The daily gazette., 1878-12-24

, 20 upon tne same basis of equality ,eacl
i1,Voo people who are represented b
Snese vetets have "seized" a Republicai
w1ngresSman. Or, If we gener4lize tn
whole we find that in these twelv
states 22,777 black and white Republica,
voters'representing lib, ,885 peopie"seize
congressman, while it requires 46, ,67
Dthocralc voters, representing 233, So,
people to elect one
Ihe fourteenth and fifteenth amend
ments We're the capitalization of iultra-
nepuDlican thought as to reconstruction
Iney uld NOT seek 70 operate on individ
uais Out upon States. There was nt
thougnt theh OF Furnishing organi zed
communities for the misdeeds of a sinpl,
locality, and the safe guard invoked wa,
tne only one that could be used without
the destruction of our form of govern
ihent. The plain terms of these amend.
mems and the decisions ofa Republican
| supreme court thereon are now attacked
because. .underthem reco Instruction n owes
10 10 De the deadst kind of dead failure
IheS VIII not reach and cover, and they
never were intended to reach and CO yel
| spoTaulc cases OF fraud and violence
Such cases can only be met by the speci.
( nc remedies given by law, ami states can.
not be punished by loss of representation
| because of alleged violence in one dis.
| trlct IN Louisiana and alleged frauds IN
| Two IN South Carolina. 1t would be
4 tnotsirous to punish state ei her north
or south by depriving it of represr nta-
Iloh' because negroes failed to register
themselves or 10 pay taxes. or because OF
irregularities in the electionlboartls. Such
| Is not the remedy for evils of this sort.
| Ii II were, we Of Pennsylvania might be
fearfully punished. In the recent elec-
tion there fraud and bribery ran ri OF and
thousands were disiranch sed for non
payment of taxes. At least two contests
are already lnaugurated for seats in the
Hou'e OF Representatives, one of which
Is based upon the corrupt use of mo ney,
fraudulent and illegal votes, and the use
OF forged tax receipts, while the other
rests upon the charge of wholesale bri-
Dtry and corruption and intimidation of
white worklng men. The Republicans,
polhhg $3.50 votes upon the congress
sional issue against 288,000 Democ attic
and lll,OOO National votes, have "seized"
eighteen out ofthe twenty-seven con-
grcssman returned to the new Congress.
With an actual majority against them of
Ill 900 they grasp two-thirds of the con-
gressional delegation. This is partly the
result OF an Infamous apportionment, but
Is much more the result of skillful mani
pulatlon of the political situation, of the
INSCRIPTIONS use of enormous sums of
masses of Democrats for the non-payment
taxes. No such political domination has
ever existed anywhere as now dominates
and controls the Republican orgauiza-
uon, and through it the political power
of that great State. Bold, daring and de-
fiant, they tolerate no independendent
thought. They WELD their organization
as one man, and the end with them iusti-
ties the means.
SiXtaan fhanca nd xvl,+o III l.i.aI-
publican voters in Pennsylvania are suf-
fcient to elect Congressman, but 1t re-
quires a 900 of their opponents to do so.
III we carry 1t still further and look 10 the
inner machinery of state politics it is
worse. Forty-six senators and represen-
tatives in the Legislature are given to
the city Of Philadelphia. Upon the vote
ef1876 the re were n 900 Republicans and
$1,000 Democrats, yet in the recent cleo
tion the Republicans 'seize" "thirty-seyen
senators and members and the Democrats
get nine. 1t requires 6,888 Democrats to
elect a member to the Legislature in
Philadelphia while 2,081 Republicans are
enough to elect one. This too is under
the forms of law. But a much graver
wrong was perpetrated at the same cleo
tion there under the forms of law and
through the use of money. There were
in that city at least 10000 voters of both
political parties who had paid no taxes
for two years. By our constitution no
man can vote unless he has paid tax
within two years, ,and such payment must
be made at least one month before the |
election. The Republicans through their |
organization paid for thousands of these |
tax receipts in bulk for distribution |
among their people, and when election |
day came they equipped every Republi- |
can voter, white or black, WHO had not |
paid his taxes with one of them which, |
by the law, was prind fdcie proof ofpay- |
meIt. The Democrats had no money for |
this purpose save in one congressional |
district, and by reason of their inability |
to do what the Republicans had done it |
is believed that at least $4,000 white |
Democrats were unable to vote. The |
Republican managers gave the most |
stringent orders 10 their election officers |
TO reject every voter not fully equipped |
with tax receipts, and they plac. d at |
every poll deputy marshals of the Unit
ed States, many of them the most disre-
putable character who were ordered to |
arrest every one who could not fully |
come up to their standard. So desperate
Is this management and 50 obedient 10
its orders is the Legislature of the state
that the commoH-law right of the sheriff |
to appoint deputies was taken from him
by express statue lest he, being a Demo-
crat, should aid in protecting the rights
of white Democrats.
Are not these, denials and abridgment
of the right to vote, so fully guaranteed !
by the fourteenth amer pdment, if the in
contended for by the senator
from Maine is correct? The negro
voter was provided with tax receipt
paid for by the men who claim to own
him North and South, and the white
man, too poor to pay his taxes was
driven from the polls. Federal authori-
~ intrenched itself on the election
yrocnd in the room OF the official whom
common right and ancient custom plac s
here, ard the Democratic party p lied
1t that election but $4,000 votes against
more than $4,000 polled In 1876. Would
t he Just to deprive Pennsylvania of her
AR share of representation IN Congress
ly reason of these deeds of unscrupulous
political managers? The remedy for
hese wrongs must come through the I
wrath of an outraged people. 1t may
,ome tardily, but it will come surely. ;
Dur wrongs come upon us in the full
,laze of an intelligent northern senti-
nent. Their authors have enjoyed i'm
nunity so long that they think the peo-
,le will always submit. Party rule and l
ectional hate are invoked to maintain !
md perpetuate the disgrace of an intel
ectaal and proud people. This is the
east to which the MOI thern people are
nyitrd. The condition of the South is I
infinitely better than it was five years
.go. Fewer outrages, less violence, more
If normal and less of abnormal condition