The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-08-13
Hartford Courant.l
A Rule That Works Only One

The Republican party can promote reconciliation
and strengthen union, but they must begin by ac-
cepting the Southern whites their equals in pub
lie affairs they do accept them in every other
walk of life. And they must also recognize the
most and most in a State shall direct its Gov
ernment, and are justified in proceeding to any
tremty 10 save themselves from the domination OF
brute passion and greedy vice.-Charleston News
and Courier.
The Charleston paper from which the above
extract is made is the most influential in the
State and one of the fairest. 1t has admitted
the methods by which the minority of voters
have come into power, and while it has ex-
pressed regret at violence, has taken the
ground substantially that 'the wealth and in
telligence of the country must rule" and il
their right to rule is disputed by the ignorant
mass who constitute the legarmajority of votes,
then the minority are compelled to resort to
such means as will suppress the ignorant vote.
Rifle clubs, tissue paper ballots. and false
counting are deplorable appliances, but they
are preferred to "a full vote, a free ballot, and
a fair COUNT where the latter would mean
defeat for the rich and intelligent classes. This
is unquestionably the view held throughout
the South although there are few organs that
have the honesty to admit the truth in public.
In private conversation it is universally ad
mitted. Hr
But suppose this same method were to be
practiced in the North. Suppose the chief
taxpayers, the rich and intelligent men of the
North, were to band together to suppress the
ignorant vote. Suppose the same arguments
used at the South were enforced here, that
''the men who own most in State" will not
| submit to be outvoted by the poor, ignorant
and the vicious? Where then would be the
Democratic votes with which the solid South
hopes to secure control oI New YORK, New
Jersey and Connecticut? How many North
ern cities are controlled by men who have the
least to do with their business interests and
tax-paying? There IS not Northern State
where the Democratic party would be able to
make contest il 1t were deprived OF the votes
of the men who know nothing and care less
about the real interests of the country. But
| there is this difference between the Republican
party of the North and the Democratic party
of the South. The latter says, "the negro is
| ignorant and votes the Republican ticket;
therefore he shall not vote at all, law or no
law" The Republican party says, these men
who give the Democratic party It's maloritles
| in the North are legal citizens OF the United
| States; they are therefore entitled to vote. We
| accept the situation, simply asking that they
| shall not vote fraudulently." And because
| the Republican party has enacted laws to pro-
| vide for honest elections, laws providing that
1 every elector shall be permitted freely and
| without intimidation to cast his lawful ballot
| and have it honestly counted, and that the
| potency of his vote shall not be destroyed by
| the fraudulent vote of any other person, the
Democratic party of the South-fresh from
crushing out the ignorant vote of the South
unites with the Democratic party OF tthe
North in attempts to repeal these laws, and to
prepare the way for the Preparations oil such
frauds as gave the State of New York to Sey-
| mour in 1868. When the situation is thought
fully reviewed it must be evident that the DEM
ocratic idea of free elections and the DEM
ocratic practice are altogether one-sded 1t
South and the 'Tammany PLAN for the North