The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-19
lie Expresses His Gratitude for the Loyal and
Enthusiastic Support He Received from
Republicans Everywhere.
A Powerful Presentation of the Political
Condition of the South.
The Influence Of the ColOred Vote Practically
Wiped 0ut-A Political Power to Which
the South Is Not Entitled
A szRENADE TO MIR. BLAINE.
He Briefly Returns His Thanks, and Then
Discusses National Questions.


Discusses National Questions.
AUGUSTA, Me-, Nov I8-A large number of
devoted personal and political friends of Mr.,
Blaine serenaded him this evening, ex-
preston of personal good will and admiration of
his conduct during the national campaign. They
marched through the streets under the marshal
ship of Col Frank Nye When they reached
Mr.. Baine's house their compliments and
friendly regards were expressed in a speech by
Herbert NJ. Heath, of the Kennebec bar. Mr..
Blaine responded as follows, his speech being
continually interrupted by applause.
Friends and Neighbors: The national contest
is over and by the narrowest of margins
have lost. thank you for your call, which, if
not one Of joyous congratulations, is one. | am
sure, of confidence and sanguine hope for the fu-
ture. l thank you for the public opportunity
you give me to express my sense of obligation,
not only to you, but all the Republicans of
Maine. They responded to my nomination with
genuine enthusiasm, and ratified it by a superb
vote. l count it as of the honors and gratif-
cations 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
campaign to an oldfashioned 10000 plurality.
| No other expression of popular confidence and
esteem could equal that OF the people among
whom have lived thirty years. and to whom l
am attached by all the ties that ennoble human
nature and give JOY and dignity to life
after Maine-inieed, along with Maine-my
| first thought is always of Pennsylvania How can
fittingy express my thanks for that unparalleled
| majority of more than so, 600 votes-a popular
| Endorsement which has deeply touched my
heart, and 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 and the State of my
| birth | 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, step
! ping aside from their ordinary vocations. made
| my cause their cause. and to loyalty to principle
! added the special compliment of standing my
personal representatives in the national struggle
| But the achievements for the Republican cause
4 in the East are even surpassed By the splendid
victories in the West. In that magnificent cor
don OF States that stretches from the foothills of
| the Alleshenies to the golden gate of the Pacific
| beginning with Ohio and ending with Cali
| fornia-the Republican banner borne so
| loftily that but single State failed to join in
| the wide acclaim of triumph Nor should | do
| justice to my feelings if l failed to thank
! the Republicans of the Empire State,
| who encountered many discourage
ments and obstacles, who fought foes
| from within and foes from with
out, and who waged so strong battle that
Il change of one vote in every 1000 would have
given the victory in the Nation. Indeed, a
| change of a little more than 5000 votes would
| have transferred New York, Indiana, New ,Jer-
sey and Connecticut to the Republican standard
and would have made the North as solid as the
South.
My thanks would still be incomplete if
should fail to recognize with special gratitude
that great body of workingmen, both native and
foreign born, who gave me their earnest sup
port, breaking from personal and party ties and
finding in the principles which | represented in
the canvass the safeguard and protection of their
own fresides and interests.
THE ELECTION AND ITS EFFECTS.
1.-THE result of the election, my friends. will
be regarded in the future. | think, 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 400, 600, almost half a
million indeed of the popular vote The cities of
New York and Brooklyn threw their great
strength and influence with the solid South
and were the decisive element which gave to that
section the control of the national govern
ment. Speaking now, not at all as de-
feated candidate, but simply as a
loyal and devoted American, | think the trans
fer of the political power of the government to
the South is a great national misfortune. 1t is
misfortune because it introduces an element
which cannot insure harmony and prosperity to
the people because 1T introduces into the Re-
public the rule of a 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, Just as potential as the
vote of any other citizen That cannot be said
to day in the United States. The course
of affairs in the South has crushed out the polt-
ical power of more than 100000 American citi-
zens and has transferred it by violence to 9TH
ers. Forty two presidential electors are assigned
| TO the South account of the colored popula-
ton, and yet the colored population, with more
than l, 100 600 legal votes. have been unable to
choose single elector. Even in those States where
they have majority of more than 10000 they
we're deprived Of free suffrage, and their rights
as citizens are scornfully trodden under foot
! The eleven States that comprised the
rebel Confederacy, had, by the census
of 1880, seven and half millions of white popu-
lation and 1900, 600 of colored population, The
| colored population, almost TO a man, desire to
support the Republican party; but BY a system
| of cruel intimidation, and by violence and muir
der whenever violence and murder thought
necessary, they are absolutely deprived Of all
| political power If the outrage stopped there it
would be bad enough, but it does not stop there,
| for not only is the negro pop
ulation 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 electoral influence far beyond that
exerted by the same number of white people in
the North. To illustrate just how it works to
! the destruction of all fair elections, let me
present to you five States in the late Confed-
eraey and five loyal States of the North, pos
sessing in each section the same num-
| Der of electoral votes. In the South
the States of louisiana Mississippi.
Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina have an
aggregate of Is electoral votes they have
$500, 900 white people and 1000 600 colored
people In the North the States of Wisconsin,
| Minnesota, Iowa. Kansas and California have
likewise in the aggregate, 49 electoral votes,
and they have white population Of 1900, 600,
or just double that of the five Southern State
which | have named. These Northern States
have practically coored population. 1t is
therefore evident that the white men
in those Southern States, by usurpng and by