The Portland daily press., 1880-08-28

Senator Blaine then discussed the eount-out
Of this city, nd said that showed evidence that
a conspiracy had been entered into TO dis
franchise the voters in all the cities of the
State, and in that connection he didn't propose
to charge anything against any innocent man.
He referred only to the Governor and Coun-
Gil, who seeking to control the election, earned
the reprobation of the Supreme Court, and the
contempt OF the people. They did not stop at
conspiracy, they did not stop at disfranchise-
ment, they did change some returns and falsi-
fly others.
After citing some of the well known cases
where Gov. Garcelon and Council had at
tempted to oyerrule the will of the people,
the Senator said "the Democrats have in past
years said that we dwet on national questions,
that we would not discuss State issues, but
now propose to hold up on every platform
from which | may have the honor to speak,
this matter in all its naked deformity."
Mr.. Blaine devoted the larger part of his
speech to State issues. When discussing ma
tional affairs he made the following reference
to the reported census frauds:
The Southern census, as now foreshadowed,
is a terrible menace to the peace, prosperity
and dignity of the republic. God forbid that |
should charge an innocent man with crime, or
that should indict a whole people for fraud.
But the attempt to falsify the census OF any
State or any section for the purpose OF secur.
ing greater strength in the House of Repre-
sentatives and in the Electoral Colleges than,
an honest enumeration would give is deadly
stab at the very existence of Republican gov
eminent. Certain men in the South, accord
ing to all the information we can get from the
Census Bureau, have been engaged in concoct-t
ing fraudulent returns whereby much larger
popu lation is enumerated than actually exists.
Who these guilty men are know not, but
feel very sure that the crime, whatever may
be its extent, did not originate with the enum-
orators of the several subordinate districts,
and feel equally sure that an increase-much
in advance of the actual growth-cculd not &C.
cur IN the same average ratio in all the dis
tricts of a State and all the States of section
without concert and conspiracy We have
heard little about the South in the past ten
years from certain party except jeremiads on
the ruin and prostration Of the whole country.
People were leaving their ancestral homes, we
were told. No immigrants were coming in to
I'LL their places. Stagnation was said to be
reigning throughout the section, and mourning
and adversely formed the hard lot of her peo-
pie. But now, at the end of ten years, the
ratio OF increase in South Carolina is claimed
tobe greater than in Massachusetts, or Penis
sylvania Virginia oppressed with debt and
discouraged, as we have been told in every
form, and hindered in her progress by thou
sand difficulties, has yet had such steady and
rapid growth that her ratio of gain runs
for ahead OF Ohio or New York. Ken
lucky shows a greater increase than
Indiana. Tennessee outstrips Wisconsin,
the ratio in Alabama is beyond that of Iowa
while West Virginia without immigration
has kept even place, with the tremendous
growth of Minnesota-stimulated as that has
been by accession from almost every civil zed
country on the globe. The growth of the ag-
gregate South has been according to the re-
turned figures of the census at more rapid
rate thar the growth of the aggregate North.
certain Southern States according to these
fraudulent tables have grown more in the last
ten years than in the proceedngiforty years and
decade IN one case the reported growth of the
last outruns the growth of the previous half
century. There is not man of intelligence in
the thirty-eight states that believes these re-
turns are genuine and true, and submit that
the attempt to force fraudulent returns from
any State upon the National census is very
grave crime.
The trainers of the Federal constitution or
dalned with apparent wisdom and foresight
that all direct taxes shall be laid in proportion
to the census Of the inhabitants; thus intend
ing to place check upon the possible tempta-
tlon to enlarge the representation by fraud
ulent enumeration. Ii to-day one-ifth of the
national revenues, say fifty million of dollars
were raised by direct taxation and every
State felt and knew that it would be required
to pay one dollar per annum per head on its
inhabitants the tendency towards sweled
and padded census would receive a very palpa-
pie check. Between the positive desire for
large representation in Congress on the one
hand and the indisposition to increase the
direct tax upon the State on the other the
trainers OF the constitution placed in lust
equlpoise the two motives that would most
powerfully conduce to an honest and fair
enumeration of the inhabitants of each
STATE. But owing to our abandonment long
SINCE OF direct taxes by the national
government, the equipoise has been DESTROYED
and any State that chooses now to fraudulent
ly enlarge her census does SO without mourning
any penalty whatever. Customs and excise
duties present such ready and efficient modes
OF raising revenue that no party will ever ia
vor return to the direct tax which our fore 4
fathers anticipated and designed as the eoun-
ter-balance in the splendid machinery of gov
eminent which they organized.
Inc situation is very grave one. Four and
nalf millions OF negroes in the South give
thirty-fve Representatives in Congress, and
thlrty-ive electors of President and Vice
President, and yet the negroes themselves
have no voice in choosing either Representa-
tive or Elector. The result is as have taken
occasion elsewhere to demonstrate that the
vote OF white man in the South even with
an honest count, is immensely more influential
and potential than the vote of white man IN
the North, and the vote of Confederate SOL
der is immensely more influential than
the vote OF Union soldier, even in fixing the
rate OF pension for the widow and the orphan.
In Georgia the white man exercises as much
political influence as three white men in Penn
sylyanla. In Mississippi four Confederate SOL
dlers in national election offset the votes of
nine Union soldiers in New England. To this
inequality, already existing, CALLING and nm
indurable IN character as it is, the fraudulent
census Will add still greater and still deeper.
and still more uncomfortable one. The suppress
sion OF the negro vote and the usurpation by
the white man OF the representation founded
on 1t is the result of the systematic violence
which has prevailed in the South. The recent
enumeration by which three millions of imag-
mary pr ople are to be added to the South is
the most gigantic achievement of fraud that
was ever attempted in the world under the
forms of law
The question now is how can we of the
north and west, the great body of loyal states.
meet and destroy this daring attempt to mn
dermine the foundations and remove the land
marks OF honest government. The first duty
III hand is to beat the Democratic party II Is
the ally and the servant of that southern mower
which is to profit by this fraudulent enumera-
ton OF the people The plain proposition is
TO usurp the representative and electoral rights
OF four and half millions of negroes q nd then
to add to it the representative and electoral
strength of three millions of fraudulent and
fictitious names of people who are in grave
yards or never were born, and in the power
OF these seven and half millions of people
wrongfully seized and added to the Democrat
lc column the hope is to defeat the Republican
party The census in its orderly DEVELOPMENT
OF facts and truths and numbers would beat
the democratic party, and hence the Demo-
cratic party seems to have made up its mind
to beat the census.
At the close of Mr.. Blaiue's speech the vast
audience rose and gave three hearty cheers,
after which three more were added for
Gov, Davit, after which they slowly filed out
OF the hall. This was evidently the grandest
political demonstration Portland as ever Wit
messed.
THE OUTSIDE MEETING.
1t was evident from the manner in which
the crowds were hoclking to the hail. as early
as . O'Clock, that no building in the CITY of
Portland would be able to accommodate them