Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-12-11
FORTY-FIFTH CONGRESS.
WEDNESDAY, December IL

Senate communication from the Secretary OF
War, asking an appropriation OF so 900 to finish
the east wing OF the new building to be occupied
by the War department. Referred to the conl-
mttee On appropriations.
Bill We're introduced AMI referred, as follows:
" Mr.. Rollins-Relating 10 assessments for
s. eclal improvements in the District OF Coum-
bia: referred TO the District committee BY
Mr. Mitchell-Appropriatin sl75.OOo for the
construction OF a revenue marine steamer for
service in Alaska waters; 10 committee on COM
merce. BY Mr.. Eeck-A bill, or which he gave
DO Ice yesterday, for the repeal OF section 1,21S
OF the revised statutes OF the United States,
Which pl DIVIDES that no person who has held any
poSilit Il under the confederate government Shall
no appointed TO any position fn the army OF the
lfted State; lai on the table for the pre- en',
Ar. Beck stating that he had not yet made H.,
ms mind as TO what committee he would have
II referred. BY MIR. Ferry-To designate. claS 81
~ and fix the salaries of erSonS in the railway
mail service: to committee on post Offices and
post roads.
Mr.. Anthony. from the committee on naval
AFFAIRS reported without amendment Senate
bill relating to the appointment of professors
or mathematics in the navy: placed on the cal
endar Also from the same committee. with
out amendment, House bill to promote know
ledge OF steam engineering and iron ship p-bud-
ing andOng the students OF scientific schools or
colleges in the United States; placed on the cal
endar
Mr.. Merrmon submitted the following: That
the secretary OF War be, and he is hereby in
Structed TO furnish for the Use OF the senate a
statement showing the number and quality OF
arms OF all kinds, the equipments and ammu-
milton 10 be used in connection Herewith, sup
pied from the ordnance department OF the
army to officers and soldiers, marshals and their
deputies, Indian agents, and internal revenue
OI1lcelS ana revenue agents respectively. and
when and where to be used under direction OF
the Department OF the Interior, the Depart
ment of the Treasury. and the Department of
Justice since the lSt day OF January, \. ID. 1872.
and where such arms now are whether such
arms or any of them have been sold and for
what prices and what disposition has been
made OF the proceeds OF any such sale, and de-
signaling by what authority such arms and
other things were SO supplied from time to
time" Agreed to.
Mr.. Blaine, from the committee on appro-
priations, reported without amendment House
bill TO correct an error in the enrolment of the
sundIy civil appropriation bill OF last session in
kansas. lie asked for the present considera-
ton of the bill; but Mr.. Edmunds objected, and
ii was placed on the calendar
NJ WINDOW, from the same committee. re-
ported with amend nentS the fertilization ap-
preparation bill. Placed on the calendar. and
he gave notice that he would call it lIp to-mor-
row for consideration. He also. from the same
committee reported with amendments House
Dill making appropriations for the support OF
the Military Academy. Placed on the calendar.
The Vice President announced as the COM
m1ttee on the part OF the Senate to attend the
next annual examination OF cadets at the L. $.
military academy, at West Point, Me SsrS. Wiz
dom and Whyte.
On motion of MI Merrmon. House bill TO prc.
vide for taking testimony for the courts OF the
ID i1ct OF Columbia. was taken from the calen-
oar and rec0mmitted to the committee on the
District of Columbia.
At ! O'Clock. on motion Of Nh Ham!n the
senate proceeded to the consideration OF the
RESOLUTION submitted by Mr.. Blaine on the first
day OF the session in regard to inquiry as to
whether at the recent elections the conStitu-
tlonal lights of American citizens were violated,
&C., and Mr. Blaine addressed the Senate
Mr. Rlaine'> Speech.
MI Elaine, IN commencing his speech. said
the pending resolution directing an investga-
ton into alleged frauds and OutrageS in the fe-
cent elections, was offered by him with q two
fold purpose in view: First. to place on record
in a definite and authentic form, the frauds and
outraSeS by which some recent elections were
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.
TIE newspaper is the channel through which
the people OF the United States are Informed of
current events. and the accounts given i'm the
press represent the elections in some of the
southern states to have been accompanied by
violence; In not Il few cases reaching the de-
StructiOn OF life; to have been controlled by
threats that awed and intinidated large class
or voters; to have been manipulated by fraud of
the most shameless and shameful description
Indeed in South Carolina there seems to have
been no election at all in any proper sense OF
the term. There was instead series OF Skir-
mlSfeS over the state in which the polling
places were regarded as forts TO be captured by
one party and held against the other and
W
frauds in the count and tissue ballot devices
were resOrted to in order 10 cTectually destroy
the voice OF the majority. These in brief are
the accounts given in the non-partiSan press
of the GiSgraceful Outrages that attended the
recent elections, and so far as he had Seen
these statements are without serious cOntradic-
ton.
But we do not need investigation to establish
certain facts already OF official record We
know that one hundred and six Representatives
in Congress were recently chosen in the states
SlaNpl0IIiuU democrats
elected one hundred and one, OF po 5Sbly one
hundred and two, and the republicans four or
possibly five. We know that thirty-five of these
Representatives were assigned TO the southern
states by reason OF the colOred population and
that the entire political power thus founded on
the numbers OF the co!Orcd people has been
seized and appropriated 10 the agyrandizement
the south.
The issue thus raised before the country. Mr..
President, is not one OF mere sentiment for the
rights of the negro, nor is the issue one that in
wolves the waving Of the .'bioody shirt to
quote the elegant Vernacular OF democratic
vi1ureration; nor still further is the fss,l.. as
now presented only question OF the luality of
the black voter OF The south With the white
No'er OF the south: the issue has taken a far
W1Ger range. one OF porientOuS magnit ude; and
that l., whether the white vote: OF the north
Shall he equal TO the White voter of the south i'm
shaping the policy and fixing the destiny of this
country: or whether the white man who fought
In the ranks OF the Union army shall have as
Weighly and influential a vote in the govern
iUeiil Cl ilit ltpiDlC as U.e White man who
fought in the ranks OF the rebel army The one
fought 10 uphold, the other to DESTROY the
union OF states, and to-day he who fought to
destroy is a far more important factor in the
government OF the nation than he who fought
10 uphold il.
Mr.. Blaine went on to Illustrate his meaning
by comparing groups OF states of the same
repre- sentative strength north and south. Take
the states of South Carolina, Mississippi and
Louisiana. They send seventeen Representa-
tiveS TO Congress Their aggregate population
is composed OF ten hundred and thirty-five
thousand whites and twelve hundred and twen-
ty-four thousand cOlOred; the cOlored being
nearly two hundred thousand i'm excess OF the
whites. OF the seventeen Representatives.
then, il is evident that nine were appOrtioned to
these states by reason OF their cOlOred popula-
ton, and only eight by reason OF their white
population; and yet in the choice of the entire
seventeen Representatives the colored voters
kindred on the shores of Senegambia or on the
Gold Coast. The ten hundred and thirtv-tVe
thousand white people had the sole and abso-
lute choice of the entire seventeen ReDrasenfS-
uveS. In contrast, take two states i'm the
north, Iowa ard Wisconsin, with seventeen
Representatives They have white popula-
tion OF two million two hundred and fOrty-seyen
thousand-considerably more than double the
entire white population Of tie three southern
states named. In Iowa and Wisconsin, there
fore, 1t takes one hundred and thirty-two thou
sand white population to send Representa-
tive to Congress, but in South Carolina, Mis-
sissippi, and Louisiana every sixty thousand
I