The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-22

r
| purpose l read the opening speeches made by
| General Harrison and Mr.. Voorhees, the two
| eminent and able Senators who now represent
| your State in the Senate of the United States
AS they are gentlemen of opposite political opin-
| ions. chosen representatives of the two great
parties, assumed that what they regarded as
the issues of the canvass would be the proper
themes for mo to discuss. / find that Senator
Voorhees, in this city, said:
The Republican party with an effrontery and men.
dacity unequaed in the history of political literature
now comes forward, and in railing accusation full
OF the spirit of malice and slander seeks to fasten
upon others the inefaceable stigma of its own we'll
known and most enormous offenses. In the leepubs
hcan platform of Sept It's charged that.the Demo-
ernmen by virtue of objectionable crimes against free
| suffrage.
He further sad
The allegation that the success of the Democratic
party is due to crimes against free suffrage has not
vestige of proof single fact upon which to rest
while the records of the country its pub
lie archives establish all the details of the conspiracy
which. beginning at the Fifth-avenue Hotel. New
York, at midnight, Nov. g. 1876 in a conclave Of
wellknown parties. eliminated on the 4th of March
1877, In the triumph of dishonest baSot and false
| count
| He further said the Republican platform
| Declared that 'the security OF government rests
upon an equal intelligent and honest ballot and we
renew declaration against crimes of fraud and
violence, wherever PTacticed apd under whatever
| form, whereby the right of every to east
vote and have that vote counted and returned is inn
pelied abridged. The assumption here that Cleve
| land and Hendricks We're elected by unpardorable
crimes against free suffrage and the declaration in
favor of an honest ballot and fair count are made
by that party which only ten years ago dsfranchised
States Get aside legal returns organized fraudulent
returning boards, debauched the ballot box trampled
upon constitutional maortes and by open forgeries
and wholesale perjury and the subornaton of perjury
stole the presidency of the United States Are we
supposed to have forgotten the great fraud the
atroclous crime of 1876, whereby Louisiana and
Florida We're made to elect President against whom
they had given large, distinct and legally ascertaned
majoritiess
| Now here is presented by Senator Voorhees, an
| Issue which affects the character and conduct of
| the two great political parties. which properly
| lies at the vestibule of every contest between
| them for if either of these parties has been
| guilty OF the charge made against il, it is un
| worthy to administer the governments. and should
| be repudiated by the united voice of an honest
people.
| The charge made in the Republican platform
| Is that the Democratic party has ''acceded 10
| power IN the national government by virtue of
| objectionable crimes against free suffrage" Mr..
| Voorhees, says that this charge ia not sustained
| by vestige of proof 1t is amazing that a gen
| tleman of his high character should make such
| a declaration IN view of the wcllknown histori.
cal facts established by records, Investigations
| and proof in every form of human testimony.
that in the Southern States from the close Of
the war, there has been determined effort to
deprive the Republicans Of the South both
white and black, of their constitutional right as
free citizens of the Republic. The barbarous
crueltes of the Kukux Klaus. and of many other
secret orders to harass and Cypress
Republicans of the South, committed
solely in .he interest of the Democratic
| party, form disgusting and painful
record. and it is no wonder that men shrink
from its discussion The investigation by com.
mittee of both houses of Congress, of which SEN
ator Scott was chairman, of the operations of
the Ku-kluX Khan covered many volumes of tes-
timoDy, and the conclusions of the committee
have never been refuted. or scarcely disputed
The crimes against the elective franchise as-
sumed many different forms, until what is
known as the mississippi plan in 1875 was put
IN effect, so that the ma jority of the legal votera
OF the State Of Mississippi were by open force and
violence deprived If their legal right to vote and
from that time to this have been as effectualy
disfranchised as if they lived in the center Of
Africa
In the election of 1876 this plan was adopted
in all the cotton States, and, to some extent
further north, and was accompanied in Louis
lana. South Carolina and Florida with acts of
barbarlty which shock human nature And 80
from that time to this. by the domination of the
Democratic party in the South, six millions OF
people are now practically deprived of their
constitutional rights They not allowed TO
vote, or, if the form of voting is observed, the
ballot is changed. the voter is cheated by one de.
vice or other SO that at the election in 1884 the
Republican voters of these States were as prac-
'ticaly excluded from sharing in the election of
electors for President Tosney in the last
election in Cincinnati excluded the Republicans
of the Fourth ward from voting by switching
tickets, forging returns and substituting Demo
cratic for Republican ballots. But for these
means, combined with fraud and violence, it s
demonstrable that in 1884 James g. Blaine and
John A. Logan would have been elected Presi-
dent and Vice president Of the United States,
notwithstanding the DETECTION in the city of New
York. Not only this, but if there had been a
fair election of members of Congress in the
States and districts of the South, il is as certain
as anything can be that sufficient number of
Republican members would have been elt cted
from those States to have made the House of
Representatives Republican, or very nearly So
How Senator Voorhees, can make the state
ment he does passes my comprehension. for h0
is a very able man, and we'll informed know
that in the South, where these crimes are com
mltted, they will not be denied l could quote
by the hour Xtracts from Democratic papers Sd-
mitting the substance of the charge and defend
ing IL. made the same charge In the broadest
language in Richmond and Louisville, and tho
only answer was What will you do about itl"
Ana that is, indeed. the only doubt in this prob
lem. But certain it is, if system of govern
ment Is to endure, the time will come
when a remedy will be found for tEs
infamous wrong aud when every legal
vote may be cast and honestly counted.
Say what yea wil icry out bloody shirt Il you
will, this monumental fact stands out from
among the crimes against tho elective franchise
the III ost threatening danger of the future TO
mix and mingle in politics until some rem
edy Is found for a free people will never submit
to see great masses of their fellow citizens de-
prlyed OF their constitutional rights any more
than the peoplc Of Ireland will submit 10 the
harsh and arbitrary rule of English governments;
anv more than our revolutionary ancestors
would submit TO the rno Of George III:
any more than in our gem
erat;cn would submit TO the intolerablG
insoence and domination OF the slave powes
before the war. The Democratic party can rem
eGy this at any moment. but they share in the
results Of this gtea: crime, aud prominent lead
Senator Voorhees,.
in view of the clearest facts universally admitted
and justified among the Southern people. In
addition TO the Injustice 20 an oppressed race lie
the injustice of unequal representation between
the North and the South, for by this crime the
Democrats of the South not only have political
power according to their numbers, but add to
that the political power given to the freedmen.
which is welded against their interests and