Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1878-12-19
Discussion in the United States
Senate Between Messrs. Blaine,
Thurman and Lamar.

utrecIiuS au in'cStlSatlOn INTO 0lIcScd
frauds aud outragcs in the recent elections
was offered by him with two-fold purpose
10 Wow. First, to place on record, il def
pito and authentic form, the frauds aud
outrages by which somo of tho recent cleo.
tions wore carried by the Democrats in the
Southern States, aud second to find if there
be any mothod by which repetition Of
these crimes against FREQ bullot may DO
prevented. In South Carolina, ho said,
there appeared TO have been no election
ut all, but series Of skirmishcs throughout
tho State, the polling places being regarded
rs forts, to be captured by Quo party and
held against tho other We know that
LOG Congressional representatives were
chosen in tho States formerly slaveholding
and that tho Democrats elected ]02 of them,
that the entire political power thus founded
on tho numbers Of the colorcd people has
been seized and appropriated to the strength
of the Democratic party. Blaine said the
method Of voting in the South gave tho
white man thcre double tho power OF the
white mau at the North, and argued that
tho white men Of the South do not hold
this superior powor by reason of law and
justice, but in defiance thereof. The war
was fought in vain, he said, unless equal
rights for all casscs be established in all
parts of tho Union.
Upon tho conclusion of Blainc's remarks,
Thurman submitted as an amendment to
Blaines resolution, that tho committee also
Inquire W neither any citizen of any State
has boon dismissed, or Threatened with
dismissal, from employment or the dcpriva
tion of any right or privilege by reason Of
his vote, or ;ntontion to vote, ut tue recent
elections, or has been otherwise intcrfcrcd
with, and to inquire whether, in 1878,
money was raised by assessment upon Fcdc.
raj employees for election purposes, ETC.;
and whether such assessments were or were
not in violation Of law; and shall further
inquire into tho conduct of United States
supervisors of elections in the several
States, and as to the number of marslals,
deputy marshals and others employed to
take part 10 the conduct Of said elections.
Addressing the Senate thereon, Mr..
Thurman said, in replying to Mr.. Blaine,
he would conGno himself to a very few
general observations, rcscrving tho privilege
of speaking further should the debate
become protractcd. The Senator from
Mainc, he said, had two purposes in prepar
ing his carefully elaborated specch-not to
vindicate the right of suffrage throughout
this whole Union, but to inquire whether
the Democracy Of tho Southern States had
violated tho rights of American citizens,
aud to ind out what could be done with
them. There were doubts as to the propri.
city Of the resolution inasmuch as no COM
mittcc could, iu the time for this session,
make tho proper investigation in satisfac-
tory manner. He wondered why this rcso-
luton was introduced, unlcss it was to be
made string upon which to hang speeches
to arouse sectional hatred 10 one portion of
tho Union against an almost defcnccless
people in another portion TAppluuse.]
Here tho Chair said that persons crcatrg
disturbances would be arrested, and Thur
man, adding that he hoped no further iu-
terruption would occur said "I did not
say anything when the galleries chccrcd the
peroration of my friend from Maine, for
love an eloquent thing as much as anybody
can, and have sometimes chccrcd it when |
did not agree with it at ALL" Laughter.
Continuing his remarks, Mr.. Thurman said:
"This assault of the Senator from Maine is
not an assault simply, however, upon the
people of'thc South. said five months
ago, in speech which l beg pardon Tor
repeating here, that it did seem to mo as
clear as anything in American politics
could bo that there was deliberately
formed purpose, undcr the pretcxt that
there was a solid South, to create u solid
North, to rulo not only tho solid South, but
to rule onc-half nearly, if not more, of the
people of the North. thought SO then;
think so yet. thought then, and | think
now, that purpose more unratriotic, moro
unjust, more fraught with ruin to this
country, never entered the brain of man.
That is my belief.
"Why, Mr.. President, of what is it that
the Senator from Maine complains? That
thcro was not enough votes at the South.
That is the amount of it; aud how docs he
mako that out? He assumes without one
shadow of proof produced hero, that the
negroes of tho South were prevented from
voting or forced to vote the Democratic
ticket. Hc assumes, therefore, that owing
to those causes, the negroes of tho South
arc not represented by tho members Of the
House of Representatives who come from
that section of the Union or Ly the Soma
tors on this floor who represent the South
crn States. What right has the Senator
from Maine to sny that the negroes of tho
South arc not represented by the chosen
Representatives of the South and the chosen
Senators OF tho South? What right has ho to
vote these negroes himself on one sidc, and
say that Tho mon who bear the credentials
OF election here do not represent his consti-
tuents! 1t is bare assumption on his part
that he has no right whatever to mako. l
am as much in favor Of respecting the rights
OF every man under the constitution as the