River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-11-27
SPEECH BY MIR. ELAINE.
Mr.. Blaine Serenaded at His Home,
Makes the Most Noteworthy
Speech of the Year.

Mr. Blaine serenaded him this eveniIg as
expression Of personal good viii and admira-
ton of his conduct in the national campaign.
They marched through the streets under the
marshalship of Col. Frank Nye. When they
reached Blaines house their compliments
and friendly regards were expressed in
speech by Herbert NJ. Heath of the Kenebec
bar Mr. Blaine responded as follows his
speech being continually interrupted by APP
plause:
Friends ana Neighbors: The national contest
is over. and by the narrowest OF margins we have
lost. / thank YOU for your CALL which, if not
one of joyous congratulation. is one, am sure,
of confidence and of sangufne hope for the
future. thank You for the public opportunity
YOU give me to express my sense of obligation.
not only to you, but to all the Republicans OF
Maine. They responded to my nomination with
genuine enthusiasm and ratified IL by superb
vote count it as one of the honors and gratlt-
cations of my public career that the party in
Maine after strugglng nara IoI dhe st SIX
state has back in this campaign to the old
fashioned twenty thousand plurality. NO other
expression of popular confidence and esteem
could equal that of the people among whom
have lived for thirty years. and to whom am
attached by all the ties that ennoble hui
man nature and give joy and dignity 10
life. After Maine, indeed along with
Maine. my first thought is always Of Pennsylya-
MIA How can fittingly express my thanks for
that unparalleled majority OF more than eighty
thousand votes-a popular endorsement when
has deeply touched my heart, and when mas, u
possible, increased my affection for the grand
old commonwealth, an affection which IN
herited from nv ancestors, and which / shall
transmit to my children2 But do not limit NV
thanks TO the state of my residence and the
state of my birth. l owe much to the true and
jealous friends III New England, who worked so
nobly for the Republican party and its cand1-
dates, and to the eminent scholars and divines
who, striding aside from their ordinary avoca-
tions made my cause their cause, and to loyalty
to principle added the special compliment of
standing as my personal representatives in the
national struggle. But the achievements of the
Republican cause in the East are even surpassed
4 by the
SPLENDID VICTORIES IN THE WEST.
In that magnificent Gordon of states that
stretches from the foothills OF the Aleghen1es TO
the golden gate of the Pacific, beginning with
Ohio and ending with California the Republican
banner was borne so ioftily that but single
state failed to join in the wide acclaim of
triumph Nor should do justice to my own
feelings If failed to thank the Republicans OF
the Empire State, who encountered so many dis
couragements and obstacles, who fought foes
from within and foes from without and who
waged so strong battle that change of one
vote in every two thousand would have given us
the victory in the nation. Indeed change OF
little more than five thousand votes would have
transferred New York. Indiana, New Jersey and
Connecticut to the Republican standard, and
would have made the North as solid as the
South. Ny thanks would still be incomplete II
should fail to recognize with special gratl-
tube that great body of workingmen, both
native and foreign born, who gave me their
| earnest support, breaking from old personal and
party ties and finding in the principles which |
represented in the canvass the safeguard and
! protection of their own Preside interests. The
result of the election, my friends, will be re-
garded in the future, think, as extraordinary.
The Northern states, leaving out the cities OF
New York and BROOKLYN from the count sus-
tanned the Republican cause by majority OF
more than four hundred thousand, almost half
million, indeed, of the popular vote. The cit
les of New York and Brooklyn threw their great
strength and influence with the solid South ana
were the decisive element which gave TO that
section the control of the national government.
