The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-12-19
Blaine's Assault.

sent to the already preJudlced
Northern mind a plausible story of
wrong in the South, and even the
statesmanlike answer of Thurman,
which, though not a complete an
swer, nor altogether satisfying to
the Southern mind, will fail to ir-
radicate the impressions made and
the passions aroused by the soph-
istry, the mis-statements of fact and
the unfair deductions of Mr.. Blaine.
He charges that the negroes are
practically disfranchised in the
South through violence and intimi-
dation, and that therefore they are
unrepresented in Congress. BY the
Acknowledgement of the negro the
Southern representation in Con-
gress was increased thirty five mem
bers. Still the negro is not repre-
scented. He here quotes the 18th
amendment, and claims that its
provisions authorize a reduction of
Southern representation in accord
ance with this practical disfran-
chisement of the negro. He claims
that statutory laws need not be en-
acted by the States to bring them
under this penalty. They need but
permit violence and intimidation to
keep voters from the polls. He
then seeks to excite Northern indig-
nation by asserting in the most ex
cited manner and with most pro-
vokiRg eloquence and dramatic in
dignation, that at present the vote
Of one bloody rebel who fought to
destroy the Union is equal to two
patriots of the Union army, whose
country this is, and whose potency
and power and influence and repre-
sentation should at least be equal
to the traitor who would have de-
stroyed the Union! Of course this
is mere sophistry, a mere effort to
fire the Northern heart against a
solid South, to renew the old hates
which have been so rapidly dying
out of late; but the average North
ern radical will never find IL out.
They will religiously believe (the
ignorant ones) that Blaine has told
the truth, while the LolitIcians will
sniggle and wink at the lie, hoping
in some way or other to cheat the
South and profit themselves. The
whole argument is based upon a
fallacy. Mr.. Blame and Mr.. Hayes
and Mr.. Grant, and the whole re-
publican party North base all their
arguments and opinions upon the
false assumption that the colored
votes are necessarily and by right of
political conquest radical votes.
That when a colored voter fails to
vote the republican ticket he is in
undated, and when he votes the
democratic ticket he is outrageously
bulldozed. From this the assump-
ton naturally follows that the ne
gro is unrepresented and practically
DISTINGUISHED, and that the rebel
vote counts two in the election of
Congressman, &c, DC. The fact
| is, the nfranchisement of the col
ored race was done with a full
knowledge of the fact that it would
increase Southern representation in
Congress. But it was expected
that the increase at least if not more
would be republican representation,
and for a time this was true. AS
long as military dictation under
Grant prevailed the elections re-
sponded to the wishes and expecta-
tions of the republicans, at least
sufficiently well to keep up their
domineering majority in Congress.
And Blaine of Maine was satisfied.
Eventually through the influence of
superior democratic intelligence
and the enlightening and civilizing
effects of education and association
and continuity of interests, the col
ored voter came to see that his
highest and best interests polite
ally, socially, pecuniarily, morally,
physically and religiously, were
with the people of his own SECTION
and the democratic party of the
country. With the dawn of this in
telligenoe he became a democrat,
thus disappointing the expectations
of the radicals. And now that they
can no longer use him to keep up
| republican majorities and perpetu-
ate balance of power which ena-
bled them to plnnder the south and
steal the Presidency, they would
turn and rend him, in order to
reach and rend the South. He now
wishes to ignore the negro in fixing
the basis OF representation in the
South, because the latter has failed
to respond to his behests and
chooses to exercise the privilege Oh
freeman and act with his friends
and neighbors against the high
handed usurpations of the republi-
can oligarchy. Mr.. Thurman said
in his reply that superior intelli-
gence and property were bound To
rule in any country. Blaine sought
to pervert his meaning-thereby
showing himself the merest political
trickster and demagogue. He wants
ignorance and radicalism to domi-
nate, one would infer. Whenever
intelligence and property are TO be
represented and controlled by igno-
rance and communism, the negro as
we'll as the white man may as we'll
bid final adiep to liberty, to rights
of property, TO the Oiyilizing infu
ences of schools and churches. The
temper of Mr.. Thurman's reply was
admirable, and we hope he will pre-
pare an elaborate one for future de
livery. Meantime, let the Southern
voters, both white and colored, pos
sess themselves in patience and
peace. Neither the elective fran
chise nor the basis of representa-
ton will be disturbed.
We said in the beginning that
Mr.. Thurman's answer was not 81
together satisfying to the Southern
mind. There was but one deficien-
cy, however. That was in failing
to refute Mr.. Biaine's fallacious fig
ures. To more fully comprehend
our meaning we refer the reader to
an extract from the New York Her
aid given elsewhere headed "Blaine's
Absurd Figuring" which has fallen
under our eye since the above was
written, and which, added to Mr..
Thurman's speech, is an overwhelm
l. n