The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-02-17
"TllE GHOST OF INTIMIDATION"
Congressman Aiken Exercises it with Hare
Facts.

Facts.
In the House of Representatives, on
Saturday last, the Apportionment Bill
being under consideration, Congressman
Aiken spoke as follows:
After the admirable speeches made to-
day by the gentleman from Connecticut
Mr.. Hawley) and the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Nlr. Robinson) had
hoped that this discussion might have
been continued upon that plane of states.
manship which they had inaugurated,
and that partisan prejudices would no
more be heard in this debate. But my
good friend from Indiana. (Mr. Calkins,)
whose attention I now invoke, has
thought proper to presen. some very per.
tinent questions, which propose directly
to answer.
FROM the remarks of my friend and of
some OF those who preceded him on that
side of the House, l am impressed that
if there is any pharisaical righteousness
on earth it is to be found in the Repub.
lican party whenever questions pertain
ing to the South are discussed by them.
To-day they seem to be solicitnus whether
or not large proportion of the people Of
the South are permitted to vote, and the
question is raised by them whether it is
not the duty of Congress to appoint o
committee of investigation upon this
subject.
ask my friend from Indiana (Mr.
Calkius) and his colleagues why is this
latter.day thought with them? Why did
they not desire to investigate this subject
when Republican rascality and extrava-
gance were running riot over the South
and none but Republican votes were
cast? I hold in my hand, cir, Con.
gressioual Directory for 1874, Of the first
session of the Forty-third Congress, and
in turning to my own State find that J.
81. Rainey received in the First District
1865 votes as Republican, "being all
| the votes that were cast" as the Direc-
tory states. From the same source l
learn that A. ]. Ransier was elected as
Republican from another District, receiv.
ling 20,061 votes against 6,549 votes cast
for w. Gurney, Independent Republican,
not single Democratic vote being cast
in the Distl ct. In the Third District,
which have the honor to represent, r.
B. Elliott, the candidate 70, the Repub-
lican party, received 2l,627 votes, while
t'only 1904 votes were cast for W. II.
McCaw, Democrat. One year later l
ind l.. G. Carpenter, Republican, was
elected to fill an unexpired term, Elliott
having resigned, and received 23,185
votes, as is recorded in the Directory,
"there being no organized opposition"
Why is it that this party Of great moral
ideas, which then controlled the execu-
tive and legislative branches of our Gov
ernment, did not think it incumbent
upon them to have Congressional inves.
tigation of this one.sided condition of
things?
But let US come little nearer to the
present time. In the Directory of 1875 !
| lind that at the election of 1874 E. W:
N. Mackey, Republican, received
1912 votes, and that G. w. Butte, also o
Republican, received at the same time
Ia, ,204 votes no record to be found of
Democratic vote being cast in the Dis
Lrict. Is it not strange, Mr.. Speaker,
that this party, whose representatives on
this floor are 80 clamorous for fair and
free elections, did not consider it thoir
duty to investigate at that time these
anomalous elections?
But, sir, this same Republican party,
to. day so just, so fair, so moral, at that
time 80 callous, 80 insensible to the rights
of Southern voters, are now demanding
that all election districts shall be COM
posed of contiguous counties. Sir, allow
me to instance but single case of Re.
publican gerrymandering during their
revelry. extravaganza and prodigality in
South Carolina. The Third Congress
ional District was composed Of the coun.
ties of Abbeyille, Anderson, Laurens,
Newberry, Oconee, Pickens aud Rich
land, and no portion Of Richland County
is within perhaps fifteen miles Of any
point of either of the remaining counties
which constitute the District, Lexington
County, which mas Democratic majority
of about 1000, intervening between
Richland and Newberry.
The gentleman (Mr. Calkins) must not
misunderstood me as saying that it was
the number of troops that .overawed
South Carolina during the six years to
which have alluded, and during which
time have shown there we're no Demo
cratic votes cast. We refrained from
voting not because We were afraid of the
military force present, but because we
protested against that usurpation of
power that authorized the presence Of
the military at the ballot-box. We be.
lieved then, as now, that we were again
in the Union and had the right to cast
free ballot, which could not be done in
the presence of the suzerainty of the
bayonet. Sir, we were subsequently
obedient to the Federal authorities.
Gen. Ruger was then in command in
South Carolina, and had he hung up his
old boots in the Capitol and written
above them. "He who shall dare these
boots disp.ace, must meet the United
States face to face" the order would have
been implicitly obcyed by every citizen
of the State, and those old boots would
have been rs potent in executing the
commands of the government rs ten
times the number of soldiers US were then
III Tue Ctdte. IL WIS IOI lue pUWef, SIT,
but the presence of the bayonet that
drove Democratic voters from the polls
during those six long years of anarchy
and oppression. Sir, in 1873 myself
told a soldier at the polls, 81 will not vote
under duress; the Constitution entities
me to the privilege Of voting as q free,
man, and there is no freedom under that
bayonet." For that reason, and for that
reason alone, sir, refrained from voting,
and 80 did the Democrats of the State.
But the Republican party claim that
the negroes of the South must Of neces.
sity vote the Republican ticket. Possi
bly, there was an ostensible reason for
this thought some years ago; but to day
there exist potential causes for a reduc.
tion of the Republican negro vote at
every election. The intellectually of
the race is improving, the more thrifty of
them are acquiring property and becom-
| ing taxpaYers, and find Democratic in.