Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-14
SPEECH OF HARRISON.
THE GREAT WORK OF THE RE.
PUBLICAN PARTY.
General Harrison's Position Upon
the Outrages in the South
The Tariff Question.

At banquet given by the Marquette
Club of Chicago about three months since
Senator Harrison gave comprehensive
history of the Republican party, and con-
cluded as follows:
Now, what conclusion shall we draw?
Is there anything in this story, so briefly
and imperfectly told, to suggest any con-
clusion as to the inadequacy or incompe-
tency of the Republican party to deal with
any question that is now presented for
| solution, or that we may meet in the
progress of this peoples history? Why,
countrymen, these problems in government
were new. We took the ship of state
when there was treachery at the helm,
when there was mutiny on deck, when the
ship was among the rocks, and we put low
atty at the helm we brought the deck
| into order and subsection. We have
brought the ship into the wide and open
sea Of prosperity, and is it to be suggested
that the party that has accomplished these
magnificent achievements cannot sail and
manage the good ship in the frequented
roadways Of ordinary commerce? What
is there now before Us that presents itself
| for solution?
What questions are we to graphic
with What unfinished work remains to
| be done? 1t seems to me that the work
that is unfinished is to make that constitu-
tional grant Of citizenship, the franchise
to the colored men of the South, practi-
cal and living reality. Great applause.
The condition of things is such in this
country government by constitutional
malority-that whenever the people be-
come convinced that an administration or
law does not represent the will of the
majority of our qualified electors, then
| that administration ceases to challenge the
respect of our people, and the law ceases
to command their willing obedience This
is n republican Government, Govern
ment by majority, the majorities to be as
cer;ained by fair count, and each elector
expressing his will at the ballot-box.
know Of no reason why any law should
bind my conscience that does not have
| this sanction behind it. ! know of no rea-
son why l should yield respect to any ex-
ecutiye officer whose title is not based
upon majority vote of the qualified cleo
tors of this country. Applause What
is the condition of things in the Southern
States to-day?
III CDhblASlu NOlt 10 dbSOLuIClN SUD-
| pressed. Elections in many of those States
have become farce. In the last Congress
ional election in the State of Alabama
there were several Congressional districts
where the entire vote for members of Con-
gress did not reach 1000; whereas in most
of the districts of the North the vote cast
at our Congressional elections goes from
10000 to $4,000. | had occasion to say
day or two ago that in q single Congress
ional district in the Stateo Nebraska there
were more votes cast to elect one Congress
man than were cast in the State of Ala
bama at the same election to elect
their whole delegation Out of what
does this come The suppression of
the Republican vote; the understand
ing among our Democratic friends
| that 1t Is not necessary that they
| should vote because their opponents are
not allowed to vote. But some one will
suggest: Is there remedy for thisY
| do not know, my fellow citizens, how far
there is a legal remedy under our Consti-
| tuition, but it does not seem to me to be an
adequate answer. 1t does not seem to me
to be conclusive against the agitation of
this question even if we should he COM
PEELED to respond to the arrogant question
that is asked us: What are you going to
do about it p Even if we should be COM
PEELED to answer: we can do nothing
but protest. is it not worth while here.
and in relation to this American question.
that we should at least lift up our pro-
test, that we should at least denounce the
wrong, that we should at least deprive the
perpetrators Of it of what we used to call
the usufructs of the crime? If YOU can
not prevent burglar from breaking into
your house, you will do great
deal toward discouraging burglary if
you prevent him from carrying off
anything laughter and applausel,
and so 1t seems to me that if We can, upon
this question, arouse the indignant protest
of the North, and unite our efforts in de-
termination that those who perpetrate
these wrongs against popular suffrage shall
not by means Of those wrongs seat Presi-
dent at Washington to secure the Federal
| patronage in a State, we shall have done
much to bring this wrong to an end. But
at least while we are protesting by repre-
sentatives from our State Department at
| Washington against wrongs perpetrated in
| Russia against the Jew, and in popular as
semblies here against the wrongs which
| England has inflicted upon Ireland, shall
we not at least in reference to this gigantic
and intolerable wrong in our own country,
as party, lift up stalwart and deter
mined protest against it? Applause.
"But some of these independent Jour
nalists, about which our friend MacMil-
Ian taught, call this the bloody shirt
strife of the war, to rake over the extinct
| ~ hnrs. fn EipIla tho G.a I
it understood that for one | have no
quarrel with the South for what took
place between 1861 and 1865. | am
willing to forget that they were rebels, at
least as soon rs they are willing to forget
it themselves [laughter], and that time
does not seem to have come yet to them
| Applause. But our complaint is against
what was done in 1884, and not what was
done during the war. Our complaint is
against what will be doue this year, not
what was done between 1861 and 1865.
No bloody shirt-though that cry never
had any terror for me. [Applause.1 |
believe we greatly underestimate the i'm
portance of bringing the issue to the
front, and with that oft-time Republican
courage and outspoken fidelity to truth
denouncing it the land over If We can
| not DO anything else we can either make
these people ashamed of this outrage
against the ballot or make the world
| ashamed of them.
| There is another question 10 which
the Republican party has committed
ITSELF and on the line of which it has
accomplished, as / believe, much for the
prosperity of the country. I believe the
Republican party is pledged, and ought
to be pledged, to the doctrine of the
protection of American industries and
American labor. Applause | believe
that in so far as our native inventive
genius-which seems to have no limit to
our productive forces-can supply the
American market, we ought to keep it for
ourselves. And yet this new Captain on
the bridge seems TO congratulate himself
on the fact that the voyage is still pros
porous Notwithstanding the change of
commanders who seems to forget that
the reason that the voyage is still pros
porous is because the course of the ship
was marked out before he went on the
bridge and the rudder tied down.
Laughter and applause He has at
tempted to take new direction since he