The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-02-16

In the SmaIls-Elliottc contested cleo
ton case in the House of Represen-
tatives Tuesday, Mr.. McComas, after
referring briefly to important features
of the case, dwelt upon the condition
of the suffrage in the South as COM
pared with the condition of the suf-
frage in the North, and said:
Acknowledgement by the nation
was half measure. To abolish illit-
eracy among citizens IS the other half
measure too long delayed. The blacks
do not emigrate. They multiply
rapidly. They will soon outnumber
the whites in eight States of the
South. If the elections be fair the
Democratic party has become the
black mans party, and the mass of
the blacks believe in the supremacy
of their white neighbors as the white
mans party. The tables hold in my
hands show with remarkable uni
formitv that wherever the percentage
of black vote is greatest the Repre-
sentative on this floor is Democrat.
By these census tables half of the dis
tricts of Alabama are black districts,
represented here by white Demo.
Gratis; six out of ten districts in Geor-
gia are black districts, represented
here by white Democrats five out of
six districts in Louisiana are black
districts, represented here by white
Democrats six out of the seven dis
tricts in Mississippi are black dis
tricts, representeds here by white
Democrats. The distinguished chair
man of the committee on elections,
Mr.. Crisp, represents district which
had GO, 419 whites and 1912 blacks,
and of total vote of 81 .602 he bears
a commission here of LOO electors.
and all for Crisp. cOncede his abil-
ity, but deny his experience fits him
to Judge contested elections.
"The census compared with the
election returns from the congress
sional districts of Tennessee for the
members of this House beautifully
illustrates my position that in this
House Democrats represent the
blacklist sections and the Republic
cans the whitest sections of the South.
The whittier the vote the larger the
Republican majority. Of the States
once cursed with human slavery,
West Virginia, the whitest region.
has just become Republican. Old
Virginia, with an enormous influx of
white immigration, is, with increas-
ing whiteness. fast becoming a Re-
publican State. Missouri and Mary
land. the next whitest slave States,
are advancing to Republicanism. In
Maryland, where the percentage of
black vote is greatest, in the first con.
gressional district, my Democratic
colleague, Mr.. Gibson, represents
81. 149 blacks and 96,S70 whites. l, a
Republican, represent 21,397 blacks
142, 81 whites, according to the last
census, while my Democratic col
league, Mr.. Compton, represents all
the counties in Maryland wherein the
black population outnumbers the
white.
after two decades this is a start
ling result. In the black belt suffrage
has failed aud Democracy is supreme.
In the whittier portions of the South
and border the Republican party
prevails. The progressive white peo-
pie of the Virginias. Maryland North
Carolina, Tennessee. Kentucky and
Missouri look to the Republican party
to continue the protective tariff, to
take off the internal taxes on agricul-
ture. and to grant national aid to the
illlterates in separate schools for
whites and blacks. As in the early
days of the last war the border States,
with loyal sentiment dominant in
the white sections, turned the tide in
favor of the Union, so the border
States to-day, where the white Sec
tons are the Republican strongholds.
may once more turn the scale in favor
Of constitutional laws to afford the
nation pure congressional elections,
free alike from bribery and intimida-
ton"