The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-01-01
Rlaine-Lanar.
L. s. SENArE- Dec. i

Pending the resolutions to investigate
the elections of 1873, Senator Blaine
said:
Mr.. Blaine. Mr. President. we are going
TO ndict no man and 10 try no man. It i
/ 70 ascertain question ar beyond and far
above tbs rights or the Nr0u2s of any Indi-
ViduaI; aud hat i Whe her there i fair
/ aud Impartial repre- rntatioB ia he make
up OF the Congress Of tine United State.
aiid In this connection. beg fere 20 repiy
I 10 a rem ARK IN ale BY the honor ibIe Senator
/ from Mississippi Mr.. Lamar on tn daY
/ when these IeSola ions ~ re debat "a b lore,
and tha- rem rk implied that ven il her
might be some advantage Tor the y ufh in
| til" popular brauch OF Congress il was az
/ Advantage more than compe stated by som
cDu ter Vtillug advantage which w acid
/ "a his branch Sr, whenever thar phase
l. brought to light, knuwt5 Z thaC il i he'd
~ as dreadful example, 1t me reil b
no -orib.e Senator from II i~Si-~ippi afd he
country that | can name six Southern
States that send twelve Senators to thi>
tluor with one-haif the wii,e population Of
the Xix New FL gland States aud with less
than The ag9r-g Re population. So that il
the remedy limited at b. the Set4 or from
Mississippi should be resOrted To, has sea pei
would CuE more deeply INFO the ; JutA thAn
il would into the MOI. IA Let me tel him.
sir, that Of the rEirtS Two Senators vino lit
here trOin thu southern states and forty
faug from the Northern States, a much
larger number of constituents are hind
each Northern senator than be.iud each
) ,uthern Senator. Then ii you fake II in
classes between the North aad SOUTH the
advantage is over,vu elmi1giF against the
South II you take the ffi2nrfal example
of New England. always held ~. | wit
gather together six States OF tn South, that
illustrate In far more striking manner
VhaG the Senator iuJimaLed by the INJUSTICE
of re representation IN this branch.
Mr.. Lamar MIR. Drtci.iauf. The senator
from Maine misunderstood the position
which | took with reference to the repre-
SeutaIIon Of States il TINS senate. owing en-
tireFv 40 douDu L. the want OF clearutss IA
my own statement / did not mi~appFe-
heud the Senator frOUn " .iue 81. chat 0cca-
siou his argument was bat under tie
amendments which conferred freedom AND
citizenship aud sutf g upon fh- black
race, the S0uth through certain irrs gular
methods had b aimed repr, senJtIiou Ia
the House O, Rr.rcs -ntativvs diSprp potion
ed, not 10 her population, but t. the actual
voters at tie polls; and ii did not mis- iAke
him he quoted irHm he SuprgmeCO 4rr re-
ports OF the | uited States "A decision tn Al
The powrr of Congress did not extend tar
enough 10 remcdl thar di prop ri IA o! rep
ressutaJIpa in tn other House. l. under
stood him he said that decision which Gent-
ed the power of Congress to leZsIale
So long the laws of State itself did uot
deny or aOridge any of these rights 10 the
negro pOpulation-tnat Congress was pow
eriess to interyene-was iudor,,d by him
as begg rue to the letter OF the Constitu-
ton which kiileth. | understood him to
say that the Cunst tuition as thus construed
was kiIlIn% Constitution, aud that C}e let
ter OF it stood up A. barrier To the enforce
ment OF the rights conferred upon the col
ored cifizeus.
Mr. Blaine. The Senator misunderstood
me,
Mr.. Lamar. Owing to my own obtuse-
ness, no doubt.
MT Blaine Such might be the ruling of
the courts. l said, on the letter which kiI.eth,
but protested against the equity and JUS
tice OF it. l did not at ali admit that thaJ
was what in my Judgment tn Constitution
was q designed 10 be-.
Mr. Lamar. Precisely. He did not al
NIT that II was what it 'Sas de~i gued TO be ;
but do | understand now the Senator. 10 say
that h. din Is with the court in its CON
struction OF the Constitution?
Mr. Blaine. l do. That may not be u
very great sh Ok to the court; but neyerthe-
less [ do.
Mr. Lamar. 1 dfff.r from the Senator
The court Will be greatly shocked, but per
haps Will survive the attack. l. lighter
Tenn, sir, thought hat it was not am o
suggest that if there were remedies in the
American people 10 pre- euJ nj di~propor
tionHte Representation, an , il We couu 81
leSiSate as to N Ike, no p 'p lla IOr bar a.
tual voters the polls To be- the lint At he
reprt Ssutariun Of Il state; and If Go gre~s ~
Jnus interpose to reform The Government
and TO make it government based entirely
upon mum bers, not that New Eng land alone
but UhiJ the > urh also III ght appreh enI
that You would g. further and crumG!e iurO
ruin our entire system. Sir, when the gen
tleman tells me that thu Sou n Is ia the ~ame
danger that the East is, that the New f =
aud States are, he Only reiterates a tacf
thar | have attem Dted 20 impress upon both
sections; and that is that the iuViplabjIity
OF the Cons tuition i the only -hield and
safe guard of New England As wei as OF
the South.
Sir. the menace does not come from the
weak aud impotont 'uth. When this
popular movements, Uais effort To bring this
Government to the pure principle OF Dem
ocratic absoluti~m, trampiiag down in its
relentless strides the barriers of the Con-
tirution. he will find the power not in the
South, but in the mighty West, whose little
tiuger is gre ater and more potent than the
two thighs OF South and East united.