San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-12-04
Blalne's Bitter Blast.

particular trends, MIR. blaine maue
speech at his home in Augusta
Maine, on the 18th ult., the greatel
part Of which we copy below. II ha'
been widely commented upon, bu
presuming good many OF oul
readers may not have had opportunit,
of reading it as q whole, We give
place to it as showing the "trus
inwardness" of the played out speake,
and his hackers. FREE Pass.
The result of the election, my
friends, will be regarded in the future
I think, as extraordinary. The
Northern States, leaving out the cities
of New York and Brooklyn from the
count, sustain the Republican cause
by a majority Of more than four hun
dred thousand-almost half a million
indeed-of the popular vote, The
cities of New York and Brooklyn
threw their great strength and infu
ence with the Solid South, and were
the decisive element which gave to
that section the control OF the Nation
al Government.
Speaking now not at all as a de-
feated candidate, but simply as O
loyal and devoted American, I think
the transfer of the political power Of
| the Government to the South is q
great National misfortune. 1t is q
misfortune because it introduces an
element which can not insure har-
mony and prosperity to the people
because it 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 can not be said to-day in the
United States, and the course oi
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 Electors are assigned to
the South on account of the colored
population, and yet the colored pop
ulatiou, with more than 100000
legal votes, have been unable to
choose a single Elector even in
those States where they have ma-
iority of more than hundred thou
sand they were deprived of free suf-
frage, and their rights as citizens are
scornfully trodden under foot.
The eleven States that comprised
the rebel confederacy had, by the
census of 1920, 100000 white pop
ulation and 100000 colored pop
ulation. The colored population,
almost to man, desired to support
the Republican party, but, by sys-
tenn of cruel intimidation, and by
violence and murder, whenever viol-
ence and murder are thought nee
essary, they are absolutely deprived
OF all political power.
If outrage stopped there, it would
be bad enough, but it does not stop
there, for, not only is the negro pop
ulation disfranchised, 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 and
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 Confederacy
and five loyal States of the North,
possessing in each section the same
number of Electoral votes. In the
South the States of Louisiana, Missi.
ssippi, Alabama, Georgia and South
Carolina have an aggregate OF forty
eight Electoral votes. They have two
millions eight hundred thousand
white people, and over three million
colored people. In the North the
States of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa,
Kansas and California have likewise,
in the aggregate. forty eight Electoral
votes, and they have white popula'
ton of five million SIX hundred thous-
and, or Just double the five Southern
States which / have named.
These Northern States have practi-
cally no colored population. 1t is
therefore evident that the white men
in those Southern States, by usurp-
ing and absorbing the rights OF the
colored men, are exerting just double
the political power OF the white man
in the Northern States.
II submit, my friends. that such a
condition OF affairs is extraordinary,
unjust, and derogatory to the man
hood of the North Even those who
are vindictively opposed 10 negro
suffrage will not deny that il Presi-
Dental Electors are assigned 10 the
South by reason Of the negro popu-
lation, that population ought 10 be
permitted free suffrage in the cleo
ton To deny that cleu proposition
is 10 affirm that q Southern white man.
in the Gulf States. is entitled 10 dou-
be the political power Of . white
man in the Northern Lake States.
Its 10 affirm that a Confederate
soldier shall weld trice the influence
m the Nation that . Union soldier
can, and tbs; a perpetnAl and con
siAnflF increns ng saptrlsrIty shall Be
co0osded 70 The S0uthern rhits Da1