Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-10-09
Another Sectional Appeal.

just as the BLAINE managers had sent
out an appeal TO the South to vote for Mr..
BLAINE because OF his " broad and gener-
Gus national views" another appeal, of a
different kind, has been circulated in the
North. This last appeal purports TO have
| originated with a "Jenersonian Democrat"
in Brooklyn, n. Y, and is partly aIeproach
Of the southern people for being poor.
1t says that the "North is handicapped in
the electoral college by over 1000 OF the
popular vote on each presidential elector,
while the property at stake is nearly three
to one in favor of the North; hence the
northern States should soldify their votes,
on BLAINE and LOGAN, in order to protect
their great wealth in manufacturing indus
tries, and the working classes engaged
therein"
The intelligent reader. whether he lives
in the North or the South, will not be de-
ceived by the above misrepresentation
The electoral votes except two in each
state) all over the United States are based
upon population votes. A Republican Con-
gcess fixed the number TO which each State
Is now entitled. There are as many people
in congressional district in the South as
in congressional district in the North.
The statement we are combating was sent
out by an ignoramus or by a wilful, de-
liberate falstier. In fact, since each OF the
six New England States has two electoral
votes allowed to il because OF its United
States senator's, as do also Nevada, Oregon,
and Colorado, the presumption is that the
northern States. rather than the southern,
are Handicapped " in the electoral col
lege"
How, then, did Jeiiersonian Demo
orat" reach his conclusions. Upon what
are his estimates based We answer that
they are based upon the number Of votes
cast i'm the several States. In Georgia, for
instance, the negroes seldom try to vote,
we believe. At any rate, in several Of the
southern States the negro vote is usually
small. OF course, then, II is easy to COM
pare that small vote with the immense vote
east In the towns and cities OF the North,
and thus show that it does not require as
many persons 10 choose an eector in the
South as in the North, whereas the fact is
that the law, as we have already said, pro-
yides that it shall require n certain number
of inhabitants in any part Of the United
States, North or South, 10 stand behind an
| elector.
In the end, the southern States will get
4
the advantage of their larger territorial
area; but for years TO come, and until the
negroes become fewer relatively than they
now are, the northern States will continue
10 control the Government in their own
interest. Net only is the number of square
miles of arabic land in the South greater
than the number Of square miles of such
land In the North extending from the
Missouri compromise line to che Pacific
ocean-bnt the southern climate is
much better. But for the negroes,
The South would now be stronger than the
| North. To think that New England sold
her slaves to the South, and pocketcd the
money, then set the negroes free, and finally
made voters OF them, and now complains
because the South has too much strength
in presidential election, is TO call TO mind
the thing known as "retributive Justice"
Is New England sick Of her bargain
Would she disiranchise the negro because
he doesn't want 10 voter II not, how Is
the South to be deprived Of her power sin
the electoral college,!
This sectional appeal OF which we are
speaking has another feature. IL re-
proaches the southern people because Of
their poverty. Zach elector In the North
represents, so IL Is said, three times as much |
property as does each elector in the south. |
And yet twenty-four years ago each elector |
in the South represented more property |
than did each elector In the North. What
caused this changer Who stole the pro-
perry Of the southern peoples Or IL
not stolen, what has become Of its
Is poverty crimeS Then Is not the party
that made the South poor the guilty partyi
Is II proposed 10 let WILLIAM II. WANDER
BlLT, who has as much property as have all
be people together Of West Virginia and
III the people together OF each Of seve- ]