Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-11-21

BILE, increased my affection for the grand
old commonwealth, an affection which in
herit from my ancestors and which shall |
transmit to my children. But do not limit
my thanks to the state of my |
residence and to the state of my
birth / owe much to the true |
and zealons friends in New England, who |
worked SO nobly for the Republican party |
and its candidates, and to the eminent schol- |
ars and divines who. stepping aside from their
ordinary vocations, made my cause their
cause, and to loyalty to so many discoar-
agements and obstacles, who fought toes
from within and foes from without, and who
waged so strong battle that a change of
one vote in every two thousand would have
given us the victory in the nation. Indeed,
a change Of little more than five thousand
votes would have transferred New York, In
diana, 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 if should fail to
recognize with special gratitude that great
body of workingmen, both native and for
eign born, who gave me their earnest sup
port, breaking from all personal and party
ties. and finding in the principles which l
represented in the canvass the safeguard and
protection of their own fresides and in
terests.
The result of the election, my friends,
will be regarded in the future as extraordi-
nary. The northern states, leaving out the
cities of New York and Brooklyn, from the
count, sustained the Republican cause by a
majority of more than four hundred thous-
and, almost half million, indeed, of the
popular vote. The cities eff New York
and Brooklyn threw their great
strength and influence with the solid
south and were the decisive elements which
gave to that section the control of the ma
tional government. Speaking now, not as a
defeated candidate but simply as loyal and
devoted American, think the transfer of
the political power of the government to the
south is a great national misfortune. 1t is a
misfortune because it introduces an element
which cannot insure harmony and prosperi-
ty TO the people, because it introduces into
the republic the rule Of minority. The
first instinct of an American is equality;
equality of right, equality of privilege,
equality of political power. That equality
which says to every citizen, your vote is just
as good and potential as that of any other
citizen, cannot be said to-day in the United
States. The course of affairs in the south
has crushed out the political power of more
than six million 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 100000 legal votes, have been unable
to choose single elector. Even in those
states where they have. majority Of more
than one hundred thousand they were de-
prived Of free suffrage and
their rights as citizens are scornfully trod-
den under foot. The eleven states that
comprised the rebel confederacy had by the
census Of 1880, 100000 of white popula-
ton and 100000 colored population.
The colored population, almost to man,
desire to support the Republican party, but
by system of cruel intimidation and by VI
olence and murder whenever thought neces-
sary, they are absolutely deprived of all po-
litical power. If the outrage stopped there
it would be bad enough, but it does not
sop there, for not only is the negro popula-
ton DISTINGUISHED, but the power which
rightfully and constitutionally belongs to
them is transferred to the white population
enabling the white population of the south
TO exert an electoral influence far beyond
that exerted BY the same number Of white
people in the north. To illustrate just how
it works to destroy all fair elections
let me present TO you n't
static in the late confederacy, and five loys
states of the north, possessing in each sec
ton the same number of electoral votes
The states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Ala
bama, Georgia and South Carolina have II
the aggregate forty-eight electoral votes
They have 100000 white people and owe
100000 colored population. In the nortl
the states Of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa
Kansas and California have likewise in tn
neighborhood of forty-eight electoral votes
and they have a white population of6.6cO,ooo
or Just double the FIVE southern states whicl
/ have named. These northern states hav
practically no colored population, il is there
fore evident that the white men in thos
southern states by usurping and absorbln
the rights of the colored men are exertinI
just double the political power Of the whit
men in the northern states. | submit, m
friends. that such condition of affairs
extraordinary, unjust and derogatory to tn
manhood of the north. Even those who AZ
vindictively opposed to negro suffrage WI
not deny that, if the presidential electors ar
assigned TO the south by reason of the negr
population, that the population ought to
permitted free suffrage in the election. I
deny that clear proposition is to affirm thi
a southern white man in the gulf ststes
= entitled TO double the political pow'
of white man in the norther
lake states. II is TO affirm that
confederate soldier shall WELD twice the II
fuence in the nation that a union soldi'
can. and that perpetual and CONSTANT
increasing superiority shall be conceded
the southern white man in the governmei
of the union. If that be quietly conceds
in this generation it will harden into custor
until the badge Of inferiority will attach
the northern white man as cdious
as never Norman noble stamps
, it upon the Saxon churl. This sui
: iect is of deep interest to the laborir
men of the north. With the southern Der
ocracy triumphant in their states and in Il
nation, the negro will be compelled TO wo
for Just such wages as the whites may deere
wages which will amount. as did the su
plies of the slaves, to 6 bare subsistens
9 equal in cash to perhaps thirty-ive cents
q day. If averaged over the entire south
e white laborer in the north will soon feel
distinctive effect upon his own wages. !
/ Republicans have clearly seen from the e
: hest DAYS of reconstruction that wages
the south must be raised to just recol
q pepce of the laborer, or wages in the mol
4 ruinously lowered, and the party has stes
lis worked for the former results. The
!, ye,e influence will now be Get in mott
!. and the reverse condition Of affairs produc
which, years ego, Mr.. Lincoln warned