Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-01-24
Mr.. Thurman's Testimony.

ASnbAhlOhJa
The Blaine-Teller Committee sent a
rmal request to Mr.. Allen G.. Thur
an to furnish the committee with the
cts in his knowledge respecting the
legged violations of the fifteenth
nendment at the North, on which his
nendment of Mr.. Blaine's resolution
IS predicated. Mr.. Thurman's re-
onse to the committees request is a
ameful confession of lack of knowl-
tge. 1t is confession that his amend
'Pnt was without any warrant of facts
u his knowledge, either originally or
Id any evidence of others. "Of course"
ihEs tbfo djstinGnSS udes NOT suppose
Nat the matters embraced in that
| hendment are within my personal
! Knowledge, or that of any one man."
Why not? When distinguished Sen
ator rises in the august presence of the
nation and submits a proposition in
volving great public expense, to inquire
as to certain grave and scandalous al
legations of fraud, violence and law
lessness, is it to be supposed, as a mat
ter " of course" that he acts without
knowledge of any fact going to verify
the scandalous allegationsp Is that the
method of craftsmanship, of political
dignity and respectability, or even of
self-respeutp If it is not, were not the
Blaine-Teller Committee warranted in
supposing that Mr.. Thurman had some
personal knowledge, or, at least, would
be personally able to produce some
preof, of the scandalous matter alleged
as foundation for his amendment?
Mr.. Thurman says that those matters
"relate to elections in every part of the
republic" 1t is not supposable that
Mr.. Thurman could have personal
knowledge of all the facts relating to
election frauds in every part of there
public. tits supposable that Senator,
moving costly inquiry concerning al
| legged election frauds in every part of
| the republic, would have personal, or,
at any rate, positive knowledge of some
facts or fact tending so strongly to
verify the allegations as to warrant the
proposed inquiry. But Mr.. Thurman
admits that he proposed and made q
speech in advocacy of his amendment
without any knowledge or any proof of
a single fact to support the matters
charged.
He says the only knowledge or evil
dence he had of the charges consisted
III dCCOuuJS HO udu IOtu III LlC uOWopd-
pers, (Which have teemed with state
ments that, if true, require the investi-
cation proposed by the amendment"
By way of defense of his motion to
sguander public money in an inquiry as
to the truth or falsity of vague and in
definite newspaper reports, he says that
the Senator from Maine, in initiating
the inquisition, 4" distinctly stated that
the resolution was based on accounts
given in the press"
Mr.. Thurman concludes his epistle
by rendering to the committee all the
information he has upon the subject,
which consists in editorial articles from
the newspapers Zone in Washington
and one in Vermont0 in a petition from
persons in New York complaining of
alleged illegal and oppressive conduct
of John /. Davenport; in an opinion of
Judge Freedman as to the rights of
naturalized citizens; in an extract from
Senator Wallace's speech, and in a copy
of the Presidents civil-service order.
This, Mr.. Thurman says, comprises the
sum total of what he knows about vio-
lations of the fifteenth amendment at
the north.
That Mr.. Blaine has any better knowl-
edge or information than this concern
ing alleged violations of the National
law at the South he has not yet shown.
But it appears that the President has
passed over to the committee some Off
cial reports sent up by Deputy Marshals
in Louisiana, which, coming from pub
lie officers, furnish better ground than
Mr.. Thurman has been able to furnish
for Congressional inquiry. Accord
ing to these reports the mode of reduc-
ing the Government party vote in Louis
lana was the somew hat eficacious one
of killing negro voters. In Caddo Par
ish, the Government party vote was re-
duced by the slaughter of from fifty to
seventy-fve darkies. In Ouachita Par
ish, the vote was reduced by the
slaughter of "three prominent local
Republican leaders" In Tensas Par
: ish, the vote was reduced by the
slaughter of fifty darkies. From these
definite statements, made in official
reports from Louisiana by Deputy Mar
| shals, it appears that the solidity of the
South was in part effected by the pro-
> cess of extermiaating Administration
+ party voters in three parishes of Louis
. lana to the number of 203, and perhaps
4 to the number of 228, voters.
2 These allegations, made in official
reports from public officers in Louis
t lana, do not account for the almost
e total disappearance of Government
$ party in the Southern States; they only
: partially account for its disappearance
S from three parishes in Louisiana; new
j ertheless. they furnish much better
y foundation for Congressional inquiry
t than any facts Mr.. Thurman has been
! able to produce, or Mr.. Blaine has pre-
Il tended to possess. ChicGgo Times lind.
i DEM.
) A CHICAGO burglar says that half q
Q dnzan neMsnanerS soattered over the