The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-10-04

Chauncey II. DepeW was last
week rendered reception by the New
York Union League Club. of which he
is president. In the course of mis- adj
dress to the club. Mr.. Depew took oc-
casion to touch upon the question of
election frauds and the disfranchise-
ment OF coIored citizens in the South.
His words are worth repeating:
| In this country CT majOrities our
education and intelligence lead us to
submit without question to an unques-
tioued vote. We are all partisanS be-
fore the verdict: Afterwards we are
all patriots. But if 1t ever comes to be
understood that the ballot does not
register the verdict of the people. then
comes anarchy-then the dictator.
This is not question To be laughed
down the wind with epithets or dis
missed with phrases. chiS club in 1868.
when the frauds in this city wreSted
the deliberatu verdict of the people to
the other side, expressed its opinion so
alphabetically that the virtue of the
State rose up and hurled from power
the perpetrators of The fraud.
Since then this club has always been
on the side of that legislation which
would make it impossible for the voter
u
the ballot box to be falsified in any
way. Unfortunately there has not
been a union of parties upon that
question, though all mel ought TO be
united upon it.
met in Europe this summer a gen.
tleman from the Southern States of the
highest character, of the purest piety,
of the largest education and of the most
magnificent intelligence-a man who is
respected everywhere where he is
known-and is known almost every
where's man who would regard stain
upon his honor as something worse than
death. And yet, sucl' are the results
of environment upon The best of men
that he said to me: I'VE down in the
South vote the Democratic ticket, but
we are not Democrats; many of US are
old Wings with old Wing traditions
and inheritances. We do not believe
in the principles of the Democratic
party. its policy or practice; we are in
! full accord with the policy, practice and
| principles of the Republican party
| But there is enfranchised in our midst
the negro vote, and we are all Demo
Gratis; all consolidated under one ban
ner in the determination that the vote
| shall not. with it's allies, control ouI
States, because it means placing In
power ignorance and poverty to confiS-
cate our property and inJure our we'll
being"
Now, that is, he said, the doctrine
and the action of self-preservatiOn
| And said he: ''While we no longer
suppress that vote by force, we have
the means for preventing it being reg
istered, which we remOrselessly carry
out and will continue to-"
There is no Southern newspaper OF
character, there is no Southern states
man of reputation who will deny what
that gentleman said to me. Now what
is the remedy? That gives to us q
President of the United States who
was never elected. and Overthrowf
every principle of Republican govern
ment and throws as into the breakers
of doubt as to the electorate and its
count. We can assume the full re
sponsibility of having emancipated the
negro and having conferred upon him
the right of suffrage, and then of hav
ing given back to those Southern States
their sovereignty so that in their abso
lutte autonomy they are beyond 6ht
reach of Federal power. But unit
that vote is recognized, that vOtC
should not be taken into consideration
or in the count that goes to make VI
the total that elects the President o.
the UniLed States.