The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-11-21
INTELLIGENT MIR, FINCH.

at the Democratic ratification meeting
On Saturday evening Mr.. d. o. Finch said:
Eleven times he had walked to the polls and
voted for president of the United States, but
only four OF his men had been counted in. One
was deliberately and by fraud counted out: rot
one OF those counted in had a majority or even q
plurality OF the people of the United States.
he had been in legal minority until now; but
this il the first time it was impossible for any
Republican to say the Democratic candidate had
not an overwhelming majority.
Mr.. Finch is aware, We assume, that the
South has been made solid for the Demo-
cratic party since 1877 by the notification
of the Federal constitution and the laws;
that the South, speaking by the voice of
its champion, Henry Watterson, admits
with brutal frankness that it has been
made solid by the illegal suppression of
black and white Republican suffrage: he
knows, we assume, that because of this
wholesale systematic suppression of the
suffrage the South has larger relative
representation in both congress and the
electoral college than she had in
the days of slavery. Under slavery
the South had legally representation
for her slaves, every five slaves
counting as equal to three white men in
the apportionment according to popula-
ton. Under freedom the South has
nullified the Federal laws and constitu-
ton and by illegal suppression of free
suffrage has stolen the seats in congress
and in the electoral college represented by
this Illegally suppressed suffrage.
If elections were as free at the South as
they are in Washington state today how
many electoral votes and how many seats
in congress would the Democracy have2
They would lose the electoral votes of
South Carolina, Louisiana, Virginia,
North Carolina. Florida, West Virginia
and probably Alabama
Notification, successful notification of
the Federal laws and constitution, the
identical Jacobinism unsuccessfully at
tempted against the United States revenue
laws by Calhoun in 1892 made Cleveland
president in 1884 and has made him presi-
dent again in 1892, and by virtue of this
successful notification of the Federal con-
stitution and the laws the South has made
the national house of representatives
Democratic for fourteen out Of the last
eighteen years. Sitting in seats stolen by
illegal suppression of free suffrage. the
Democracy have twice elected president.
and sitting in stolen seats in the house of
representatives. the Democracy have as
sumed to make laws for 1000 900 of people
whose suffrage they have stolen by sup
preston through fraud or suppression with
the shotgun. And yet this enthusiastic Mr..
Finch, in his extreme ignorance or his ex-
treme impudence, talks about minority"
and majority" presidents.
Under our Federal constitution and laws
1t Is easily possible to elect a president
with perfectly honest vote and honest
count who has only plurality OF the total
popular vote, but the founders of our gov
eminent, who framed its constitution and
laws. did not contemplate the election of a
president by the notification of the Federal
laws and constitution and the wholesale
systematic suppression of free suffrage.
Nevertheless We have come to that: for
the Democracy has twice elected pres-
dent by this illegal systematic, wholesale
suppression of suffrage, which steals a
majority i'll the electoral college and a ma
jority in the house of representatives,. We
assume that these things which the South
by the voice Of its leaders confesses, with
the inquiry what we are going TO do
about it," are known to enthusiastic Mr..
Finch: If they are known to him, the less
he says about Democratic presidents
elected by the popular vote" the better
for his reputation for candor, and if he
does not know these things he would an.
pear 10 have great deal more enthusiasm
than intelligence concealed about his per-
son, in fact would appear to be kind Of
buli-tinch, since to call Cleveland. elected
by the absolute suppression or theft Of the
vote Of seven millions of people, Demo-
cratic presideat by virtue of a majority of
the popular vote. is an historical bull of
the first magnitude.