The daily gazette., 1878-12-24

.,I-.o ''cy 'otc Ilit ltepuDllca
ilcket' such statement as this is utter
~ dnwarranled by facts, for we all know
tbat In very many instances the colore,
voter Is independent in action. Upol
: the presidential vote of 1876 in thos
STATES the seventeen. Democratic mem
pers elected had a total of 272, ,SO5 vote
and their opponents had total of 219..
olo votes. The minority were lust a,
much represented as they are in an,
congres -ional district of the North They
voted and they were outvoted. III w
unfairly the conrat is put. Iowa and
wisconsin had in 1876 voting ponnla.
ton of 540.10S, Ofthese, 2g6, ,595. repre-.
sentlng about twelve hundred tbou.
sand people, were Republicans, and 243,.
oo", representing about one million peo.
pie, were Democrats. If the negroes
who voted for the Republican candidates
III the Southern States named are not IA
be counted, the Democrats who voted
lor their own candidates i'm Iowa and
Wisconsin ought no to be coune ed. The
Democrats elected in the South represent
The nority there Just as much as
the Republicans elected in the North rep
resent the minority there.
| he Senator from Maine saws:
/ The eieyen states that formed the Com
federate government had by the last CEN
sls population of nina and half mil
hons, of which in round numbers five
ana half millions were white aud four
millions cllored. On this aggregare
! population seventy-three Representatives
IN Congress were apportioned to those
sta'es-lorty-two or three of which Were
by reason of the white popu alton. and
thirty or thiIty0n- by reason OF the colo
'ed population. At he recent election
the white Democracy cf the South seized
seventy OF the seventy-three districts, and
thus seculei Democratic majority in
the next Hou.e OF Representatives
Thus IL app ars that throughout the states
that formed the late Confederate goverii-
ment sXty-five thousand whites-ihe very
people that rebelled against the Union
are enabled to elect a representative in
Congress, while in the loyal states it re-
quires one hundred and thirty-two thou
sand of the white people that fought for
the Union TO elect a representative.
This is a re-as'ertisn of that already
shown to be incorrect. 1t ignores Demo-
era ic votes and population North and
omits the 'eZnant fact that the colored
voters South both voted and were counted
in making up results. If negroes are
vo ers and entitled to representation.
(and the Republican party has made
them so,) then they are as much entitled
to be counted as are the minoriti4s in
any district in the Union. Inevery close
contest since 1872 their vo' es have given in
the state of Pennsylvania to the Rep lbli-
cans. They ho'd the ba ance of power
there and invariably cast it against the
Democrats. 1t he Senator from Maine
will have one result he must accept the
other. The Senator says:
"The political power thus appropriated
by Southern Democrats by reas IN OF the
negro population amoants to thirty-f five
in Congress. 1t is ma ssed
almost solidly and Offsets the great state
of New York /; or Pennsylvania and n ew
Jersey together; or the whole Of New
England or Ohio and Indiana united
or the combined strength of Illinois,
Minnesota, Kansas, California, Nevada,
Nebraska, Colorado and Oregon. The
seizure ofthis poweris is wanton usurption;
it is fiagrant outrage it Is violent per-
version of the whole theory of republican
government. 1t inures solely to the pres
eHt advantage and yet, believe, to the
permanent dishonor of the Democratic |
party. 1t is by reason of this trampling
down of human rights, this ruth ess seiz-
ure of unlawful power that the Demo- !
cratic party holds the popular bra qch of |
Congress to-day and will in less than
ninety days have control of this body al |
so. thus grasplng the entire legislative
department of the government through |
he unlawful capture OF the Southern |
'tat S.
If it be "wanton usurpation and vio- |
ent perversion of the whole theory of |
republican government" what shall we |
call the wholesale di,franchisement of |
he Democratic masses north by skillful |
of political power. IDdi- |
ma, with aDemocratlc plurality of over
], 900 ia 1876, sent to this Congress Re-
Dublicans and but 4 Democrats; 23120 |
votes or $4,000 population could choose
l Republican to Congress, while it re-
luired 81 29l votes or 265 900 people to
slect Democrat The home of the SeLa-
,or-New England with its SIX states
lends TO this Congress % Republ cans aud
J Democrats 1851 votes or 80, 600 peo-
)le can elect Republican member of |
Congress- there, while it requires 49, 1921
votes or about 100000 people to elect a
Democrat. To the Senate New England
ends 10 Republicans and 2 Democratic
enators. Upon the basis of the vote of
S76 it requires &c., votes or 185, 900
people to choose a Republican senator
rom New England while 147,963
Fotes or 100000 people are required to
,lect a Democrat. The six great middle
York, Pennsylvania Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois and Iowa-contaln 81
80 600 voters or about 100000 of peo-
,le, vet they have but IL senators az
against an equal number in New Eng
and for 663 900 voters and about 8, 300, 900
,eople. These are the results Of our po-
itical system, and there is just as much
eason to find fault with it in New Eng
and a. IN the South. We must abide its
inequalities and imperfections for the
much greater good 1t contains. Sweeping
harges or partisan comparisons can do
10 good and must do harm. The only
question is, have elections,
orih and South, been carried by fraud
II violence? If they have, the lncum-
,ent holding by such title should be
jected. The remedy is by contest under
h., statute Orderly method, sworn t-s-
lmony, judicial inquiry, non-partisan
Judgment. These are the processes the
'e' pie approve.
The lnvective hurled at the seizure of !
,ower by solid South may be fitly an
wered by grouping the six great Middle s
States have named and examining po-