Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1890-07-26

should rule over us2 do not hesitate 60 say IN
eoiored man has as many rights a. have. bu
ne cannot have his rights and mine too. An,
this Law L. intended TO put hlm again In contro
| OF the southern States Intended TO awaken tina
| bring about again that constant irritation AM
claen between the two colors In the south whlel
| vii retara Its growth and which viii be destruc
ment.
L want no further proof for me
than that. ! want no further PROOF
for my people. That gentleman's
speech was a declaration to the peo-
pie OF the country that the black Ell
tizens of South Carolina should not
exercise the rights guaranteed them
by the Constitution of the United
States. Who wants more proof7
The opening, the grand. dash
ing charge In this debate from
the other side, by an old
and distinguished member of Con-
gress, truly typical representative OF
the Southern gentleman and states
man, living in a state which has an
overwhelmingly colored majority OF
It's population, a majority of colored
voters, tells the country that they
shall not exercise their constitution
al rights. What more proof is de-
manded by any reasonable man?
.
Mr.. HENDERSON, of Iowa. Now.
L ask, what means this South Carroll
ma oath, for such it was? 1t means
defiance OF the rule of the majority
IL means defiance of the Constitu-
ton. say, and feel myself warrant
ed in saying that it is as dangerous
as armed rebellion; and mean it
when l say it. What is the effect of
it? 1t means, gentlemen, that If
that proposition is not to 90 un-
traversed by law and by Constitu-
tional power vested in us, that we
are willing that handful of men in
this country may shape and control
Congress and the executive and Judi
cial departments of this Govern
ment. Now, let us see If l am right
in that statement.
/ will deal with the census of 1880
briefly. take that as the only au-
thentic evidence we have. We had
under that census a total popula-
ton of so, 1876, 7S3 people, black and
white.
Three States, namely Louisiana:
Mississippi and South Carolina hav-
ing each colored majority in popu-
lation, the aggregate majority be-
ing 412,S21; those three States, on
the South Carolina plan, can control
the balance of power In a general
election in this country, and can con-
troll the majority of the House of
representatives; of which we ore
members. That Is to saw. these
three States, with an aggregate
white vote of 403, 964, can virtually
control our $4,000, 900 of peo-
pie.
MIR. OATES. VIII the gentleman
permit me TO interrupt him?
The SPEAKER, 'pro tempore.r
The gentleman from Iowa has de-
clined to yield.
Mr.. OATES. I wish to correct the
statement which the gentleman has
made. | deny your proposition as
TO Louisiana. The census shows a
majority OF 500 whites in that
State.
Mr.. HENDERSON, OF Iowa. Mr.,
Speaker, get from the census tie
population OF those States.
cannot allow this information.
1 give the facts as the census states
them, and the gentleman can correct
them II they are not right. You
have plenty OF time of your own.
Mr.. OATES. viii do that.
MIR. HENDERSON, of Iowa. The
population of Louisiana, under the
Tenth Census, was, colored, 4S3, 055:
white, 454, 1854; a majority of the
colored population of S,7O1. In
Mississippi the colored population
was 600, pol; the white population
was 479,36S. In South Carolina
the colored population was 9O4 ,331;
white, 391, los; a colored majority
OF 213,227. You may have induced
your census enumerators In 1890 To
'whittle that Az, S21 In these three
States in such shape as to claim
that you have got a majority of the
voters, or you may, as is more than
likely, have counted every head.
man, woman and child In such a
way that the full colored vote win
not be counted as voters in order to
Justify your position; but it will be
hard Tor any gentleman upon this
foor to make the country believe
that these three States. having over
400, 900 colored majority of popula-
ton In the aggregate, have not a
majority of cOlored voters:
They do not often get a chance to
record their votes but they are there
and that is not all. They have in
creased in the decade ending 1880
with a rapidity that is astonishing.
From 1860 to 1870 the increase in
colored population was 10000;
while from 1870 to 1880 it was q
100000. You had detected another
way TO Increase your power by fixing
figures to give the South increased
representation in this House. and
you have to-day represent
tation of forty members, or
nearly that number, in this
very Congress, based on this
great colored population, and the on
ly representative Of that race here is
m v frfonh M nxru