The Indianapolis journal., 1886-02-13
THE ATTACK ON THE SENATE.

The Democrats Propose tn Capture the Sem
ate--Why Dakota Is To BE Kept Out.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12-The bill for the ad-
mission of Dakota has passed the Senate. That
it should have passed is not strange, because the
Senate is controlled by Republicans. That the
Democratic members of that body, almost to .
man, voted against the bill, is neither strange
nor unexpected. It was understood in advance
that they would not try the question on its mer-
it's Their opposition to this bill seems only the
part of deep-laid plan to obtain control of the
Senate in 1887. This theft-because it can be
called by no other name-is apparent on all
sides. The South is now sending solid delega
ton of Democratic Senators, the seats of many
of whom were obtained by fraud and violence.
The Legislatures of many of those States are
Democratic, because Of bulldozing and terroriz-
ing the colored people. The right of suffrage
guaranteed to the colored people is not recog-
nized by the Democratic party, and where, by
chance, they succeed in placing in the ballot-bo
a majority of Republican votes the ballot box is
tampered with, ard the successful candidate
counted out. The frauds in Cincinnati, admit.
ted by the better class of Democrats, was anoth
er effort to steal a seat in the Senate. Had they
been successful, Mr.. Sherman would have been
defeated, and the great Republican State of
Ohio represented in the Senate by two Demo
Gratis. The gerrymander in Indiana is still
another instance of the general attempt to steal
the Senate in 1887. That was done TO secure the
defeat of Senator Harrison, and to defeat the
will of the people only state these things to
cb hat xha A.
mission of Dakota is only part of deep laid
plot to wrest the Senate from the Republicans by
fraud, violence and trickery 1t matters little to
the Democracy in general thar nearly 300, 900
people are disfranchised by their refusal to recog
nize the right Of Dakota to admission to state
hood. The voting population of Dakota is large
ly made up of ex-Union soldiers, who. after the
war, moved from the more thickly populated East
to the far West, in order to obtain foothold,
and, by farming and other pursuits, earn live
lihood. These men who gave up all they had for
the Union have returned to the ways OF peace,
and now ask. with the privilege of earning liv-
ing. to be enfranchised. Notwithstanding their
service in the cause of the Union, the Democratic
members of the Senate voted to disfranchise
them because they are Republicans The ex-
rebel soldier who returned to Florida lis not only
allowed the full and free privilege of voting, but
he is further allowed to prevent the eolored man
from voting. and l cite Florida because her re-
corded vote is not so large as thatfiof Dakota
No one doubts but Shat they would have voted
for its admission had they known it would be
Democratic. They are even now ready to enter
into dicker by which some known Democratic
Territory, not having the requisite majority.
shall be admitted as set-off for their vote in IA.
vor of Dakota. As / have said, they have never
yet been willing to consider the question on it's
merits, as matter of right and justice to the
people of Dakota, but insist on bringing into the
great free Northwest the same schemes and
dark methods they have become go used to prac-
ticing in the South. and some sections of the