Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-01-08
CLARIFIED, PA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY s, lsi
suit he must accept the other. The
Senator says: Iu.i. 0a| Hfnn f0I

suit he must accept the other. The
Senator says: Uais laaiod fal
The political power thus appropriated by South.
srn Democrats BY reason Of the negro population
amounb to thirty I've Representatives In Con
grsss. II is masssd zlmon solldly and offsets th,
great State Of New YORK or Pennsyivania and
New Jersey together " the whole Of New Eng.
land or Ohio and Indiana united; or the com
bined strength Of Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas
California, Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado and Orc.
goo. The seirure Of this power Is wanton usur-
pationj II Is hagrnnt outrage II is violent per
version Of the whole theory Of Republican gov
ernmcnt. II insures solely 10 the present advan
tage and yet, believe, 70 The permanent dishon.
Or Of the Democratic party. Il Is by reason Of
this tramping down Of human rights, this ruthless
seizure Of unlawful power that tho Democratic
party holds the popular branch Of Congress to.
day and will In less than ninety days have co ontro
Of this body also, thus grAspng the entire LcgIs'
lative department. Of the government through the
unlAwfal capture Of tho Southern States. a.
Hitbs rwanton usurpation and vic
lent perversion of the whole theory Of
Republican government" what shall
We call the wholesale disfranchisement
of the Democratic masses North by
skillful manipulation OF political pow,
err Indiana with o Democratic plu.
rality of over 8 900 in 1876, sent TO this
Congress Q Republicans and but Dem.
ocrats; 23,120 votes or l1b,0O0 popu'
latlon could choose Republican to Con.
gress while it required SO, ,29l votes Of
265, 900 people TO elect Democrat
The home Of the Senator--New Eng.
land with its six states-sends to this
Congress 22 Republican and 8 Deme-
Gratis 1891 votes or 80, 900 people
can elect Republican member Of Con
gress there, while it requires 49,32l
votes or about 250, 900 people to elect
q Democrat. To the Senate, New
England sends 10 Republican and
Democratic Senators. Upon the basis
of the vote of 1876 it requires 36,721
votes or $4,000 people to choose o
Republican Senator from New Eng.
land, while l47,963 votes or 100000
people are required to elect Demo.
crat. Thcsix great Middle States-New
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Ill
inois and Iowa = contain 1860, ,00O
voters or about 100000 OF people
yet they have butl Senators as against
an equal number in New England for
673, 900 voters and about $500, 900 peo-
pie. These are the results Of our po-
litical system, and there is just as much
reason to find fault with 1t in New
England as in the South. We must
abide its inequalities and imperfeotions
for the much greater good it contains,
Sweeping charges or partisan compari-
son can do no good and must do harm.
The only important question is, have
elections North or South, been carried
by fraud or violence 2 If they have,
the incumbent holding by such a title
should be elected. The remedy is by
contest under the statute Orderly
methods, sworn testimony, judicial in
quiry, non-partisan judment These
are the processes the people approve,
The invective hurled at the seizure
Of power by solid South may be fitly
answered by grouping the six great
Middle States / have named and ex.
amining political results there. In this
Congress (and it is worse in the next)
these States, upon total vote OF !, :
S42,2l2 Republicans in 1876, have
'seized" 75 congressman, while on q
total vote of l,804,341 the Democracy
get but 46. Upon a voting majority
Of 81, ,s71 the Republicans have "seiz-
cd" 20 Congressman. If we add to
these States, New England, wo find
that 2,209,43l Republican voters get
81 Congressman, while 2,100,26 Dem.
ocratic voters get 80. In these twelve
States 100, 9,l63 Republican majority
enables that party 70 seize 45 Congress-
men. II we call Democratic white
voter North the equal Of Republican
white or negro voter North, and as
such entitled to equal political power,
it appears that each 2,525 black OF
white Republicans North have chosen
one of these 45 Republicans to Con.
grcss. Or, upon the same basis Of
equality, each 10000 people who are
represented by these voters have "seiz'
ed Republican Congressman. Or
# we generalize the whole, we find that
in these twelve States %, TIT black and
white Republican voters, representing
liz, 1856 people, "scized" a Congressman
while IT requires 46,672 Democratic
voters, representing 1913, 1850 people, to
elect one. .....s.a
The fourteenth and fifteenth amend
ments were the crystalization of ultra
Republican thought as to reconstruc
ton. They did not seek to operate
upon individuals but upon States
There was no thought then of punish
ing organized communities for the mis-
deeds Of single locality, and the safe
guard invoked was the only one that
could be used without the destruction
Of our form of government. The plain
terms Of these amendments and the
decisions Of Republican Supreme
Court thereon are now attacked be
cause under them reconstruction proves
to be the deadest kind of dead failure
They will not reach and cover, and
they never were intended TO reach and
cover, sporadic cases of fraud or VIC
lence. Such cases can only be met by
the specific remedies given by law, and
States cannot be punished by loss Of
representation because Of alleged vic,
lence in one district in Louisiana and
alleged frauds in two in South Carolina
1t would be monstrous to punish a
State either North or South by depriv'
ing II Of representation because negroes
failed 10 register themselves or TO pay
taxes, or because Of Irregularities In The
election boards. Such is not the rene
dy for evils of this sort. II II were, We
Of Pennsylvania might be fearfnlly
punished. In the recent election there
fraud and bribery ran riot and thous-
ands were disfranchised for non.pay-
ment Of taxes. At least two contests
are already inaugursted for seats in
the House of Representatives, ono Of
which 10 based upon the corrupt use ol
money, fraudulent and illegal votes
and the use Of forged tax receipts
while the other rests upon the charge
Of Wholesale bribery and corruption
and intimidation OF white workingmen
The Republicans, polling 2S3, 900 votes
upon the Congressional issue against
28S, 900 Democratic and 1l1,00O ma
Il . - 4 . i.