Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-10-29
BROWN ANSWERS BLAINE.
THE MAINE MANS ASSERTIONS
PROVEN FALSE.

southern States Solidly Democratic
because the Republicans are in the
minority and Not on Account of Negro
Dtsfranehisement or Intimidation.
ATLANTA, Oct. 2S.-At a Democratic
mass meeting here tonight under the
auspices of the Young Mems Democratic
League, Gov. Mcdaniel, Congressman
Hammond, United States Senator Jos. E.
Brown, and other prominent gentlemen
spoke.
Senator Brown confined his speech of an
hour to the Blaine bloody shirt issue. He said
that Blaine, the Republican candidate, had
until within a very recent period shown
disposition to conduct the campaign upon
other issues, and not appeal to sectional pre-
JUDGES and sectional hate. II correctly re-
ported, Blaine hits at the dsfranchisement of
negroes in the South on the ground that the
Republican party, with the aid of the colored
vote, Is able to control the South. BE
states that large element in the South Of
colored votes Is absolutely denied representa-
ton In the electoral college. as Democrats
carry all the States where this Vote exists,
and denOunees this as unjust and unfair. Now
l would most respectfully suggest that Mr..
Blaine should look little nearer home to the
state of things there. The whole colOred
population of the sixteen Southern States
amounted in the last census to 6.N44657
Counting one voter for every five of
population, which is about the
standard, they would represent 1,2al,S93
OF this number more than 20S,93l act with the
Democratic party, leaving, IN round num-
ders, 900, GOO of c0lored men over q years old
in the whole South, and, counting every one
OF them as voters, there is in the South a mi
norlty OF 100000 cOlored Republicans. They
nave had representation in the electoral coll
lege in several instances since the war; as,
for instance, IN 1875 the Republican eandi-
dates in Louisiana, Florida and SOuth Caro-
were counted RlalnnfG fy a
members of the electoral college, though
they were not fairly elected.
NORTHERN DIsFRANCHIsEMENT.
Now let us take sixteen Northern States,
and there are that number IN neither of which
the Democrats have had single electoral
vote In twenty-four years. The Democrats
in the sixteen Northern States which are
always s0lld againt the Democracy have been
dlsfranchised, so far as the electoral college
is concerned, for twenty -four years. and
never had single representative In that col
lege during that period for either OF these
States. Instead of population of fraction
over 100000 these sixteen Northern
states nave population of d.
l22O6S. one voter for every five in
inhabitants gives a voting population of A.
2A, Alb. One-hslf of that, putting it on the
suppostion that half the voting population
were Democratic would give ,, ,ll2,206 Demo
cratic voters, but take of 10 per cent. of them
and add 1t to the Republican vote to make the
Republican majorlties, and this would cover
sixteen Northern States who have not been
represented in the electoral college in twenty
four years. The States of Massachusetts,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Iowa had a
population at the last census of l3,996,34 IN
habitants. Taxing one-ffth as voters
and it gave them voting population of 2,793.-
305. l. One-half of these were Democrats it
would give the Democrats voting popula-
tion of 1,S96,655. Taking of 10 per cent. from
the Democrats and adding il to the Republi-
cans and we have l,256.gS9 Of Democrats in
the five States last mentioned who have not
been represented in a single instance
by, single person in the electoral
college of either of said States
IN "a wears. Why this gross injustice? Why
should 100000 Democratic voters in is
Northern States be disfranchised and driven
from the electoral college by majorities OBJ
tanned by appeals to passion and prejudice
and by waving the bloody shirt, by tanning
the hames OF sectional strife and appealing to
sectional prejudice.
TIT FOR TAT.
If it be oppression in the South for the ma
jority party to cast the votes of the respective
Southern States for the Democratic candi-
dates in the electoral college, giving the mi
norlty no electoral vote, why is it not equally
oppressive for Republican majorites in the l6
solid Northern States to disfranchise 2.00O, ,O0O
reemen because they are Democrats and never
in "a years permit them to be heard through
the electoral college IN the choice of a Preei-
dent or Vice President. | suppose it
is a rule in all States that the
majority party which is able to
control elections shall fill the electoral college
with Its own members and exclude the mi
nority.
who can say that it is more oppressive to
apply the rule to colored voters in the South
than it is to apply tile same rule to white
voters in the North2 1t Is said that the col
ored people in two or three of the Southern
states have larger numbers than the whites.
and that, therefore, they ought to go Re
publican. The reply is that large
numbers OF colOred voters vote
the Democratic ticket, and there
is not Republican majority in any one of the
Southern States. It is said that in some cleo
tlOns large number of cOlOred voters do not
go to the polls. | reply that | have shown
concluslYely in the Senate that in the most
exciting elections that have taken place in
the State of Massachusetts more than 100000
persons over 21 years of age did not vote In
what Southern State do 100000 males stay
away from the polls at an excit-
ing election2 AS shown by the
annual and State census of the State
of Massachusetts, in the Presidential election
OF 1876, $4,000 qualified voters of that State did
not go to the polls, in addition to a very large
number who are disfranchised under the con-
stitution and laws of Massachusetts,, and in
1879 in the Gubernatorial election, when Gen.
Butter was candidate, over l07, 900 of the le-
gal voters failed to vote. in addition to the
large number dIsfranchised. The publi-
cations made by the State of Massachusetts
establish these facts beyond all controversy
Surely it is time that such appeals to the
worst passions OF our nature should be dis
countenanced by honest, sober thinking and
righteous people of the section where it is
constantly attempted to be used for political
ends.