The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-09
THE ISSUES FAIRLY STATED.
Senator Sherman Replies to the Speech
Made by Governor Hoadly,
And Restates the Issues of the Pending Cam
paign, Which the Governor Evaded in
His Speech at Hamilton.
CONDENSED FACTS,
AS presented by Senator Sherman Last
Night, at Lebanon, Ohio.


palgn here this evening before large audience.
Inc speech was principally in answer to Gov.
Hoadys speech at Hamilton
MIR. Sherman said that he always desired 10
the discussion of public questions to get directly
at the issues in which, for the time being, the
public took the deepest interest, and as Cover
nor Hoadly had undertaken in his recent speech
at Hamilton to reply to some remarks made by
him at Mt Gilead, he would call attention to
some parts of Governor Hoadlys speech as the
best means possible Of ascertaining the position
Of the Democratic party in this canvass.
Il wish to answer Governor Hoady with all
the respect due to his high Office and his personal
character and ability
Il do not think he fairly maintains his reputa-
ton In his recent speech at Hamilton, but can
forgive him to some extent by reason of his
present political associations / think he owed
1t to his past record, and | believe, his conscen-
tlous conviction, TO answer arguments rather
than to evade or avoid the the position of his
adversaries by cant phrases about the bloody
shirt and the like l will do what can to see
that he shall understand distinctly the issue we
present to him, and hope he will meet it
"In his speech he has not fairly stated my
position. Upon the important issues growing
out of the condition of affairs in the South. he
has evaded and avoided, with the skill of
lawyer. in way practically to admit all that
claim, and this is the less excusable in him, for
during the greater portion of the long struggle
in respect to slavery he was Republican, and
agreed with me on the issues of the war.
HE claims to be the friend of the colored peo-
pie, but does not do them the Justice to truly
state the injustice done them according to his
own well-considered opinions in the past.
in my speech at Mt Gilead stated that the
war was over, and that was willing to forgive
and forget all that the rebels did in the war; and
only demanded what was fairly won by the
q q ia re nf he IIa
agreed with me in supporting all the constitu.
tional amendments, and all l ask, or have ever
asked, is that they shall be fairly observed and
enforced Six million people were emancipated
and enfranchised by the war, and the amend
ments made with his hearty approval, and as
a result of this they were entitled to vote and
were granted representation In Congress and in
the electoral college. They have been denied
many of the necessary incidents of liberty,
among the most precious of which is the right to
free discussion, and they areinow DISTINGUISHED
and thus, openly and boldly, deprived of all the
safeguards by which alone their liberties can be
preserved. He does not deny this If he did.
then the proof Is so clear upon the records that
the argument between us would soon be
ended. At first they were excluded
from the franchise by acts of violence,
amounting in thousands of cases to murder. in
the States where they were largely in the major
ity, but where, from their feebleness and want
of discipline and organization, they were power
less to resist By such means the Democratic
party obtained absolute power, and then, though
the violence became less the Acknowledgement of
the colored people became absolute and complete
BY fraud so gross and universal that in scarcely
a district in the South was there any pretepse Of
fair election.
"Ir some cases election districts were organ
lied so that the negro could not vote. In others
they were openly cheated and defrauded by the
use OF tissue ballots and every device which the
ingenuity OF crime could invent. These facts
were over and over again admitted, ard justified
on nrn6t hat ha xubf To nvla fna
would not submit to what they chose to call
negro rule The result is a complete and
effective Acknowledgement Of the colored people
in every district where their votes would proba-
bly, change the result Can Governor Hoadly
deny this in the face of the accumulated testi-
mony known to him perfectly welll He does
not attempt to deny it, and yet he pretends to be
the friend of the co!ored man.
but, not only is this unjust to the colored
men. but it is njust to the white men of the
North: Thirty eight members of Congress- and Of
the electoral college, are based upon the six mill
ion Of colored people in the South. The effect
of the crimes have mentioned is to confer upon
the white people of the South not only the num-
Der of votes to which they entitled for the
white population, but also the thirty eight votes
based upon the colored population and, in this
way, in some of the Southern States, every
white voter possess the political power of two
white voters in the Northern States The col
ored people have, practically, no voice in Con-
gress and no voice in the electoral college Mr.
Cleveland is now President f.the United States,
instead of James G. Blaine, by reason of these
crimes.
81 claim that this should be corrected An
injustice gross and papable will not be SUBJ
mitted to by the colored people of the South nor
by fair minded white men in the South who hate
wrong and injustice, nor by the great body Of
the Northern people by whose sacrifices in the
Union cause the war brought to sue
cessfnl termination. It will not be submitted to.
and Governor Hoadly. from his former position.
ought to be one of the first to demand and insist
upon a remedy, and not evade or avoid or belittle
it by can't phrases.
II confess there are difficulties in the way of
a proper remedy. This may be brought about
first by appeal to the South to correct an
injustice and wrong which will, as long as ii
lasts, tend to make our politics sectional and
inspire the came resistance to the Democratic
party encountered at the beginning OF the war.
In every State of the South there are thousands
of patriotic men who feel as l do about it, and
they would make their voice heard but for an
aggressive, and intolerant sentiment which will
not even allow discussion of the subject, or the
formation Of parties in the South based upon
this issue. Still, this appeal has been made is
now being made, and will continue to be made
in several of the States, and especially in Vir-
ginia and North Carolina In South Carolina,
Mississippi and Louisiana, and perhaps in other
States, fair election would at correct this
evil but it will be resisted, matter of course,
by the dominant elements that now control the
South. In Virginia and North Carolina dis
tinct presentation of these questions followed by
fair election would, as is shown by the returns
of the recent election, place these two powerful
States upon the side of justice and right We
will, as a matter of course, be resisted by most
of the lawless elements of the South, and by the
Democratic party in the North, which is now, as
1t has always been, absolutely opposed to the
rights of any portion of our people where these
stand in the way of their success.
IF the policy of the past is to be pursued, and
there is no redress for the colored people of the
South for these offenses. committed under the
color of State laws, then, under the Fourteenth
amendment to the Constitution, we may fairly
appeal to all the Northern States to stand to-
gether to reduce the representation based upon
the colored vote, and on this question Governor
Hoadly ought to be where he was during the
war!
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