The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-02-23
Is the South Free ?
"THE GHOST OF INTIMIDATION"
A RADICAL PHANTASY.
Congressman Aiken Exercises the said
Ghost With Hard Facts Figures,
with a Question Attaoled-A scar
Dagger" fully Defined.


pet-Baggcr" fully Defined.
In the House OF Representatives, on Satur-
day last. the .irporti"nnient l'ill being under
Ration, Congressman Aiken spoke rs
follows:
After the admirable speeches made to-day
BY the gentleman from Connecticut CHR. Uaw-
lry) and the gentleman from Massachusetts
(Mr. Robinsont | had hoped that this discus
S!Cn might have been continued upon that
OF craftsmanship which they had matt
ana that partisan prejudices would
no more be heard in this debate. But my good
Iritnd from Indiana Mr.. CalkinsJ. whose at
tcutioI ! now invoke, has thought proper to
present some very pertinent questions, which
l propose directly 10 answer.
from the remarks OF my friend and OF some
OF those who preceuad him ON that side OF the
House, | am impressed that if there Is any
rhArisaical righteousness on earth il is To be
loundin tue ltepablic;tn purity whenever ues.
tons pertaining 10 The South are discussed nv
them. To-day they seem to be solicitous
wh.uther or mo- II large proportion OF the pep
pie OF the South are permit led tt vote, and the
Qu rSliou Is raised by them whether it Is not
TIC duty OF Congress To appoint IL committee
OF Investigation upon this subject.
ask my friend from Indiana Nh. CalktnSl
AMI his colleagues Why Is this u ia;tcr-lay
thought with them? Mhydid they not desire
to investigate this subject when itcpubllruu
and cXtsa.asaIIce were running riot
over thcSouth and none but Republican woes
were cast: ! hold in my hand, sir, CunXres.
sinlnl Directory ir 1874, OF the lirst session OF
the Forty-thtrd Congress, aid IN turning To
my " II t.. find lhatJ. II. Ralney received
in the First District 1906 votes as Il %Rcpubit-
can, "beinR Ill The votes that were cast" rs
the Directory states. From the same source
l learn That -A.J. RapSier was elected rs q Re-
publican from ano,hrr District, receiving ~
Ul votes against 6,ji9 votes cast for W. Cur
ncy, Independent Republican, not II single
Denl0cra!tr vote being cast In the district. in
The Third district, which | have the honor 10
represent. TX. Is. tIlintt the On n,lil,fn fur tho
Republican party, received y 81 votes. while
only l,OJl Votes were cast for W. II. McCaw,
Democrat. Aycar later | lind L.C Carpenter,
republican. was elected to tli an ]uneypircd
term, Elliott having resigned, ard received
23.lS' votes, aS Is recorded In the Directory,
There being 10 organized nppoSilion."
-" ny Is IL that this party Of great moral
IDEAS, wnlch then controlled the executive
ANA legislative branches OF our Government,
did notthink 1t upon them to have
Co'Gressional investigation Of this yne-sided
condition or things?
But let us come n little nearer to the present
time. In the Directory of lHIG | find that at
the election ot ISL h. W. NJ. Mackey, n Repub-
lican, received 1912 votes. and that {. W.
BuTtz. a!soa Republican, received At the same
tinc l4..Dl votes; no record to BE- found OF a
Democratic vote being cast in the District. Is
II rot strange. Mr.. Speaker, that this rarty
whose representatives or this floor are 80
ciamurou> for fair and free election, did not
consider 1t their duty to Investigate ut that
Iilil i
But, sir, this same Republican party. to-day
SO just, So fair, So moral, nj that time so cal
luus, so inSensibie to the rights OF southern
vnt"rS, are now demanding that all election
districts shall be composed OF contiguous
counties. Sir, allow me To instance but II SIN
g!c casc Of Kepub. lean gerrynandcring dur
ing Their rtre!ry, extravaganza and prndiSal-
lily in South Carolina. The Third Congress
sioiinl District was composed of the counties
nf .Abbeville, Anderson. I.aurens, Ncwbcrry.
Ocuuec, Pickens and RichlInd, and no pOr-
lion Of Rlchlanu county is within perhaps III
teen miles OF amy point OF either Of the re-
trict, Lexington county, which has IL DEMO-
cratic majority If about I.HU, Intervening br.
tween Richiald and Nvwberry.
The gentleman Mr.. CalkinsI must not mis-
understand me aS saying that IL was the mum.
her Of troops that OvrIaweu South Carolina
during the six years TO which have alluded,
and during which time l have shown there
were no Democratic votes cns'. We RETAINED
from voting ir't because we were afraid nf the
military furcr present, but because ue protest
cd ag :il>t tina: u,urpation of power That au.
t~hurIZcl the PRESENCE vi the military ut the
ballot box. Mchrlicvcd then. as now. that We
were ag lin IN the tlion and had the right 10
cast II Tree ballot, which could not be done in
the presence "f the suArrainty oi the hayunet.
