The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1900-08-31
ASSENT OF GOVERNED
ARMY OF A MILLION VOTERS
DISFRANCHlSED IN SOUTH.
Government by Force Imposed by
the Democrats at Home, While They
Denounce Republican Administra-
tion i'm Our Colonies.
CFrom the New York Tlmes.)

-Four years ago, in the so-called Demo
cratic convention at Chicago, Senator
| Benjamin X. Iillman of South Carolina,
| in Offering a resolution 10 denOunce the
administration OF President Cleveland,
made an attempt to convert the cOnven-
| ton to his view that the campaign about
| to begin was a sectional one, in which
| the South and West were to be combined
| by common sentiment against the North
| and East, to overthrow those sections and
make their financial opinions odious, and
| TO destroy their domination in future
national financial legislation and opera
| tions.
Tillman has learned something since
that day, when he was deservedly Kissed
and hOoted in a convention otherwise
none too sane or sensible, and the merit
ed rebuke administered by Senator j. IL.
Jones possibly convinced him that Sec
| tionalism is as hopeless an issue as Sc
cession to divide the country. But he
was still a man of impulse at Kansas
City. Restored to favor after a civiizing
ordeal Of four years of service in the
Senate, he helped to prepare platform
exposing his party to the charge of gross
inconsistency or insincerity.
To Tillman was assigned the task of
reading the platform. He does not lack
dramatic sense, and he has a large voice.
With prodigious volume and vehemence
he rolled forth the references, in the
opening phrases to "the nalienable
rights" Of men guaranteed by the Declar
alton of independence and the Constitu-
ton. As a sweet morsel he mouthed the
language of the declaration that govern
Re inc
from the consent of the governed. ," Amy
other government" he shouted with So
norous intensity, sis tyranny, and to inn
pose upon any people a government Of
force is to sustain the methods of impe-
rialism." The case of the Porto Ricans
was described as appealing with pecu-
liar force to our justice and magnanim
ity."
These sentiments were prepared and
emitted by Mr.. Tilman for application
solely to the question Of imperialism and
the conduct of the administration in en-
deavoring to deal with the new problems
that vex the country. But they seem to
have a more interesting meaning, as APP
piled to Southern States, than they would
as interpreted only to denounce and en-
barrass the administration in its effort to
eSluDllSu Tree governments III the Hi
ippines, Cuba and Porto Rico
Alabama's population in 1890 was l.,
513,017 There were upon the common
calculation OF one voter in five, 302,203
voters in that State in 1896 Alabama
gave to all candidates for President 193,-
653 votes, Bryan receiving 130,307. Lou
isiana's population in 1890 was 1,11S.597.
The State was entitled in 1896 to at least
$4,000 votes. 1t cast 102, 046, and Bry-
an had a, 900 of these. Mississippi had
1,2S9,GO0 population in 1890, and pre-
sumably 257 800 males of voting age. In
1896 there were cast for President in
Mississippi 10,545 votes, Bryan getting
$3.50 North Carolina was reported in
1890, in the census of that year. as hay
ing 1.611,04T population. The State cast
331 ,210 votes in the presidential contest
of 1896, or a little more than the reason
able ratio for 1890 South Carolina.
with a reported population in 1890 Of
l ,151, $40, and with not less than 100000
voters, cast for all candidates in 1896
GS,907 votes, and 5S, 79S of them went TO
Mr.. Tillman's man Bryan.
What became of the 100000 votes that
appear to have been missing from the
election returns of Alabama, Louisiana,
Mississippi and South Carolina? Were
these 100000 voters to be governed. in
case Mr.. Bryan was chosen or defeated,
without their consent, thus subiecting
them to the tyranny" referred to by the
Democratic platform? Have those miss
ing voters been since found and required
to give their consent to the election OF
Representatives in Congress in order that
they should not be taxed without nation
al representation fairly secured? Or has
their consent been obtained to new re-
strictions of the suffrage? Has there been
shown any tendency in any of those
States to exchange ''the methods of inn
perialsm for those of a republic?"
How have Alabama, Louisiana, Missis-
sippi, North Carolina and South Carolina
qualified themselves to reproach the ad-
mnistration for Imperialism? Have not
three of those States formally and COM
pletely and the two others by progressive
steps undertaken to deprive some Co.,
600 Of ''the governed" OF the opportunity
to give or withhold that consent guaran-
teed as a right according TO the Demo
cratic application of the Declaration of
independence, and secured by the Con-
stitution?
Why waste hypocritical platform senti-
ment on the people of Porto Rico be-
cause they have "a government without
their consent and taxation without rep
resentation," when 100000 voters in four
States, all Democratic States, are depriv-
ed of the right to consent, and about
100000 altogether, il we consider Vir-
ginia, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee,
are in like manner subjected TO 'tyran-
n.y." Mr.. Tillman's platform also de-
clares its opposition to "militarism" for
the reason that lit means conquest
abroad and intimidation and oppression
at home. 1t means the standing army
that has always been fatal to free insti-
tutions." What apology does Senator
Tillman offer to the standing army of
100000 voters DISTINGUISHED in South
ern States? Were intimidation and OPP
preston at home" practiced to bring
about that result, peculiar only to one
section OF the country? Does not the con-
dition of these silenced voters appeal
with peculiar force to our justice and
magnanmity
Labor Prosperous I'm New York.