The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-07-23

that the great granaries and manufacturing
establishments OF the interior may be enabled
to send their products to the seaboard for ship
ment to foreign countries, relieved OF vexatious
restrictions and determinations in matters OF
which II may emphatically be said time is
money and also OF unjust charges upon arti-
ces destined to meet close competition from
the products Of other parts OF the world For
commercial reasons and in the interest Of
national friendship and protection, he favors
the cultivation OF closer alliances with the re-
publics OF Spanish America To maintain the
foreign relations of this country, General Logan
relies upon "the great moral force Of our
country" rather than upon enormous fleets
of approved iron-clads and commensurate
body Of seamen."
Upon the subject OF Equal Rights Of Citi-
zenship," the candidate writes at considerable
length. After briefly referring to the central
idea OF a republican form Of government and
the safeguards erected to protect citizens in the
exercise of their rights, General Logan says:
But the disagreeable fact OF the case is that
while, theoretically, we are In the enjoyment
Of a government of the whole people, pract-
cally we are almost as far from 1t as we were
in the antebelum days Of the republic: There
are but few leading and indisputable facts
which cover the whole statement OF the case.
In many of the southern states the colored
population is in large excess OF the white. The
colored people are republicans as are also
considerable portion of the white people. The
remaining portion of the latter are democrats.
In face of this incontestible truth, these states
invariably return democratic majorites. In
other states of the South the colored people,
although not majority, form very consider
able body of the population, and with the
white republicans are numerically in excess OF
the democrats, yet precisely the same political
result obtains-the democratic party invariably
carrying the elections. 1t Is not even thought
advisable to allow an occasional or unimportant
election to be carried by the republicans as
blind or as stroke OF finesse. Careful and
impartial investigation has shown these results
to follow the systematic exercise of physical
intimidation and violence, conjoined with the
most shameful devices ever Dracticed in the
name of free elections. So confirmed has this
result become that we are brought face to face
with the extraordinary political fact that the
democratic party of the South relies almost en-
tirely upon the methods stated for its success
in national elections. This unlawful perver.
sion of the popular franchise, which desire
to state dispassionately, and in manner COM
porting with the proper dignity OF the occasion,
is one of deep gravity to the American people
in double sense. First, it is in violation,
open, direct and fragrant of the primary prin-
ciple upon which our government is supposed
to rest viz: that the control OF the government
is participated in by all legally qualified citi.
zens, in accordance with the plan of popular
government that msjorities must rule in the
decision Of all questions. Second, 1t is in vio-
lation of the rights and interests Of the states
wherein are particularly centered the great
wealth and industries OF the nation, and
national taxes The immense aggregation
of interests embraced within, and the enor-
mously greater population OF these other
states Of the Union, are subjected every
four years to the dangers OF wholly fraudu-
lent show of numerical strength. Under this
system minorities actually attempt to direct
the course Of national affairs, and though up to
this time success has not attended their efforts
to elect president, yet success has been so
periously imminent as to encourage repeti-
ton of the effort at each guadrennial election,
and to subject the interests of an overwhelm-
ing majority Of our people, North and South,
TO the hazards Of illegal subversion. The
stereotyped argument in refutation of these
plain truths is, that if the republican element
was really in the majority they could not be
deprived of their rights and privileges by a
minority; but neither statistics of population,
nor the unavoidable logic Of the situation, can
be overridden escaped The colored peo-
pie OF the South have recently emerged from
the bondage of their present political oppress-
ors; they have had but few OF the advantages
of education which might enable them to COM
pete with the whites. AS l have heretofore
maintained, in order to achieve the ideal per-
lection of a popular government, it is abso-
lutely necessary that the masses should be ed
ucated. This proposition applies itself with full
force to the colored people of the South. They
thus be enabled to become the intellectual
peers of their white brethren, as many of them
undoubtedly already are. A liberal school sys-
tenn should be provided for the rising genera
ton of the South, and the colored people be
made as capable of exercising the duties of
electors as the white people. In the meantime,
it is the duty of the national government to go
beyond resolutions and declarations on the
subject, and to take such action as may lie in
its power to secure the absolute freedom of
national elections everywhere, to the end that
our congress may cease to contain members
representing fictitious majorities OF their peo-
Pile, thus misdirecting the popular will concern
ing national legislation, and especially to the
end that, in presidential contests, the great
business and other interests of the country
may not be placed in fear and trembling, lest
an INSCRIPTIONS minority should succeed in
sitting the wishes of the majority. In accord
ance with the spirit of the last resolution of the
Chicago platform, measures should be taken al
once to remedy this great evil"
Foreign immigration" under safe restric.
tons, is favored. " The Civ-servce" receives
favorable consideration, and The Remaining
Twin Relic of Barbarism - is exercised " from
our civilization under the force of faithfully
executed laws" Several other subjects receive
passing notice, and the letter closes with al
expression of the candidates opinion thai
"our present Indian policy should be con
tnued, and improved upon ais our experience
in its administration may from time to time
suggest