Sir. we were subsequently 0hrdicnt 10 the
Federal authorities. tipn. Kruger was then In
Command In South Carolina. and hal he hung
up his old boots III the Capitol and written
a"Ovc them. lie who shall dare these boots
Misplace, mast meet the United States face to
face" the order would have been implicitly
obey ed by every citizen OF the StItc.a and those
ol! boots would have been rs potent in excel
times the numJcr Uf soldiers rs were then In
the state. 1t WAS not the power, sir. but the
presence of the biyUilet tlit drove Democrat
ic voters from tn polls during those SIX long
| myself told IL soldier at tie polls" 81 will not
vote under durcS>: the Constitution entities
The to the privilege OF voting us q free man,
and there Is no freedom under that b. yOnrt. y
For thtt reason, and for that rc;lSua alone, sir,
/ rri:;rirrd from voting, and 5, dill the Demo
cr.tiS OF the state.
Hut the ~Ecpuo;ican arty claim that the nc
giors OF the Suuti must oI necessity Vote the
Republican ticket. Possibly there WAS an os.
trIISlDie reason for this thought some years
40: but to-day there exist potential causes
fora reduction Of the Republican negro vote
at every r.ertiun. The inte!lcctuallty % HE
a,eicquIrinS property and becoming tax pay
erS, aud i,nl u Democratic incum p;lIiib,y less
buIdc;l,omc To the tax payers than a Hepubli-
Can government, AMI thousands Of the moro
ignorant ana tliuiu nave been rescued by their
humane employers from the oppression 0i
their Union I.cnglcS anu other jeSuiticUl or
Iaail"lions ON ticir race; tl.aughtcr and
gIO.nS on the lsrpubiii al side Gentlemen
may grunt and laugh s;,rdOnicIlly at this re.
mark. but II Is literally ;ruc. l have myscl!
accompanied cOlOrcd l:Irn TO the BIZ lot box
WAC. with fear ami tr, milling. asked and re-
ccircd protection while they NO.cd the i'cIio-
cratic TICKET. You men nf the North know
n.tLIns lounl the rO;o"ru race in the South.
You alr i.nural:t Ui their m"IincrS, customs,
traits oil character. and their wants; and the
gentleman rom Mic!l.aii, Il THOUSAND miles
away from any portion II Tie South, AMI of
ali men most ignorant ui the people Of that
Stc.l; II, rrc>uiul: - 10 read us Il lesson as 10
how WE s.,uull .icai WITH the colnrc.! mani.
II the threats ;:iu WtrI:ln.Sr elected by the
proceedings Of this House from Inc Slalwar.
portion Of the Republican party ure to be
credited, we may anticipate but q few more
free elections In the South. Asa southern far
mer | have n greater interest in the welfare
of the co!orcd people o; the South than all
the gentlemen OH that side OF this Chamber,
bccaI.r upOn them and their labor | and mine
our support. But. Sir, identified rom birth
with the | copie of the South and actuatcd by
the Instincts Of honesty and cai;dOr. l declare
ii ~ my con rictlon that further and cont.n-
urd congressional interference with our cleo
tion> Will result in ar.ayin. race against race
t. tie GCt:iineiit q; tnr negro. For whatever
fate may hCfa'l the South. the white people of
that %s"ctiun, prompted BY the first law OF nat
turc, will never agi,in quietly submit tonesro
domination. Eight long years subsection 10
IN oppression unknown TO modern civiliza-
ton IS not to be forgotten I'm Il generation. In
south Carolina. and ] believe Il similar Scnti-
uleni pcrvades the south, we desire 10 see the
negro elevated. But, sir, n contamination OF
that desire will never be a%ltainei by q second
lrgrudatiOn OF the white man. You may draw
your party lines upon color; we will meet you
thcre and cHtingulsh them. Our destiny Is 10
i've in the South with the negro, and we eX-
pect TO work that destiny peacefully, difficult
aS the problem may seem. But II political
legislation denies us. or subrcrts our rights
Ipon The presumption that we have in amy
wise curtailcd the rights of the culorCd man.
uSt then and there we will have reached that
line IN the South anticipated by the hunora-
Bile gentleman from Michigan, when he en-
t,rnSSa3 n fpor los. civil lihu.rfS would I've do
Htroyed unless election results could be
changed In that section. But If the American
pcup.e will only rcpOSe confidence in the
southern whites and grant them the oppOrtu-
mites circumstances present, ! have little
doubt but that this problem will be solved sat
iSfactorlly to both races, and ultimately result
in the elevation Of the negro, any the contin;
ued and, l pray God, the everlasting political
quiet between the TWO sections on his ac-
count.
\ few more words and | have done. AlluSion
has been frequently made during This debnte
to the small Republican vote throughout the
South in the recent Presidential election, and
it has been reiterated that II Guild not DC ac-
counted for upon Just grounds. For the first
time since ] have been a member of Congress
have l heard the South ccusured and South
Carolina escape more tliun the lions share Of
the abuse. But II seems the recent vote in
That Stale has given satisfaction to those who,
for the purpose of this debate, have bcwilder-
ed themselves with arithmetiCal calculations.
Perhaps those gent emen arc hot aware that
during the last campaign South Carolina hau
70 Republican Stale ticket in nomination.,
and III Gully Il few instances II county ticket 10
represent the Republican party in the oam-
paign of lSS1. The ghost oil intimidation
presents Itself t. The mind OF every
Republican within The sound Of NY voice at
the very announcement Of such 4 TACT. But
that such q thought IS Il mere phantom let me
prove by printing us Il portion OF my remark
a letter received this morning from II resident
lawyer Of this city. q is, perhaps. the bright
est intellect THAT South Carolina ever gave TO
the Republican party. He has lately settled
in this city, and yesterday afternoon l ad-
dressed him 4 nOlc asking whether lie was