The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-02-14
SMALLS DEPRIVED OF HIS SEAT.
Mr.. HempIII Come Up Rorth to De-
fend the South.
Mr.. Lodge Puts the Question Back
where IL Belongs.
The Vote Taken After a Small Sized
Riot In the AlsIes.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13.-The House today
resumed consideration of the Smalls VS.. FL
liot contested election case, Mr.. Hempill Of
South Carolina taking the floor. Mr.. Hem
pill denied that the election laws of South
Carolina were intended to cheat the Repub-
licans out Of their rights. The people Of
South Carolina believed the negro should
have all his rights, but did not believe he
should have all his rights and white mans
rights too. He compared the votes in North
ern districts to show that many more were
cast in some districts than in others for Con-
gressmen. According to Republican logic
this would argue suppression Of votes.
"How many votes does 1t take in South
Carolina" queried Mr.. Milliken of Maine,
amid Republican applause.
Mr.. Hempill-'I do not say we cast so
many votes In South Carolina, for we have
about come to that happy state among white
and black alike that when the people get a
good Democrat in they let him stay in
and make no opposition to him.
Applause and laughter.]
Mr.. Hempill then proceeded to cite cases
Of injustice to colored men in Northern
States, in support of the assertion that the
colored man In the North was never elected
to lucrative officer nor treated In the same
manner as white men are treated. His cita-
tions Of alleged acts of injustice, read from
newspapers, brought out many vehement de-
mails from representatives from Northern
States.
Mr.. LaFolette of Wisconsin said the gen.
tleman from South Carolina, in an excursion
through the North, had demonstrated one
thing. In the centres Of Democracy and ig-
nOrance In the North behavior toward the
xua mat fha in ha
Mr.. Lodge Of Massachusetts said the argu-
ment Of the gentleman from South Carolina
was the old, old argument, you're another"
Because the fundamental rights OF black
citizen were torn up by the roots In SouthCar
olina, 1t Is no answer to say that there were,
here and there, instances of race prejudice
against him In the North. He knew there
had been time when the North had bowed
to the dictates Of the South. and had
wronged the black man just as much as the
South He knew there had been time
when Massachusetts had mobbed Garrison,
In the streets of Boston and sent An
thony Burns back into slavery. She had ex-
plated her crime with the blood Of her best
and bravest on every battlefield Of the rebel
lion. 1t was the North which had given free
dom to the black man. 1t was a Northern
man who put his signature to the emancpa-
tion proclamation. 1t was the Republican
party that had placed on the statute books
the laws to give the black man his rights.
The black man was a Republican, because
he knew that those were the facts Of history.
The speaker went on to review the meth
DDS he said were practiced In the South to
stifie the voice of the majority, saying that
in Arkansas the fraud had begun with the
plunder Of the ballot boxes, and ended with
the murder OF contestant; The secretary
OF State OF Tennessee had been putting OBJ
stacles in the way Of the delivery of the GER
tifcate Of the man elected on the face of the
returns. The governor of West Virginia
had withheld certificates from two Republi-
can Congressman elected on the face of the
returns. Did the gentlemen suppose the
people of the North were going to submit to
such thing as that. 1t was absolutely the
most revolutionary step that could be taken.
These men had undertaken to seize the pow
ers of the House to judge Of the election of
its members, to say who should constitute
majority Of the American Congress. He
knew that in the North more money had
been spent than ought to have been spent,
but one party was as guilty as the other.
There must be fair elections South, North,
East and West.
Mr.. Powell Of Illinois closed the debate
for the Republicans saying that notwith-
standing all the assaults made upon Ii,
Robert Smalls's majority of 129 votes still
lived.
Mr.. Crisp Of Georgia in concluding the
argument for the majority of the committee
denied the truth OF the general statements
made eouching election outrages in the
South.
During Mr.. Crisp's remarks members be-
came very much excited, the disturbance at
length almost acquiring the title of riot
The speaker pro TEN Mr.. Creary attempted
vainly to quell the tumult, and was finally
obliged to call upon the sergeant-at-arms to
assist in preserving peace. That ofncial,
armed with his silver mace Of authority
proceeded up the main aisle, scattering the
ON all sides. A vote was then
taken on the minority resolution declaring
Smalls entitled to his seat. This was reject
ed by party vote: yeas, 126 nays, 143, with
the exception of Wilson of Minnesota and
Russell Of Massachusetts,, who voted with
the Republicans.
The majority resolution seating Elliot was
agreed to without division. and the House
adjourned.