Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-12-21
BLAINE's RESOLUTIONS.

Mr.. Blaine has fired the great gun
in the Senate, and the smoke has
cleared away and not much damage
seems to have resulted from it. A
large number of his own party seem
to have considered his action un-
timely, and indeed were studiouslJ
inattentive while il was delivered.
The Democrats received it with
marked attention, and gave it
scrutiny which reduced its argu-
ment to a very ragged condition.
Those who were really interested
with il were in the galleries Of the
Senate, and il was rather damper
upon their ardOr that the speech
was carefully read from manu-
script instead Of being thundered
out in the declamatory vein of the
wOuld-be DemOsthenes from Maine.
Without further preface we pro-
coed to give our readers the benefit
Of Mr.. Blaine's indictment Of the
South. The resolutions which gave
occasion to thespeeeh runas follows:
Resolved. That The Committee on the Ja-
dietary be instructed to inquire and report
to the Senate whether AZ the recent cleo
lions the constitutional rights Of American
citizens were violated in any Of the states Of
rhe Union: whether the right or suffrage OF
citizens OF the United States, or Of any class
OF such citizens, was denied or abridged by
The action OF the election officers II any
state IN refusing 10 receive their votes, N
failing 10 count them. or IN receiving ana
counting fraudulent ballots in pursuance OF
n conspiracy to make the lawful votes of
such citizens of non effect; and whether
such citizens were prevented from exercise
Ing the elective franchise, or forced 70 use il
against their wishes, by violence or threats,
or hostile demonstrations OF armed men or
other organizations, or by any other unlaw-
Iul means or practices.
ciary be further instructed TO inquire ana
report whether II is within the competency
OF Congress TO provide BY additional legisia-
right of suffrage 70 citizens of the United
states IN all the States Of ting Union
Resolved, That in prosecuting these inqul-
ries the Judiciary Committee shall have the
right 10 send for persons and papers.
Now in comparing these resolu-
tons with the speech in which they
were commended to the Senate, il
is remarkable that the resolutions
and the speech occupy quite differ
ent positions. The resolutions look
TO violations of the sanetity of the
ballot box all over the United States;
the speech confines its scrutiny to
alleged violations thereof in the
South. Any Senator North orSOuth
could freely and conscientiOusly
vote for the resolutions, but the
speech must be resented by any
Southern man as a SANDER of his
section and a fragrant attack upon
its representation in the National
Legislature.
The speaker could scarcely pro-
pose such an assault upon his fellow
citizens without some basis of
alleged fact, and it is interesting to
notice that he does not say word
about that magazine of misrepre-
sentatiOn on which the President
relied in framing his message, the
reports namely of the partisan Su-
pervisors Of Election, but upon the
representations of the non-partiSan
press, quoting, however, no non
partisan journal in defence of his
allegations. He seems to be con-
scious that this is rather a fiimsy
foundation for his stupendous super
structure, and he brings in his favor
lite assumption that no negro, unless
intimidated, can vote otherwise
than Radical. Here it Is:
But we do not need investigation to estah-
lish certain facts already OF official record.
We know that one hundr. d and six Repre-
EeutatiVeS in Congress were recently chosen
in the states formerly SlaVe-hOlding and
THAT the Democrats elected one hundred and
one or possibly one hundred and two and
the Republicans four or possibly hVe. we
know that thirty-five OF these Representa-
tives were assigned to the southern states
by reason Of the cOlOred population, and
that the entire political power thus founded
oE che numbers of the cOlored people has
diZement of its own strength by the Demo-
cratic party of the south.
His argument then follows easily
enough. The negro vote Is used by
the Southern Democrats instead of
the Northern Republicans; there
fore il ought to be abolished, and
with it the cOlored basis of repre-
sentatiOn. Here is his statement of
the matter:
Let us carry the comparison to a more
hen Ger eleven
states that formed the Confederate Govern
Iuent had by the last census "a population of
of nine and a hail millions, OF which in
round numbers i've ana half mllLlOnS
were white and four millions cOlored. on
this aggregate population seNenty-three
Representatives in Congress were appOr-
toned To those States-fOTty-twO or three Of
which We're by reason OF the white pOpuia-
don, and thirty or thirty-one by reason Of
the cOl0red population. AT the recent cleo
lion the white Democracy of the South
seized seventy OF the seventy three districts,
and thus secured q Democratic majority in
the next House of Representatives,. Thus II
appears that throughout the States that
formed the late Confederate Government
sixty-hve thousand whitg-s-thc very people
THAT rcbelled ag tinst the Union-sre enabled
70 elect Representative in Congress, while
IN the loyal States il requires one hundred
and thirty-twO thousand of the white people
that fought for the Union 20 elect q Repre-
sentative. In levying every tax, therefore,
3n making every appropriation OF money,
creeing what shall he the fate and fortune
81 the Republic, the Confederate soldier
south is enabled to cast n vote that is twice
rs powerful and twice as influential as the
vote of the Union soldier North.
1t is not our present purpose to
refute either the allegations or the
arguments Of Mr.. Blaine in this
paper; for some weeks we have
been discussing the matters he treats
of. Mr.. Thurman thought it worth
while 10 answer some of them in
his speech, but his efficient answer
was contained in the additional
resolution which he offered as an
amendment, of which the following
Is the text:
The committee shall also inquire whether
any citizen OF any state has been dismissed
or threatened with dismissal from employ
g1put or the deprivation of any right or
privilege by reason OF his vote or intention
10 vote at The recent election, or has been
otherwise lutPrfeTcd with; and TO inquire
whether in the year lS7S money was raised
by assessment or otherwise upon Federal
poses and under what circumstances and
by what means; and, II So, what amount
was 80 raised and how the same was eN-
pended and, further, whether such assess
lneutS were or We're not in violation OF law;
ana shall further inquire into the action
and conduct of United States Supervisors
Of Elections in the several States, and IS to
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