The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-12
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS.


motion OF Mr.. Fletcher.
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS.
THE SENATE
WASHINGTON, Dec. IL. 1878.
The VICE PRESIDENT laid before the Senate COM
munication from the Secretary of War asking APP
preparation of $4,000 furnish the east wing of the
building to be occupied by the War Department.
Referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
number of bills were introduced and referred.
SUPPLIED TO FEDERAL OFFICIALS.
Mr.. MEGRIMos, (dem.) OF n. c.. submitted the fol-
lowing
gssolysa That the Secretary Of War is and hereby
showing the number and quality Of arms of all kinds the
with supplied in the Ordnance Department OF the army
officers and soldiers narshas and their Deputies Indian
pectey and when and where to be used under direction
Treasury aud the Department Of Justice stree the st day
q iannary ls,a and where such arms nov are whether
prices and what disposition has been made of the proceeds
and other things supplied from time to time
Agreed to.
Mr. BLAINE, trep1 of Me-. from the Committee on
Appropriations reported without amendment the
House bill to correct in the enrolment of the
sundry civil appropriation of last session in regard to
the Hot Springs reservation in Arkansas. He asked
for the present consideration OF the bill; but Mr..
the calendar.
Mr. WINDOW (rep.) of Mimi. from the com
mittee reported with amendments. the Forinca
ton Appropriation bill. 1t was placed on the calen
dar, and he gave notice that he would call it up to-
morrow for consideration. He also, from the same
committee reported, with amendments, the House
bill making appropriations for the support Of the
Military Academy. Placed on the calendar.
The VICE PRESIDENT announced the committee
on the part OF the Senate attend the next annual
examination of cadets at the United Military
Academy. at West Point Messrs. Window and whyte.
At O'Clock the VICE PRESIDENT announced the
expiration of the morning hour.
Mr.. HAaLIs, repl of Me-. moved that the pend
ing and all prior orders be laid aside and the Senate
proceed to the consideration OF the resolution SUBJ
mtted by his colleague (ir. Blainel tho frst day
of the session in regard to inquiry to whether
| the constitutional rights OF citizens had not been
violated in the recent elections in any of the States OF
the Union. Agreed to-
Mr.. BLAINE, Of Maine. then took the floor.
Mr. THURMAN. tdem.l Of Ohio, said he desired to
offer amendment 10 tho resolution.
Mr. BLaIsE-I will yield in few minutes
SPEECH or Mg. BLAINE.
Mr. BLAINE then spoke follows
Mr. PrEHDESr-The pending resolution offered
by me with twofold purpose in view
tira-To place record. in definite and aut then
tic form. the frauds and outrages by which some re-
cent elections carried by the democratic party
in the southern States
.Second-To find if there be any method by which
repetition OF these crimes against free ballot may
be prevented.
The newspaper is the channel through which the
people Of the United States informed of current
events and the accounts given in the press represent
the elections in OF the Southern States TO have
been accompanied by violence. in not n few cases
reaching the destruction Of life; to have been
troiled by threats that awed and intiinidaied large
class of voters 70 have been manipulated by fraud
Of the most shameless and shameful description. In
deed. in South Carolina there to have been
election at all in any proper sense Of the term. There
was instead series Of skirmishes the state.
4 in which the polling places were regarded as
K forts 10 BIZ captured By one party and
held against the other, aud where this
/ could not be done with convenience frauds in the
count and ballot devices we're resorted TO in
order to ccctually destroy the voice Of the majority
These in briet the accounts given in the non-par
fsan ~ the disgraceful outrnges that attended
the recent elections and far az have SEEN these
statements are without serious contradiction. II is
but just aud fair o. all parties, however that inn
partial investigation OF the facts shall y. made by
committee OF the SENATE. proceeding under the au-
thority of law and representing tn. power Of the
/ ton. Hence my resolution.
SOUTHERN DIFFERENTIATION
But We do not need investigation to establish GER
tain facts already Of official record. We know that
one hundred and six Representatives in Congress
were recently chosen in ,he States formerly slave
holding and that the democrats elected one hundred
and one possibly hundred and two and the
| republicans four or possibly fve We know that
thirty Ave OF these Representatives wer, assigned to
the Southern States by Of the colored popua
ton and that the entire political power thus founded
on the numbers Of the colorcd people has been
Of its own strength by the democratic party OF the
south. The thus raised before the country Mr..
President IL not Of mere sentiment for the rights
Of the negro-though far distan. he the day when the
rights of any American citizen however black how
poor shall form the mere dust Of the balance in
any controversy: nor u the issue one that involves
the waving of the bloody shirt. 10 quote the ele-
CANT yernacuar Of democratic ytuperation. still
further Is the issue now presented only question
with tho white voter OF the South; the ISSUE Mr..
President has taken a FAR wider rangc--one of
| portcniions magnitude: and that l.. whether the
white voter Of tine North shall be equal to the white
voter Of the south ia shaping the policy and liking
the destiny OF this country; whether, 10 put IL
still more BADLY. the white man who fought in the
ranks of the Union army shall have as weighty and
influential vote ia the government ~ the kcpublic
a. the white man who fought IN the ranks II the
rebel army. Tho fought to uphold the other to
destroy the Union ~ the states. and to-day lac who
| fought to destroy a far important factor in
tho government OF the nation tan he who fought to
| uphold II.
| COMPARATIVE .prorrIoSMESr.
/ Let me illustrate my meaning by comparing groups
of states Of the representative strength North
and south Takc the states of south Carolina Ais
sssippi and Louisiana. They send seventeen Repre-
seutaives to Congress. Their aggregate population
is composed 81 ten hundred and thiry-avc Thousand
/ whites and twelve hundred aud twenty four thou
sand coiored. the coiorcd being nearly two hundred
/ Thousand in excess ~ the Whites Df the
seventeen Representatives. then y - evident
that una were apportioned 10 these states by reason
/ 81 their culored population and only eight by
reason Of their white populations ana yet ia the
choice of the entire seventeen Representatives the
coOrcd voters had no NOR, voice power than their
/ rcnot. kindred on the shores 81 Scncgamba or on
the told Coast. The tcu hundred and thirty Ave
| thousand white people had the sole and absolute
choice ~ tho entire seventeen Representatives. In
contrast take two states IN the North, Iowa and Wis
consin, with seventeen Representatives. They
1 have white population 81 two million
two hundred ald forty scyen thousaud-eonsidcrably
more than double the entire white population of the
| three southern states have named. In Iowa and
Wisconsin, therefore, IL takes hundred aud thir-
| ty-two thousand white population tn.send Repre-.
sentative 10 Congress but south Carolina, Mssis-
sInni and Innhinnn nYnrN alxx thnnsAnd white poo