influential as
the vote OF the Union soldier North
Inc cOlOfed citizen in the South is unhap-
PLY situated, since he may have his suffrage
absolutely denied or fatally abridged bv the
violence, actual or threatened, of irresponsi-
PIE mobs, or by frauds and deception Of State
officers, from the Governor down to the last
election clerk If the prescribed vote of the
South We're cast as its lawful owners desire
the Democratic party could not gain power
!, ! am not demanding fair elections in the
south without demanding fair elections i'm ,
the North also. But yenturing to sneak for .
The New England States of whose wise laws , ,
and customs ! know something | dare as
sert lhat IN the lac election in Massachusetts, !
or any of her neighboriug commemorative | !
1t Will be impossible to find even one case :
where 2 voter was driven from the polIs =
where voter did not have the fullest, faircst'
freeSt opportunity to cast the ballot of his
cholce ana have it honestly and faithfully
counted in tho returns !
Ihe South must not make the mistake of i
that injustice to the negro is not t
also Injustice to tn" white man, nor should it 1
ever toe forgotten that for the wrongs of both i
remedy will most assuredly be found.
Mr. Blaine concludes as follows: Let mo
low remind you that the government. under
"hose protecting flag we sit to-day, sacrificed
nyilads OF lives and expended thousands of
millions OF treasure that our countrymen OF 1
ne south should remain citizens of the nited II
'Iites, having equal personal rights and b
quai political privileges with all other citi- G