The Portland daily press., 1890-06-30
Mr.. Blaine and the Election s,,.

The manufacturers of the story that Mr.
Blaine is opposed to any effort on the part Of
Congress to purge Southern elections for
members Of Congress from force and fraud
must have forgotten that within few years
Mr.. Blaine has pointed out in language un-
surpassed by that of any statesman who has
discussed the subject, the dangers which
threaten the country from the continuance
OF the corrupt practices which Congress is
now trying to correct. Immediately after
the Presidential election of 1884, Mr.. Blaine
In addressing his friends and neighbors in
Augusta said:
The first instinct of an American is equality
eqnallty OF right, equality of privilege, equality of
political power-that equality which says TO any
the vote Of any other citizen.b That cannot be
said today In the United States. The course of
nas ~ Ine south mas crushed out the political
and has transferred it by violence to others
Forty-two Presidential electors are assigned 10
the South on account of the colored population
and yet the colored population with more than
eleven hundred thousand votes have been unable
70 choose single elector. Even in states where
they have decided majority OF more than hun
dred thousand they are deprived Of free suffrage
ana iheir rights as citizens scornfuly trodden I'M
DER fo0t The colored population. al
most to man, desire to support the Republican
party, but by system of reckless intimidation
ana Dy violence and murder, whenever violence
ana murder are required, they are absolutely de-
prived OF political power. II the outrage stopped
mere u would be bad enough. But 1t does not
sstop mere. tor not only is the negro population
dlsiranchised but the power which rightly and
constltntionally belongs to them IS transferred to
the white population Of the South, enabling them
70 exert an electoral influence far beyond that ex
North. have snoken '' Of
the South as placed by the late election in pos
session Of the government. The South furnished
nearly Lufee-fOurtlS OF the electoral that
aeieated the Republican party, and they will step
70 me command OF the Democratic party as UNI
same position for 80 years before the civil war
0enIlenen, there cannot be political INEQUALITY
T Ts cameo ne citizens h Of Free Republic.
NE South ruling majority Of white men i'm the
top nerson sote sefrespect, pride protection
against it, The very thought of If sfirs the 5lood
Of men who Inherit equality from the pilsri rims
liberty1oYing patriots who came to the Delaw
with William Penn. 1t becomes Tho nr eli
question of American manhood; 1t demands a
yindicate the equality OF the American citizen
in all personal and civil rights. Ii will at least
establish the equality OF white men under the ma
uonal government, and viii give to the Northern
man who fought to preserve the Union as large
voice In Its government as may be exercised by
Union.
The situation has in nowise changed in
regard to the suppression of the colored
vote in the South since 1884, when these
words were uttered. Force and fraud and
false counting still enable the Southern
white man in many of the Southern States
to count for as much as two Northern
white men in power and influence in the
conduct Of national affairs. If free ballot
and fair count at the South was the
l'primal question Of American manhood" in