National Republican., 1885-10-19


The Richmond Dispatch puts a volume OF
vicious, calumuous misrepresentation into
half q dozen lines when It says that $50 long
as the people Of this section are yili1cl,
lihccd, and slandcred by the northern
leaders Of the Republican party, so long will
they lie compelled to subordinate all other
questions to the one all important question
of self protection"
The Dispatch knows that the people of
Virginia have not been "ylilicd, libelcd,
aud slGndCrod by the northern leaders of
tie Republican party 1t knows that the
south Is solid by reason of suppression of
Republican votes, and that the Republican
press aud campaign speakers rely on facts
officially asccrtaincd, and not on calumny.
For Instance, the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,
has statcG-and number Of speakers In
Ohio repeated the statCmCnt-thatt the vote
in Mississippi was suppressed. We showed
that Mississippi in 1850 had 23S ,532 men Of
voting age, Of whom l30,27S were colOrcd,
and 10y the census was given seven repre-
sentntives IN Congress, In 1852 In the vote
for comgressmeu there was pollcd 7I,2S3
votes, that is, about 32 per cent, Con
necticut IN 1850 had l11,2Ol men of voting
age, and New Hampshire had l05, ,l3s,
total Of 2S2,339. One Of these states got
| four and the other two members of Con-
gross. At the congressional election In
| lSS2 there was polled In Connecticut ll5,Oi0,
about So per cent, and New Hampshire
polled 10,9OG, or 10 per cent. For the six
| congressman from these two northern
states there was polled 10l ,9+6 votes, an
average Of 81 ,32i. For the seven congress
men in Mississippi there was polled 1888
| votes, an average Of 1907. 1t will be
noticed in this connection that with 43, ,S07
less men Of voting age the southern state
has one more congressman than the two
northern states.
Is It "viltcatiou,n is It "libcl,n Is 1t
Islander" to quote figures from official
sources, and thereby prove the existence of
the wrong which we ask to have removedY
The REPUBLICAN, has shown, and Repub-
lican campaign speakers have repeated this
| In Georgia the total number of white males
in 1850 was 1885,, and colored 143, iii.
The vote for congressman-at-largc in 1882
Gs--llardoman, Democrat, I0,30: For
syth, Republican, 23, ,7i5; that is, 32 per
cent. Of the total voting population. Iu
Ohio, the same year, tine vote for secretary
Of state was G32, lS9, while the total male
population Of voting age in 1850 was 500.
Az, showing T6 per cent. Of voters to voting
population.
Was the presentation of these statistics
an outrage Was it waving Of the
bloody shirt? Is the south revilcd and
prosecuted when the election returns are
made public If so, let her SO conduct
herself as to give no ground for such perse-
cution.
Must Republicans be accused OF making
war on the south when they state such
facts as these: In Alabama in 1880 there
were liG,i6l whites and 1898 colored
males over 81 years of age, while the vote
in 1852 for governor was: O'Neil, Demo
crat, lOO,39l; Sheffield, Republican, 1886
That is, 80 per cent Of the entire voting
population went to the polls, but only 80
per cent, Of the colored voters and 20 pei
cent. of the whites voted, If all the whites
voted the Democratic ticket and all the
colorcd men voted the Republican ticket
The same year, for secretary Of state In In
diana, 80 per cent, Of the voting popula
tion went to the polls.
1t is the belief Of the northern Repub
licans that there Is manliucss enough IN the
south to rcctify the wrongs complained Of
It is n sclf-eyident proposition that the
republic, so dear to Us all, the republic that
has cost so much, cannot endure unless il I,
permitted 10 rest on the only Legitimate
basis-the will Of the majority.
Because the Republican party desires ant
intends that the republic shall endure Il
makes war ON the abuses that threaten IT.
life, And 1t confidently appeals to the true
men Of the south to let these abuses die.
Let us have honest elections, In order that
we may have lawful government IlayIn.
that, the question of which party shall rul,
will be Of comparatively little Importance
our present purpose is to save the republic
If the Democrats of the south will help II
do that their party shall be welcome TO rul,
just as long as II eau doso by lawful means