The Southern reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1876-1890, 1890-05-09

AeCNch1g ~ 1lhSDuTHy 4 H. MI AAccu,
speaker of the national house Of rep
rcsontntiyes, made a most significant
speech. Those optimistic democrats,
who SCOUT the idea that there is any
danger Of our elections bcing taken In
charge by federal officials, will do well
to reflect on Reeds utterances. This
man is tho mouthplece Of bis party,
and his words may be accepted as out
lining the Republican policy. lie said /:
Continued victory we must have.
Not as parliHans, but as patriots. Not
on tho past must be our reliance, but
on the future.
~lt Is known to everybody that the
south denies that cheating is a part
and parcel of their elections. II is
equally known TO everybody that that
denial 10 not true. The south has pass
ed through many stages. The ku-klux
first deployed its midnight terrors to
intimidate voters. Then came the
midnight shootings and marrying; then
the bull-d0zing and the driving Of the
negro politicians into the woods In the
darkness of the night. AT present
the murders have mostly passed away
aud the terrorizing and midnight ma
raudcrs. Ballot-box stuffing and cheat
ing I'm the count have taken their
places. Throughout all this variety Of
wickedness, call upon you to note
one singular tact, that while it existed
every one Of these crimes against the
government was most solemnly denied
by southern press and southern people.
No man denies them to-day.
awhile the south denies the frauds
In elections, the chcatings and the bal
lot-box stunings, singularly enough
they justify them. Why they defend
them If they don't happen, you cannot
understand on the principles Of logic,
but you can on the principle OF lying.
The defense IL that otherwise the white
race would be dominated by colored
ignorance. That defense may do for
the state Of Mississippi, but it will not
10 tor the United States. In Missis-
sippi the blacks arc more numerous.
In the United States they arc but
handful. III In all the congressional
districts where they are In majority,
they should combine and send one of
their own color they could only mus
ter thirty out of $50. When, therefore,
any southern gentleman, however
eloquent, scizes on your race feeling,
proclaims the danger Of ignorant rule
nNt hrsH Hf.T Ia
mis-government, do not for III instant
forget that alI that has nothing to do
with federal elections. If Missis-
sippi be In danger OF ignorant domina-
tiOn the United States are not. IL cheat
ing at the polls be only a pious fraud
in South Carolina, excusable because
the white man j. superior in intellect
though inferior I'm numbers, there can
be no such oxcnsc In the United States
elections, where tho white man with
his superior intellect Is superior In
numbers also. I'm other words, the
excuse, whether IL be bad or good, for
cheating at state elections, can not be
spread beyond state elections. When
federal election II held IL has moth
ing 10 do with state government, but
becomes part and parcel Of the govern
ment of the United States at large,
where there u no possibility of negro
domination, ignorant or otherwise.
"What Is the relnedy2 speak only
for myself What I say binds nobody
but me, and not even me if the repub-
lican party prefers another policy
But, speaking for myself, it seems to
me that the only wise course Is 10 take
into federal hands the federal elect
ions. Let us cut'l0osc from the state
elections, do our own registration, our
own counting, and our own certifca-
tinn. Then the nation viii be satisfied.
No objection can be urged against it
on account of sectionalism. IL applies
north and south, east and west 1t
win put ON end to all chickering's. The
southern states win then by themselves
grapple with the problem of whether
any state Of republic can permanent
ly enthrone injustice. Freed from all
right Of interference, except moral and
advisory, from tho north, within their
own borders and within the limits of
their own state rights, they viii have
what they have longed for. the power
to work out their own peculiar prob
lem themselves; and / venture the
prophecy, as / sincerely entertain the
hope, that the relieffrom outside press
use will break down the race ISSUE"