The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1879-01-04

states that send twelve Senators 10
this floor witt, one-half the white
population Of the six New England
States and with less than the a.gre.
gate population. SOthat if tie RENEE
dy limited at by the Senator from
Mississippi should be resorted to, that
scapel would cut more deeply int" tie
SOuth than it would into the North.
Let me tell him. sir, that Of thirty
two Senators who sit here from the
Southern States and forty fonr from
the Northern States, 4 mach larger
number Of constituents are behind
each Northern Senator than behind
each Southern Senator. Then if you
take it in classes between the North
and South the advantage is over
whelmingIy against the south. If you
take the frightful example Of New
England, Away held up, | vii! ath-
er together six States Of the South
that illustrate in q far more striking
manner What the Senator intimated
by the Injustice Of representation in
this branch.
Mr.. Lamar Mr.. President, the
Senator from Maine misunderstood
the position which | took with refer
ence to the representation of States
III this Senate, owing entirely no
doubt to the want Of cIearness in my
own statement. III did not misap-
prehcnd the Senator from Maine on
that occasion his argument was that
under the amendments which con.
fe,red freedom and citizenship and
suffrage upon tho black race, the
South through certain irregular meth.
DDS had obtained a representation in
the House Of Representatives dispro.
portioned, not to her population but
to the actual voters ut the polls; and
If l did not mistake him lie quoted
from the Supreme Court reports Of
the United States a decision that the
power of Congress did not extend fa'
enough to remedy that disproportion
ot representation in the other House
II | understood him he said that de-
cision which denied the power Of Con
gress to legislate 80 long as tho laws
of State itself did not deny re
abridge any of these rights to the ne
gro population--that Congress was
powerless to intervene was Endorsed
by him as being true to the letter o.
the Constitution which kiIleth.
understood HIM to say that tho Con
stitution as thus construed was {
killing Constitution, and that the let
ter Of it stood up as q barrier to tn.
enforcement Of the rights conferred
upon the colored citizens.
Mr.. Blaine-The Senator misunder'
stood me.
Mr.. Lamar-Owing to my own Oh
tuseness no doubt.
Mr.. Blaine-Such might be thu
ruling Of the courts, l said, and thu
letter which killeth, but l protested
against the equity and justice Of it
| did not at all admit that that wa
what in my judgement tho Constitu
ton was designed to be.
Mr.. Lamar-Precisely. lie did no
admit that it was what it was design
Ell to be; but do l understand now thu
Senator to say that he differs viii
the Court IN its construction Of thu
Constitution =?
Mr.. Blaine-I do. That may no
be very great shock t" the Court
but nevertheless l do.
Mr.. LAMAR differ from the Sena'
tor. The Court will he great,
shocked, but perhaps will survive The
attack. uaughter.) Then sir,
thought it was not amiss to sugges
that if there were remedies in thu
American people to prevent this dis
pr0pOrti0nate representation, and
if We conld 90 legislate "a to make
not population but actual voters q
the polls to be the limit Of the repre-
sentation Of a State; and if Congress
VT the people by their amending pow
er should thus interpOse to reform
the Government and to make it ;
Government based entirely upo,
numbers, not that New England alone
but that the South also might appre
bend that YOU would 70 further ani
crumble into ruin our entire system
Sir, when the gentleman tells me tina
the South is in the same danger tina
the East is, that the New England
States are, he only reiterates a fac
that have attempted to impress up
on both sections, and that is that tn
inviolability Of the Constitution is tn
only shield and safeguard Of New
England as we'll as of the South
Sir, the menace does not come iron
the weak and impotent South. Whel
this popular movement, this effort t
bring this Government to the pnr
principle of democratic abso1utism
trampling down in its RELENTLESS
strides the barriers Of the Constitu
ton, he will end the power not in tn
South, but in the mighty West, who's
little finger is greater and more Pc
tent than the two thighs Of South an
East united.