Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1884-12-04

who encountered so many discourage
ments and obstacles, who fought toei
from within and foes from without
aud who waged so strong "a .bAtt!s
that change of one vote in every
1000 would have given US the victory
in the nation. Indeed, a change Of
little more than 5000 votes would
have transferred New York, Indiana
New Jersey, and Connecticut to the
Republican standard, and would have
made the North as solid as the South
My thanks would still be incom
plete ii I should fail to recogniz
with special gratitude that great
body OF workingmeu, both native aid
foreign born, who gave me their earn.
est support. breaking from old per
sonal and party ties, and finding in
the principles which I represe ed in
the canvass the safeguard and pro
lection of their own freside interests
The result Of the election, my
friends, will be regarded IN the future
l think, as extraordinary. The North
ern States. leaving out the cities Of
New York and Brooklyn from the
count, sustained the Republican cause
by majority of more than 400, ,OOC
almost a half a million, indeed-oI
the popular vote. The cities Of New
York and Brooklyn threw their great
strength and influence with the solid
South, and we're the decisive element
which gave to that section the control
Of the national Government.
Speaking not at all as defeated
candidate, but simply as e loyal and
devoted American, l think the tra1s
fer of the political power Of the Gov
ernment to the South is great ra
tlonal misfortune, because it intro
duces Gil element which cannot il
sure harmony and prosperity to TIE
people, because it introduces into g
republic the rule of minority. The
first instinct of an American is equaIl
ty-equality of right, equality o.
privilege, equality of political power
that equality which says to every
citiz-n: +" Your vote is juat as good
juat as potential as the vote OF any
other citizen" That cannot be said
to day in the United States. TIE
course of affairs in the South ha!
crushed out the political power @
more than 100000 American clti
zsns, and has. transferred it by VIC
lence to others. Forty-two PreSi
Dental electors are assigned to th'
e5eeS --aor--.fo -scvo5 u ne -C7.-szy7 :;
population, and yet the colored
population, with more than l,lCO,
600 legal votes, lave teen unable to
choose single elector.
Even IN those States where they
have majority Of more than 100000
they are deprived of free suffrage,
and their rights as citizens are scorn-
fully trodden under foot. The elev n
States that comprised the rebel Con
tederacy had by the census at 1880
100000 white population and 300,
600 colored population. The colored
population almost to q man desire to
support the Republican party, hut
by system of cruel intimidation and
by violence and murder, whenever
violence and murder rethought nee
essary, they are absolutely deprived
fof all political power. If the outrage
stopped thereit would be bad enough,
but it does not stop. there, for not
only is the negro population disfran.
chised, but the power which right
fully and constitutionally belongs tc
them is transferred to the white popu
lation, enabling the white population
of the South to exert an electoral in
Auence far beyond that exerted by
the same number of white people in
the North.
To illustrate just how it works tc
the destruction Of all fair election s
let me present to you five States il
the late Confederacy and five loya
States Of the North, possessing ineacl
section the same number of electora
,otee. IL the South the States o
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama
Georgia, and South Carolina have il
the aggregate 4S electoral votes. They
have 100000 white people and owe
5000 600 colored people. In th'
North the States Of Wisconsin, Min
nessota, Iowa, Kansas, and California
have likewise in the aggregate forty
eight electoral votes, and they hav
a white population of 100000. c
j st double the FIVE Southern State
which l have named. These North
ern States have practically no colore'
population. 1t is therefore eviden
that the white men in those Southern
States by usurping and absorbing tn
rights of the colored men are exert
ing just double the political powe
of the white men in the Norther
States.
1 submit, my friends that such
condition of affairs is extraordinary
u"just and derogatory to the mar