The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-10-23
sENAroR snrRMAN on rnE souTn


The Question Of Representation Exam
med. .
TO Ire Id TOR Of he Tma, P,ii.turgh
SIR:-Please permit me TO say few
words in reference to the attitude OF Sena.
tor Sherman on the Southern question.
Many Democratic aud luEewarm Repub.
lican y newspapers have undertaken TO
answer Mr.. sherman's arguments against
Southern ouLrages by simply telling him
that lie was raising dead issue and
heraldiug the "bloody shirt" Not one Of
those 30 called, peace-loving and liberty
loving newspapers have given any good
reason why these outrages should not be
made known or made political issue.
The record Of the Republican party has
been such az 10 warrant the belief that II
it Is true to its principles and its glorious
past, it will not be- biindfoldcd by the false
assertion that force and violence are not
used to prevent q free election in the
South.
l have been raised in Southern State
and know the means employed by the
Democratic party to overcoms ard defeat
q Republican majority. We have thirty
eight Representatives in Congress, based
upon 100000 Of Colorcd Republicans in
the South, and yet those Representatives
are Democrats. Anew figures may serve
10 chow how well the Democratic party
has solicited the South. Attic late Pres.
identl4l election, the whole vote cast in
the North was 1856. 573 for 2f8 electors,
A OF whom were Senatorial, 20l blsed up
on the people. At the sane cleo.
ton the sixteen Southern States cast
2,0Gi, 228 votes for 1853 electors, q which
80 we've Senatorial, leaving l2l based
upon population. IL required 81. AS votes
for each Northern elector, while Southern
electors required but "a SOB each, or 1910
less than was required 10 elect Northern
elector. These figures are conclusive OF
one important Political feature at tue
South, namely, that there were 69l2
votes that were not cast, or II they were
they were not counted. The South was
allowed representation in Congress lot
three.fiths OF her slaves when they had
no voice in elections, now stuce they have
been freed and been raised TO the enjoy.
ment CT citizenship, thifty-eight electors oil
the Electoral Colleges have been assigned
10 them and still they cannot elect single
one. Il
Mr.. Sherman has raised an important
tissue and one that effects not only the
rightsof the Colored citizen Of thiscountry,
but one that eGeclsthe rightsOf the North
ern whites-shall Southern white man
exercise twice as much power III Congress
as Northern white man? The defeat OF
the Republican party is due to this feature
OF the last Presidential election-to the
Acknowledgement OF the Republican vote
at the South. Senator Brown, Of Georgia,
said in speech at Atlanta some time ago:
"IE the Republican party had not given
the ballot to the colored race, and the
Southern States had not acqu;esccd in 1t,
the South would have had smaller num-
Der by thirty-seven in the Electoral col
loge than she now hiss. This would have
turned the scaIe in the present election,
and instead Of the general rejoicing over
the union in our Democratic success, the
Republicans would have been, explting
over the success oil their candidate"
So much for the admission OF this South
ern Democratic Senator. Republicans
cannot stIord to let this question rest
until every voter in the country can de-
post his ballot and have it honestly
counted and honestly declared. J.M.F.
Pittsburgh, Pa, October Il, 1885.