National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-04-28
LYNCH, OF MISSISSIPPI,
Tells of Rined BAIIOt-BOxes ana stIned
Put,IIe JustIce.


When John r.. Lynch, OF Mississippi the
legally elected member Of the shoestring Dis
triot who is contostlng for his scat with
General Chalmers, the sitting member, arose in
the House yesterday he stood at the desk which
was formerly occupied by Mr.. Garfield. He
was greeted with some applause from the gal
leries. Disolaiming any intention TO discuss the
legal points Of the case, he said that he would
con1ne himself to n consideration Of tho disrep-
utable system OF election in vogue in Mississippi,
Of which the pending case was a natural and nee
essary outsrowth. The pretended claim Of Gem
efal Chalmers to the seat was based on the action
Of county returning boards. Reading from an In
terview with Mr.. Chalmers, published In tho New
York Tribune shortly after the election to the effect
that he wanted n white mans government in Mis-
sissippi, and would
RESORT TO ANY MEANs
short of open violence 10 accomplish that object
Mr.. Lynch admitted that Chalmers was authorized
TO speak for the Bourbons of Mississippi, but em-
phaucally denied his authority TO speak for the
conservative white people. He denied that race
prejudice had anything to do with fraud and vio-
lence in the Southern States. The antipathy Of
the Bourbons was not race antipathy, buta party
nntipathy and Bruce, Langster, and any other
intelligent colored man, as the Republican candi
date for the Presidency In 1880, would have come
MS near carrying Mississippi ms General Garfield
had done. lie asserted, with feelings Of deep
modification and profound regret, that in the oill-
cnl person of the oontestee In this case the country
was presented with n living monument 70 rihed
ballot boxes and stihed public Justice. Though
that gentleman had occupied seat on this
floor for the last FIVE years, yet no one Knew better
THAT HE HAD NEVER,
with possibly one exception, received as many as
one-third of the votes cast ut any election at which
he had been candidate. The fraudulent acts
committed by his friends and supporters, and
which had resulted In his being returned TO scat
ON this floor, had been received by him with
either silent acluiescence or public approval. In
the further course Of his speech Mr. Lynch char
acterized Mr.. Chalmers as maigner of his sec.
ton and q traducer of the most respectable and
intelligent portion Of his own people. Referring
TO what he termed the Bourbon method of cleo
ton" he declared thnt the Republican party
would continue to wage an unceOsing war upon
that method until the right OF every American
citizen to cast his ballot for the party and
THE MAN OF HIS CHOICE,
| and have that ballot honestly counted should
have been acquesced IN from one end of the coun
| try to the other Applause Republican side j
The impartial historian would record the fact that
the cOlored people of the South had contelded Tor
| their rights with bravery and gnllantry that
| was worthy of the highest commcndgtion. Even
when the flag Of the country was trailing IN M thG
mans yoke was on their nccks, the colorcd people
| had been loynl to their Government and faith
faithful and true then; they were no less
| so to-day. They asked no sIccial protection !;
they felt that they had purchased their inherit.
| anCe when on the battle fields of their country
they had watered the tree Of liberty with the
precious blood that flowed from their loyal veins,
in the race ofliie The condition of the colored
people was n living contradiction OF the prophecy
that 1t would not be possible to rise to political
equality with the white people.
| IN CONCLUSION, HE REGRETTED
| TO be compelled to say that II seemed to be the
settled determination of the Bourbon party at the
South that there must be q centralized govern
ment or no government at all. IL seems to be de-
| tcrmined that, If IL could not destroy the Gov
| ernment in one way IL would in another, for II
| IL was an incontrovertible and indsputGblc fact
| that the slnctiiy and the purity of the ballot was
| the chief pillar Of our governmental structure.
Destroy that pillar and the structure must neces-
sNrily FALL. lie spoke not in behalf of his party
but in behalf of his people. when he declared that
this system of election fraud III several of The South,
| en- States through and by which that section had
been made solid in support of Que of the great pO.
lticRl parties of the day, ought, must, and would
be destroyed. Applause on the Republican side
and in the galleryl