The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-02-11


| institutions. Now we are called upon t.
say what this State shall do in the clec.
ton. In Other Worus. we are - ssh,
from this Chamber a pronunciamente
a declaration Of opinion as TO the conSti-
tutlohahty of measure not voted upon
mere IS no disposition to take it into
Inc courts and make a test of it. n
case can be made instantly iii Louisiana
/ where the law is the same But it is &c
deter the free and indepaadont voter oi
North Carolina from declaring his own
! sovereign Will nj the polls | hope that
no man in North Carolina will permit
| himself TO be diverted from hi, intention
whatever II may be, to vote exactly rs he
| thinks best for the protection ard the
prosperity and the Wcll-bning of his
| State.
| Mr.. President, the question that has
now been brought up is not likely to end
! very soon. and | think the foreign cues
| tions that are likely TO press upon the
attention of the American Congress viii
| still further put in the backgsound the
! contention about the vote of the negro s.
| We are engaged i'll Il contest for self
! preservation while we are expanding.
| While Imperialism has its advocates.
! there are some people who Still want To
| preserve the Republic. and this effort to
! purify the governing element OF this
| country, Us far as is safe under the
| Constitution, is one that is 50 obviously
| right and proper that l do not see how
| any assault can be made upon it except
| for political advantage.
| DEMONSTRATIONS.
| The distinguished Senator from North
! Carolina declared the other day that AL
these methods were used simply to keel
| the Democratic party III power That
may he true, according to his way OF
! thinking about it, hut it was not the idea
| in my State. The idea was simply tC
put the intelligence and the public virtue
! of that State in power as best for the
State, for the interests not only of the
white people and the Democratic party.
hut of the black people and the Repub-
lican party in that State. When we
look at the genesis of this matter. and
when we see through these miserable six
years of reconstruction. more hulniliating
and degrading and terrible to the South
than the four years of bloody war; when
we saw measures declared by our owG
courts TO be unconstitutional passed day
after day, despite the protest of the
President. and when we recollect that
suffrage, when it was proposed for the
negro in the South met its strongest
resistance in this Chamber and in the
House from such men as Roscoe Conk-
ling and Oliver T. Morton and men OF
that character, who We're the founders
and the champions of the Republican
party, then we recollect the purpose fol
which it was put. upon us. 1t was done
for two purpoSes--t0 perpetaate Repub
lican rule and to punish the South.
When we voted upon constitution il
was that submitted to us by the Fed
eral Government. and in that election ev
cry single niger in the whole STATE
was permitted to vote upon the ques
tion whether he was TO be a voter OF
not. 1t did disranchise the very best
people in that State-'the very best The
cream of the State was disfranchised
and we rejected it. although the negroes
voted. and it was very strong vote.
There is one more matter that | want
to allude to. and | know | am OBTAINING
the Senate too long. The Senator from
North Carolina asserted the other da.
that the very fact that a very small
poll of votes occurred in Mississippi and
other Southern States was proof to his
mind that they were prevented from yot
ing: that they would have voted if they
were not prevented from voting. HI
alluded TO the fact that at the last cleo
ton only about $4,000 votes were cast
in Missippi, and that the total white vote
is 134.000 | do not know whethel
that is true or not. According to The
census of 1890 it was 10000. Does
he think that the $4,000 white men pre-
vented the balance of The white men from
b, IN, IN vAt
You can lead a horse to water but yol
can not make him drink. Has not thi'
thing occurred elsewhere without an.
challenge?
REASON OF \ SMALL. VOTE.
I explained at that time that the reason
why the poll was SO small ut the rpgula'
election was this: The nominations haf
been settled at primaries or mass con
ventions. Then the voting force Of tn
party turned out and the election wa
with such small opposition that it was
mere ratification. That may be unwis
or not. but it does not argue anything
unlawful or anything unconstitutional
because our State provides by law for
system of primaries. and consequent,
the thing being already done. simply t
he ratified, the people did not trouble
lHtHiSPiNt'S r.. W Sb w tHt llbtlS anu WIZ
SO it cannot be considered. even remote
ly. to be evidence that anybody was pre-
vented rom voting.
Let MS go to some other State. | viii
take the State of Massachusetts,, and
do not select Massachusetts with any in
tention whatever of in any manner der
ogating from her dignity, because | be
lievc it is one of the greatest Common
wcalths in this Union in every respect
Put here is what Massachusetts did: II
1880 she cast $500 votes, and yet shf
had 66j, 600 voters. What became of tn
other 100000 votes? VIII the Senate
from North Carolina rise and say tina
these $4,000 prevented the other 400
coo from voting? What reason is there
then. i'll such charge?
Mr.. Tillman: In the absence Of til
Senator from North Carolina, | thin
the Senator from New Hampshire ougb
to answer the question. He is q neigf
Dor of that State.
Mr.. Money: I would he glad if any
body would tell me, although | al
not asking for information. / am on,
illustrating the point.
Mr.. Chandler: Any question tina
either Of the two Senators will put t.