Year: 1876

were so, as the gentleman from Maine said,
why aid he not provide the remedy before
Why did not the distinguished gentleman from
Maine, if he was sincere in that declaration,
last year and the year before that bring in his
bill to do away with his shame and outrage
] say one thing, Mr.. Chairman, that that gen.
tleman very nearly oyerran this side Of the
House yesterday. [Laughter.] He not only
leads that side Of the House, but he under
took to come over here and lead us; and came
very nearly doing IT. [Laughter.l | was
ashamed Of it, ! confess, when knew that
for years he and his party had been in power
and had not undertaken to make this reform.


Iwish to state now distinctly that do not
know how tits in your country, but my friend
from Virginia Mr.. Goodel will agree with
me that we can hardly get an election down
in our country without the interference of
ofiee'holders. II was that evil the Judiciary
Committee wished to correct.


Right here, Mr.. Chairman, in Washington
City, where these poor women and poor boys
are working for their mothers and their little
brothers and sisters, when an election comes
round, the Interior Department and the
Treasury Department send out their orders
and levy tax upon the head Of every one of
| them; and pay they must. And the aggregate
amounts to hundreds of thousands Of dollars
as a corruption fund with which the Republi.
can party may carry the elections and beat
down the free will of the people. That is
the reason why they fought it as soon as we
struck at il.


A Member. And they must go home and
canvass their neighborhoods.


Mr.. Yeates. Yes, sir; thank the gentle.
man for the suggestion. They must go home
and canvass their neighborhoods. They got
leave Of absence for ten or fifteen days to go
home to New Hampshire the other day. and
every fellow that refused to 20 was spotted.
That is what we are driving at, to keep the
men who are high in place from grinding
down the poor laborers and others who are in
the Government offices ia Washington City
and in the navy. yards throughout the coun.
try.


But is not the patriotism of the gentleman
from Maine Mr.. Blaine] magnificent? He
wishes to go for the Congressman. He says
they are the most corrupt of all. How does
he know that they are corrupt? Why does
he not state IL? Why does he not talk it
right out2 All gentlemen of the committee,
we are trying to break down this abuse, and
tell you we ought to have fought it on that
principle and stood by it. But we have got
it all now, Congressman and Senators and
everybody else, and we will see who will last
the longest at it. We have not got any mon.
ey ourselves. Laughter We are crying to
live right, down in poor old North Carolina,
Virginia, and Georgia. We are working
hard, and the people have sent us here for
purpose. We have not had any chances Of
this kind down there and we do not want
them either. But we want the free express
sion of the people at the ballot.box.


Why, Mr.. Chairman, am the first Demo.
crat that has stood on this floor since the war
from my district. And why? Simply be.
cause the free expression of opinion has never
been obtained or permitted in my district be.
fore 1874. That is the reason. Why, sir,
the colored people have been threatened, and
have been told that II we we're elected we
would put them back into slavery, and they
actually told me, "Mr. Yeates, il you are
elected and do not carry US back into slavery
we will go for you ever after" Laughter. ]


We are going to give them more liberty than
they ever had before. have seen colored
man myself go tC the ballot box FIVE times
pale and trembling to vote for your humble
servant and turned away every time afraid to
do it. And he never got his vote in until
steer-cart ran away and drew of the crowd,
and he then slipped it in. Laughter
was glad the steer.cart did run away, because
1t gave me another vote.


You talk about intimidation. have seen
white folks in our country afraid TO vote be-
cause they we're under some Government
officer. But | tell you they need not be afraid
there is a voice rising from that country that
is going to speak in patriotic tones as loud as
any thunder. We are increasing. We have
got broad territory in North Carolina, vir-
ginia, Georgia, and Alabama. We do lsve
our country. 1t is as fair country as God
ever gave to man. hove to stand upon its
sea.beach and watch the rolling in of the tide
that tells me that this is the land that God
gave to my fathers. have stood, sir, among
! its blue mountains Of the West and drank in
the pure air that God so freely gave us. /
have hung over our dark, sluggish streams
and dreamed Of the stories of heroic deeds Of
the past. / have prayed, Mr.. Chairman, that
God would send tide of population into our
country that would wake us up, that would
make US thoroughly industrious, that would
bring commerce and wealth and position to
our country. And II Is coming. The men OF
the North are coming in there constantly;
and if they come Republicans, it is not long
before they vote the Democrat ticket.


The gentleman over there from New York,
[Mr. Townsend who speaks sometimes so
facetious, has a friend in my town who wanted
me to make that gentleman's acquaintance,
but the gentleman has looked so ferocious
| thoh hohdiy uutNa W wv Alto lftcuu III
my district is mighty clever man. He was
Republican for sometime, but now he votes
the Democratic ticket regularly.


tell you, sir. thatwe have territory that
if filed up will bring volume Of strength to
the Democrats. ! beg you gentlemen not to
be scared, do not be uneasy, do not be fright.
ened. We are going TO help you to preserve
the Government and bring il back TO It's for.
mer purity, when it was q joy and glory to US,
and now we want to get some Of the joy.


There have been speeches made here, Mr..
Chairman, intended for buncombe; but this
is intended for the good Of the country
[Great laughter.] Entrely for the good Of
the country. It's to hold.up and sustain the
weak aud dropping hands Of our friends in
the North, and let them know that we are not
/ going to be the heavy load upon them which
the Republicans are trying to represent US 70
be. Ali gentlemen, just tell your people, Of
the friends Of Republicans, Longstrest and
Al r q .