Year: 1878

who made an energetic but unsuccess-
full canvass for the Governorship of


that State, has indorsed and approved


these charges, and l have according


ly made my resolution broad enough


to include their thorough investigation.


am not demanding fair elections in


the South without demanding fair cleo


tions in the North also But venturing


to speak for the New England States,


of whose laws and customs / know


something, / dare assert that in the


late election in Massachusetts,, or any of
her neighboring Commonwealths, it


will be impossible to find even one case
where a voter was driven from the


polls, where voter did not have the


fullest, fairest, freest opportunity to


cast the ballot of his choice and have it


honestly and faithfully counted in the


returns. Suffrage on this continent was


first made universal in New England,


and in the administration of their af-


fairs her people have found no other


appeal necessary than that which is ad-


dressed to their honesty of conviction


and to their intelligent self-interest. If


there be anything different to disclose


pray you show it to us that we may


amend our ways.


But whenever feeble protest is made


against such injustice as | have de-


scribed in the South the response we get


comes to us in the form of a taunt:


"What are you going to do about itp''


and "How do you propose to help your


selvesP" This is the stereotyped an


swer of defiance which intrenched


wrong always gives to inquiring justice;


and those who imagine it to be conclu-


sive do not know the temper of the


American people. For let me assure


you that against the complicated out


rage upon the right of representation


lately triumphant in the South, there


will be arrayed many phases of public


opinion in the North not often hitherto
in harmony. Men who have cared lit
tie, and affected to care less, for the


rights or the wrongs of the negro sud-
denly find that vast monetary and COM
mercial interests, great questions of
revenue, adjustments of tariff, vast in
vestments in manufactures, in rail-
ways, and in mines, are under the
control of Democratic Congress
whose majority was obtained by depriv-
ing the negro of his rights under COM
mon constitution and common laws.
Men who have expressed disgust with
the waving of bloody shirts and have
been offended with talk about negro
equality are beginning to perceive that
the pending question of to-day relates
more pressingly to the equality of white
men under this Government, and that
however careless they may be about the
rights or the wrongs of the negro they
are very jealous and tenacious about
the rights of their own race and the
dignity of their own firesides and their
own kindred.


know something of public opinion
in the North. know a great deal
about the views, wishes and purposes of
the Republican party of the nation.
Within that entire great organization
there is not one man, whose opinion is
entitled to be quoted, that does not de-
sire peace and harmony and friendship
and patriotic and fraternal union
between the North and the South.
This wish is spontaneous, in
stinctive, universal throughout the
Northern States, and yet, among
men of character and sense, there is
surely no need of attempting to deceive
as to the precise truth. First |
pure, then peaceable. Gush will not
grievance, and no disguise of
State rights will close the eyes of our
people to the necessity of correcting a
great national wrong. Nor should the
South make the fatal mistake of con
cluding that injustice to the negro is
not also injustice to the white man; nor
should it ever be forgotten that for the
wrongs of both remedy will assured
ly be found. The war, with all its cost
ly sacrifices, was fought in vain unless
equal rights for all classes be established |
in all the States of the Union; and now,
in words which are those of friendship, |
however differently they may be ac- |
cepted, tell the men of the South here
on this floor and beyond this chamber,
that even If they could strip the ne
gro of his constitutional rights, |
they can never permanently maintain |
the inequality of white men in this ma
non; they can never make a white |
mans vote in the South doubly as pow
erful in the administration of the gov
ernment as white mans vote in the
North.


In memorable debate in the House
d commons, Mr. Macaulay reminded
Daniel OlConnell, when he was moving
Tor repeal, that the English Wings had
endured calumny, abuse, popular fury,
oss of position, exclusion from Parlia-
nent rather than the great agitator
himself should be less than a British
subject; and Mr.. Macaulay warned him
hat they would never suffer him to be
more. Let me now remind you that
he Government under whose protect
ng flag we sit to-day sacrificed myri-
ads of lives and expended thousands of
Millions of treasure that our country
men of the South should remain citi-
,ens of the United States, having equal
personal rights and equal political
privileges with all other citizens. And
venture, now and here, to warn the
men of the South, in the exact words of
dacaulay, that we will never suffer
hem to be more!