The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-11-20
SPEECH OF THE PLUMED KNIGHT
UPON HIS DEFEAT AND IT'S
VARIOUS CAUSES.
Says New York City aud RroOk'
lyn Did 1t With Their
Immense Vote.
His Lamentations Because He
Saws the South Will Now
Rule the Nation.
Sheds Crocodile Tears OvCr the
"Nigger's" Intimidation
at the Polls.

political friends OF MI. Bldlle SeTe'
naded him this evening, as an expires
sion of personal good will and admira
tion of his conduct during the na
tional campaign. They marched
through the streets under the marshal
ship of Col. Frank Nye. When the.
reached Mr.. Blaine's house, their com
pliments and friendly regards wert
expressed in a speech by Herbert M
Heath, of the Kennebec bar.
Mr.. Blaine responded as follows
(His speech being continually inter
rupted by applause). Friends and
neighbors:- The national contest is
over and by the narTowest margins we
have lost. l thank you for your call
which, if not one of joyous congratu
tionS, is one, | am sure, of confidence
and of sanguIne hope for the future
L thank you for the public opportun-
ity you give me to express my sense
of obligation, not only to- you
but TO all republicans of Maine. They
responded to my nomination with
genuine enthusiasm, and ratified.it by
a superb vote | count it as one of the
honors and qualifications of my public
career that the party in Maine, after
struggling hard for the last six years
and twice within that period losing
the state, has come back in this cam
paign to The old fashioned 10000
| plurality. No other expression OF
popular confidence and esteem could
equal that of the people among whom
l have lived thirty years and TO whom
l am attached by all the ties that emo
BILE human nature and give JOY and
| dignity tolife. After Maine Gndeed
along with Name NY first thought is
always of Pennsylvania. How can
l tittingly express my thanks
for that unparalleled majority OF
more than $4,000 votes-a popular en-
dorsement which has, if possible, in
creased my affection for the grand old
commonwealth-an affection which ]
inherited from my ancestry, and which
| shall transmit to my children. But
L do not limit my thanks TO the state
of my residence nor the state OF my
| birth l owe much to the true and
Jealous friends in New England who
worked SO nobly for the republican
party and its candidates, and to the
eminent scholars and divineS who
stepping aside from their ordinary
| aVocations, made my cause their cause
and to their loyalty to principle added
| the special compliment OF standing as
my personal representatives in the ma
tional struggle. But the achievements
for the republican cause in the east
are even surpassed by the splendid vic
| tories in the west. In that magnificent
coTdan of states that stretches from
the foot of the hills of the Alleghe-
nies to the golden gate of the Pacific,
beginning with Ohio and ending with
California, the republican banner was
borne so loftily that but a single state
failed to join in the wide acclaim of
triumph. Nor should l do justice to
my own feelings il failed to thank
| the republicans of the empire state
who encountered SO many discourage
ments and obstacles, who fought foes
| from without, who Waged so strong a
battle that the change of one in over
twenty five would have given US vic
tory in the nation. Indeed a change
of about 5000 votes would have
transferred New York, Indiana, New
Jersey and Connecticut to the repub-
lican standard, and would have made
the north as solid as the south. My
thanks would still be incomplete, if L
should fail to recognize the special
gratitude of the great body of work
ingmen-both native and foreign
born-who gave me their earnest sup
port, breaking from all personal and
party ties, and finding in the princi-
pies which | represented in the can
vass the safeguard and protection of
their own firesides and interests. The
result of the election, my friends, will
be regarded in the future, as eXtraor-
binary. The northern states, leaving
and the cities of New York and
Brooklyn from the count sustained
the republican cause by majority of
more than 400,000-almost half a
million, Indeed, of the popular vote.
The cities of New York and Brooklyn
threw their great strength and intiu-
ence with the solid south, and 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 loyal and devoted American
think the transfer of the political
power of the government to the south
is a great national misfortune.
it is misfortune because it introdu-
ces an element which cannot insure
harmony and prosperity to the people;
because 1t introduces into the reppb-
lie the rule of minority. The first
instance of an American is equality
equality of right; equality of privi-
lege; equality of political power; that
equality which says to every citizen,
"Y our vote is just as good, just as po-
tential, as the vote of any other citi-
zen" That can not be said to-day in
the United States. The course of at
fairs in the south has crushed out
the political power of more than
100000 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 chose a single elector. Even in
those states where they have major
! ity of more than hundred thou
| sand, they were deprived OF
free suffrage and their rights
as citizens are scornfully trodde1
under foot. The eleven states
that comprised the rebel confederacy
had, by the census of 1880, 100000
white population and 100000 colorei
population. The colored population
almost to man, desire to support the
republican party; but by system oi
cruel intimidation and by violence
aud murder, (whenever violence an6
murder are thought necessary they
are absolutely deprived of all power
Ii the outrage stopped there, it would
be bad enough. but it doe:
not stop there. For, not only i:
the negro population dIsfranchised
but the power which rightfulll
and constitutionally belongs to then
is transferred to the white population
enabling the white population of tn,
Z south to exert an electoral infuenc,
far beyond that exerted by the sam
number of wife people of the north
\ To illustrate just how it works to til
destruction of all fair elections, let m