Speaking now not at all as defeated candidate,
but simply as a loyal and devoted American,
think the transfer of the political power
N "A
great national misfortune. 1t is a misfortune
because it introduces an element which can not
ensure harmony and prosperity to the people;
because it introduces into the republic the rule
of a minority. The first instinct of an Amef1-
can, equality, equality OF rfght, equanby OF piiV-
ilege, equality OF political power, that equality
which says to every citizen, Your vote Is just
as good just as potential as the vote OF any 9TH
er citizen, that can not be said to-day IN the
United States. The course of affairs IN the
South has crushed ont the political power OF
more than 600. 600 American citizens and has
transferred it by violence to Others. Forty-two
presidential electors are assigned to the South
on account of the colored population, and yet
the colored population, with more than l,1OO,-
600 votes, have been unable to choose single
elector Even in those states where they have
majority of more than hundred thousand they
are
DEPRIVED OF FREE SUFFRAGE
and their rights as citizens are scornfuliy
trodden under foot The eleven states that
comprised the rebellion federacy had by the CEN
sus of 1850 100000 white population and
100000 colored population. The coorod pop
Republican party, but by q system of cruel in
timdation and by violence and murder, when
ever violence and murder are Thought necessary,
they are absolutely deprived OF al polIleaI
power. If the outrage stopped there 1t would be
bad enough; but it does not stop there, for not
only is the negro population dlsfranchised' put
the power which rightfully and constitutlonally
belongs to them is tran sferTed to the white pop
ulation, enabling the white population OF the
South to exert electoral influence far
beyond that exerted by the same number or
white people in the North. To illustrate Just
how it works to the destruction of all fair cleo
tions, let ne present TO you hye states IN the
late confederacy and five loyal states Of the
North, possessing in each section the same mum,
Der of electoral votes. In the South the states or
Louisiana, Missis ippi, Alabama, Georgia and
South Carolina have in the aggregate forty EIGHT
electoral votes. They have 2,SOO,OOO white
people and over 100000 colored people. In
the North the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Iowa, Kansas and California have likewise forty
eight electoral votes, and they have Wnlte
population of 100000. or just double the fve
Southern states which / have named. These
Northern states have practically no colored pop
ulat1on IL Is, therefore, evident that me
white men in those Southern states. bv usurp-
ing and absorbing the rights of the colored men,
are eXerting just double the political power OF
the white men in the Northern states. Isubmtt,
my friends that such condition OF affairs Is
| extraordinary, unjust and derogatory 70 tne
vndictively opposed to negro suffrage Will not
deny that if presidential electors are assigned to
that population ought to be permitted free SUI
frage in election TO deny that clear PROPOSE
tiO0 is to affirm that a SOutneru White man III
the gulf states is entitled to
DOUBLE THE POLITICAL POWER
of a Northern white man in the lake states. 1t
is to affirm that confederate soldier shall wleld
twice the influence in the nation that Union
soldier can, and that perpetual and constantly
increasing superiority shall be conceded TO the
Southern white man in the government OF Ine
Union. If that be quietly conceded in tins gen
eratiOn it will harden into custom until the
badge of inferiority will attach TO the Northern
white man as easily as the Norman mobiles
! at unli SUBJECT
is of deep interest to the laboring men OF the
north. With the Southern Democracy tn
umphant in their states and in the
nation, the negro will be compelled
to work for just such wages as the whites may
d ecree--wages which will amount as did the
supplies of the slaves. TO bare subsistence,
equal in cash perhaps to 80 cents per day, IL
averaged over the entire South. The white
laborer in the North viii soon feel the distlnce-
i've effect of this upon his own wages. Inc he
publicans have clearly seen from the earliest
days of reconstruction that wages IN the south
must be raised to just recompense OF the
laborer or wages in the North would be rum
ously lowered, and the party has steadily
worked for the former rest.it. The reverse lnnu-
ence will now be set in motion and that condl-
ton of affairs produced which years ago MI NE
Lincoln warned the iree lapoflhg men oL slle
North viii prove hostile to their lhdepeidenHce
and will inevitably lead to a ruiDous reduction
of wages. difference in the color OF
the skin will not suffice TO MAINTAIN
an entirely different standard of wages
in contiguous and adjacent states, and the vol
untarv will be compelled to yield to he invot-
untary. SO completely have the colored men
in the South been already deprived by the
Democratic party Of their constitutional and
legal right citizens of the United states, that
they regard the advent of that party to natI2nal
power as the signal for their re-enslavem emf,
and are afrighted because they think all egat
protection tor them Is gone. Few persons IN the
North realize how completely the chiefs OF the
Rebellion weld the political power which has
triumphed in the late election. Ii Is porten-
tious fact that the Democratic senators who
come from the states of the late Confederacy all
and mean all-without single exception, per-
sonally participated in the rebellion against the
national government. 1t is a still more sfgnih-
cant fact that in those states no man who was
loyal to the Union, no matter how strong
Democrat he may be to-day. has the slightest
chance of political promotion. The one
GREAT AVENUE TO HONOR
in that section is the record of Jealous service IN
the war against the government. 1t Is certainty
an astounding fact that the section IN wflch
friendship for the Union in the day of its trial
and agony Is still a political disqualification
should be called to rule over the Union
Al this takes place during the lifetime OF the
generation that fought the war, and eleVates INTO
practical command of the american government
the identical men who organized for its dest. uc-
ton and plunged us into the bloOdiest contest
of modern times. have spoken of the South as
placed by the late election in possession or the
government, and mean all that words inn
ply The South furnished nearly three-fourths
Of the electoral votes that defeated the Re-
publican party, and they will step to the
command of the Democrats as unchalleuged
and as unrestrained as they held the
same position for thirty years before the war.
Gentlemen there cannot be political equality
among the artisans Of a free republic There