The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-08-26
PARTISAN PLANS AGAINST POPU
LAR REPRESENTATION.

Hon. Edward Mcpherson, secre-
tary OF the Republican congressional
committee, lately addressed a letter
to Secretary Sherman, asking this
dignitary for a comparative state
ment as to the "share borne by the
South in the trade, banking, and ed
ucation of the country, and its pro-
portion of the payment of the ma
tional taxes" In reply Honest
John" has transmitted state
ment made by the chief of the
bureau of statistics, in which it
is shown that in commerce on rail-
roads, tonnage in vessels, exports
imports, revenues from duties, inter-
nal revenues, in the postal service,
in manufactures and mining, in bank
loans and circulation, in savings
banks, railroads and education the
Southern States bear a most insight
ticant relationship to those of the
North. Therefore it is argued from
the Republican standpoint that
In every other quality and attrib-
ute than mere number of individu-
ais, the South is hardly more than
an insufficient part of the nation. If
commerce, productive industry, en-
terprise, wealth, intelligence, all that
goes to make up the real life of
nation,were coordinate with number
in a proper basis of representation,
instead of 1873 voices in a national
assembly of 1913 members, the South
would have not exceeding thirty or
forty. Such, as a section, is its in
ferior relation to the national whole.
And yet that political section is, po-
litically, solid party, which asserts
pretended right to impose and en-
force its peculiar views of the ma
tional constitution upon the whole
country.
The purpose of this comparison,
in which allowance must be made
for the false statements of partisans,
is apparent to anyone. The purpose
is to give life and vigor to that spir-
it of oppression which has character
lied the Republican party in all its
governmental relations to the peo-
pie of this country. 1t would have
privileged class, with the gov
ernment administered upon its in
fiuence and wealth, not a re-
publican form of government
in which popular representation, ac-
cording to the constitution, controls
the destiny of the country. 1t would
have a Republican North, because of
hatred to the South, deny Demo
cratic states of the North that infiu-
ence in national councils which rep
resentation authorizes. Ii would
contralize power in the hands Of the
rich few who have enjoyed the boun-
ties of government, and it would
oppress majority of the entire peo-
pie of the Union because they have
not been favored as a class by the
corrupt schemes of government,
which have aggregated wealth in
the hands of those who have en-
enjoyed evil fruits. Northern
Democrats form a majority of the
Democratic party. In 1876 there
were l,61S,670 Democratic voters in
the South, while in the Northern
States there were 2,670,595, against
2.sls,65s Republican voters in the
same states. These Northern and
Southern Democrats combine in an
effort to maintain constitutional gov
ernment, and because the latter are
poor, though true to the purposes of
our form of government, this party
OF Capitalization moots the question
Of confning the basis of representa-
ton in government to wealth and
influence and business. Yet statis-
tics show that the State of Virginia
pays moro towards the support of
the government than al the states
Of New England, and while Mr..
Nimmo shows that in the entire
Southern States the revenues amount
to only $4,000, 900 Of Sll6,0oo, 900 in