The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1890-12-13
SA DEC. 13, 1890.

Senator: Turpie, of Indiana made the
opening speech I'm the Senate against
the Infamous force bill. This is a syn
opsis of his remarks:
THE ELECTION BILL.
Mr.. Turpie took the floor in opposi-
ton to- the bill. The substitute
measure, he said, rested its support
on what was called the suppressed
colored Republican vote III the south.
The returns Of the election showed an
abstinence from veting--an abstinence
much greater in Massachusetts, and
other northern states than elsewhere.
The extremists with@a sheager majority
in bothl houses said that this. was
proof enough OF the suppression of the
colored vote, andthereupon proceeded
to r%evolutionise the whole method'ef
congressional elections. There had
been fsupprtssion-a suppression
patent, we'll Known, ~nnGeniable and
widely prevalent The recent census
would show that in the states of
PENNSYLVANIA, Ohio and Illinois here
were about 230,D00 eolofed people,
vet in fITesp states no col0red mai had
ever served as governor Or been elect
ed to any department of the state
government. There lad been not
only no proportional division ct the
offices4-thela had~been none at all:
The colored man ia those states had
10 more chance of pleternent than
the Roman EathelIc~~had hdd-in New
Hampshire OF Great Britain ii hundred
years ago. The suppression of the
colored vote i'll the soHtlf was Il thing
manitestiy in question, affirmed on
one side and denied on the other, but
tie suppression Of the colored voter
of the north vas a thing without
question. actual, absolute, uncondl-
tional. The supremacy of the white
race Ia not peculiar to any portion
of the United States. lzSouth 'Carellna
was not more completely under It's
sway than was Pennsylvania. It's
firmly established in Texas and Ar
kansas .tla1Ijn Illinois or Ohio. Malth
might be said of the justice or the
Injustice OF this supremacy. 1t was
easy to write, aud print ablorisms,
even to give them shape in legislative
formulas that all citizens are equal.
Political rights as between races
might heSaaitted, defined and decreed,
but political equities could only be
adjusted by ae1fon. That actfoff was
everywhere wanting: it was every
where witLelf. The supremacy of
the white race had not been brought
about by force or fear. 1T had not
been wrested or seized from others.
but it had been given, granted voluh-
tarily, ceded to those deemed for the
time most worthy OF its possession.
The man Especially the man of the
white house) who sought to embroii
the white and black races for IA pur-
pose lie could not conceal and dare
nOt avow, was guilty of an outrage
tenfold fgiieaterl than any.of those le
invented or described. The solution
of the race problem. was a process, not
of abstract speculation but of real eX
perience. Wherever the people o
the different races were living peace
fully together under the same laws
members of the same body polite
without any other Thought than TIM
some must command or others must
obey, this problem was being solved
The purpose of the national election
bill ESQ cal ed was. SO far as relatedt,
the south, to work and destroy thi.
pending condition of inter-raeial AL
,justment. It proposed not to main
tain the will of the majority but t,
overthrow it on the single issue of rae,
tic make a majority of black nten
because theyare black to establish
government of complexion, not o
opinion
The kernel and purpose of tn,
pending bill Was that the law of tn,
land must he suhorned. to set ellnfit,
between the white man and the blacl
man. The bill was not a~rtfull,
framed. It's only art was its absolnt,
malignity. Pass this bill and tn,
right of the people to choose thcil
representatives that right so preciou
and priceless to every Tover OF Iibert,
WAS lost, lost beyond recovery an,
beyond recall.
AT the conclusion of his speech Nj
Turpie received the congratulation
of his Democratic colleagues and til
senate 3diOurnpd.