Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-11-27
SPEECH BY MR.. BLAINE
In Response to Serenade by
Friends in Maine.
Thanks TO His Friends-Respects TO bis
Political Opponents, Food For
Reflection For All
Parties.
AUGUSTA, ME-, November Is.

Reflection For ALI
Parties.
AUGUSTA, ME-, November IS.
A large number of devoted personal and
political friends of Mr.. Blaine serenaded
him this evening as an expression OF the
personal good will and admiration of his
conduct in the National campaign. They
marched through the streets under the
Marshalship of Colonel Frank Nye. When
compliments and friendly regards were
expressed in a. speech by Herbert n
Heath, Esq, of the kennebec, bar. Mr.
Blaine responded as follows, his speech
being continually interrupted by applause:
MR. BLAINE's REPLY.
"Friends and neighbors, the National con-
test is over, and by the narrowest of margins
we have lost. thank you for your call,
which, if not one of joyous congratulations,
is one, am sure, of confidence and of san
the public opportunity you give me to ex-
press 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 it by q superb vote.
/ count it as one OF the honors of my public
career that the party in Maine, after strug-
Cling hard for the last six years, and twice
within that period losing the State, has come
back in this campaign to it's old-fashioned
%, 900 plurality. No other expression of pop
ular confidence and esteem could equal that
OF the people among whom L nave lIved
thirty years, to whom l am attached by all
the ties that ennoble human nature and give
joy and dignity to life. After Maine-indeed
along with Maine-my first thought IS always
of Pennsyiy ania. How can l fttIngly express
my thanks, for that unparalleled majority of
more than S0,000-a popular endorsements
which has deeply touched my heart and which
has, if possible, increased my affection for
the grand old Commonwealth, an affection
which L inherited from my ancestry and
which shall transmit to my children. But I
do not limit my thanks to the state OF my
residence and to the state of my birth owe
much to the true and jealous friends IN New
England who worked so MOLLY for the RepuD-
Ican party and its candidates, and to the
slix
aside from their ordinary aVocatlonS, made
my cause their cause, and who to loyalty to
principle added the special compliment of
standing as my personal representatlYes In
the National struggle. But the achieVe-
ments for the Republican cause in the East
are even surpassed by splendid victories IN
the West. In that magnificent GORDON OF
States that stretches from the foot-hills of
the AlIeghenieS to the Golden Gate OF the Pa
cific, beginning with Ohio and ending with
California, the Republican banner was borne
so loftily that but single State failed to join
in the wide triumph.
THE EMPIRE STATES VOTE.
Nor should do justice to my own feelings
IL 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 Woulu nave
given US the victory in the Nation Indeed, |
a change of little more than 5000 votes would |
have transferred New York, Indiana, New |
Jersey and Connecticut to the Republlcan
standard, and would have made the North as
solid as the South. My thanks would be still
if l should fail to recognize with |
special gratitude that great body OF work
ingmen, both native and foreign BORN, VINO
gave me their earnest support, Dreakihg
from Old personal and party ties ana nndillS
in the principles which represented IN the
canvass the safeguard and protection or
their own tireSides and interests. me
result of the election, my friends, will be re-
garded i'll the future, think, as eXtraordl-
nary. The Northern states, leaving out tne
cities of New York and Brooklyn from the
count, sustained the Republican cause by q
majority of more than 100000, almost half q
Million indeed, of popular vote. The cities
Of New York and Brooklyn threw their great
and influence with the Solid south
and were tho decisive element which gave to
that section the control of the National Gov
erDment.
THE SOLID SOUTH.
Speaking now, not at ali as defeated can
didate, but simply as Il loyal and devoted
American, think the transfer OF tie political
power of the Government to the South is a
great National misfortune. 1t is IA misfortune,
because it Introduces an element which can
not insure harmony ana prosperity 10 tne
people, because it Introduces into the Repub-
lie the rule of a minority. The hrst instinct
equality of privilege, equality of political
power, that equality which says to every cit
zen: Your vote is Just as Sood, Just as Pc,
That can not be said to-day in the United
states. The course of affairs in the South
mas tsae S@5 sne R Rnf pe CITIZENS
and has transferred it by Y,,.oN ylolenee
to others OrIy Two |
Electors are assigned to the South on ac-
count of the colored population, and yet the T
colored population, with more than l,l0Ooo0 |
legal votes, have been unable to choose
single Elector. Even in those States where
they have a majority of more than 100000
they were deprived of free suffrage and their
rights as citizens are scornfuiIy srcdde,i un-
der foot. The eleven States that comprised
the rebel Confederacy had by the census of
1850 800 900 INTERPRETATION and 100000 col
pred population. The colored population
almost to man desire to support the Re
III, .rtyy h11fh J-a a
timidation and by violence and murder,
whenever violence and murder are Thought
all politically power. If the outrage stopped
there it would be bad enough, but it does not
stop there, for not only is the negro popu!a-
rightfuIIy and constitutionaily belongs to
them is transferred to the white population,
TO exert an electoral influence far beyond
that eXerted by the same number OF WHITE
people in the North.
AN ILLUSTRATION.
To illustrate Just how it works to the de-
of all fair elections. let present
to YOU: Five States in the late Confederacy
and five loyal States in the North possess
ing in each section the same number of cleo
toral votes: In the south the states or
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia
forty eli bit electoral votes. They have p
10000 white people and over 5000 900 colored
people. In the North, the States of Wiscon-
.onsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas and Cali
fornia huve likewise, in the aggregate, forty
eight electoral votes, and they have n popu-
i've Southern states which have named.
These Northern States had practically no col
pred population. 1t is, therefore, evident that
5he white men in those Southern States, by
nsurping and absorbing the rights of colored
men, are eXerting just double the po
tical power of the white men in the North
ern States. submit, my friends, that
such condition OF affairs is extraor-
binary, unjust and derogatory to the man.
hood of the North. Even those who are vim
ictiveiy opposed to negro suffrage will not
deny that if Presidential electors are as
signed to the South by reason of the negro
population, that population ought to be per-
mitted free suffrage in the election To deny
that clear proposition is to affirm that a
southern white man in the Gulf States is en-
titled to double the political power OF a
white man in the Northern Lake States. 1t
Is to affirm that Confederate soldier shall |
WELD twice the influence in the Nation that
4 Union soldier can, and that a perpetual
and constantly increasing superiority shall
The government of tho Union. III that be
quietly conceded in this generation it will
harden into custom until a badge of inferior
ty will attach to the Northern white man as
upon Saxon churl.
INTERESTING TO NORTHERN IABoRERS.
fhis subject is OF peculiarly deep interest
TO the laboring men of the North. With the
Southern Democracy triumphant in their |
states and the Nation, the negro will be COM
PEELED to work for just such wages as the
whites may decree-wages which Will
amount, as did the supplies of slaves, to a |
bare. subsistence, equal in cash to perhaps
thirty five cents per day if averaged oyerthe
entire South. The white laborer in the |
lpon his own wages. The Republicans have |
clearly seen from the earliest days of recon !
struction that wages in the South must .oe
raised TO a just recompense of the laborer or
wages in the North ruinously lowered, and
he party have steadily worked for the for
ner result. The reverse influence will now