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CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



and defense of the negro has been turned against 

 him and against his friends, and has vastly in- 

 creased the power of those from whom he has 

 nothing to hope and everything to dread. 



"The political power thus appropriated by 

 Sonthern Democrats by reason of the negro 

 population amounts to thirty-five Representa- 

 tives in Congress. It is massed almost solidly, 

 and offsets the great State of New York, or 

 Pennsylvania and New Jersey together, or the 

 whole of New England, or Ohio and Indiana 

 united, or the combined strength of Illinois, 

 Minnesota, Kansas, California, Nevada, Ne- 

 braska, Colorado, and Oregon. The seizure of 

 this power is wanton usurpation ; it is flagrant 

 outrage ; it is violent perversion of the whole 

 theory of republican government. It inures 

 solely to the present advantage and yet, I be- 

 lieve, to the permanent dishonor, of the Dem- 

 ocratic party. It is by reason of this trampling 

 down of human rights, this ruthless seizure of 

 unlawful power, that the Democratic party 

 holds the popular branch of Congress to-day, 

 and will in less than ninety days have control 

 of this body also, thus grasping the entire legis- 

 lative department of the Government through 

 the unlawful capture of the Southern States. 

 If the proscribed vote of the South were cast 

 as its lawful owners desire, the Democratic 

 party could not gain power. Nay, if it were 

 not counted on the other side against the in- 

 stincts and the interests, against the principles 

 and the prejudices of its lawful owners, Demo- 

 cratic success would be hopeless. It is not 

 enough, then, for modern Democratic tactics 

 that the negro vote shall be silenced ; the de- 

 mand goes further, and insists that it shall be 

 counted on their side, that all the Representa- 

 tives in Congress and all the Presidential elec- 

 tors apportioned by reason of the negro vote 

 shall be so cast and so governed as to insure 

 Democratic success regardless of justice, in 

 defiance of law. 



"And this injustice is wholly unprovoked. 

 I doubt if it be in the power of the most search- 

 ing investigation to show that in any Southern 

 State during the period of Republican control 

 any legal voter was ever debarred from the 

 freest exercise of his suffrage. Even the re- 

 venges which would have leaped into life with 

 many who despised the negro were buried out 

 of sight with a magnanimity which the ' supe- 

 rior race ' fail to follow and seem reluctant to 

 recognize.' I know it is said, in retort of such 

 charges against the Southern elections as I am 

 now reviewing, that unfairness of equal grav- 

 ity prevails in Northern elections. I hear it 

 in many quarters, and read it in the papers, that 

 in the late exciting election in Massachusetts 

 intimidation and bulldozing, if not so rough 

 and rancorous as in the South, were yet as 

 widespread and effective. 



"I have read, and yet I refuse to believe, 

 that the distinguished gentleman who made 

 an energetic but unsuccessful canvass for the 

 governorship of that State has endorsed and 



approved these charges ; and I have accord- 

 ingly made my resolution broad enough to in- 

 clude their thorough investigation. I am not 

 demanding fair elections in the South without 

 demanding fair elections in the North also. 

 But venturing to speak for the New England 

 States, of whose laws and customs I know 

 something, I dare assert that in the late elec- 

 tion in Massachusetts, or any of her neighbor- 

 ing commonwealths, it will be impossible to 

 find even one case where a voter was driven 

 from the polls, where a 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 

 affairs her people have found no other appeal 

 necessary than that which is addressed to their 

 honesty of conviction and to their intelligent 

 self-interest. If there be anything different to 

 disclose, I pray you show it to us, that we may 

 amend our ways." 



Mr. Thurman of Ohio : '' Mr. President, 

 I offer an amendment, which I send to the 

 Chair." 



The Secretary : " It is proposed to add to 

 the resolution the following " : 



" The committee shall also inquire whether any citi- 

 zen of any State has been dismissed or threatened with 

 dismissal from employment or the deprivation of any 

 right or privilege by reason of his vote or intention to 

 vote at the recent election, or has been otherwise in- 

 terfered with ; and to inquire whether in the year 1878 

 money was raised by assessment or otherwise upon 

 Federal officeholders or employees for election pur- 

 poses, and under what circumstances and by what 

 means ; and, if so, what amount was so raised and how 

 the same was expended ; and, further, whether such 

 assessments were or not in violation of law ; and shall 

 further inquire into the action and conduct of United 

 States supervisors of elections in the several States, and 

 as to the number of marshals, deputy marshals, and 

 others employed to take part in the conduct of the said 

 elections, in what State or city appointed, the amount 

 of money paid or promised to be paid to them, and 

 how or by whom, and under what law or authority." 



Mr. Thurman : " Mr. President, I attempted 

 to offer that amendment before the Senator 

 from Maine proceeded with his remarks, but 

 failed to have an opportunity to do so. I in- 

 tended then to say that, whatever opinion might 

 be entertained on this side of the Chamber as 

 to the propriety of the original resolutions as 

 to the competency of Congress to make all the 

 investigations that those resolutions contem- 

 plate, yet we were disposed to waive all scru- 

 ples of that character and suffer Ihe resolutions 

 to pass without opposition if the amendment 

 now proposed should be added to them. The 

 Senator from Maine, however, having a speech 

 carefully studied and prepared, exercised his 

 right to deliver that speech before my amend- 

 ment could be offered. I do not complain of 

 that at all, nor do I now rise to make any ex- 

 tended reply to the speech that I have heard 

 just now. Should this debate be protracted, I 

 may exercise my privilege of saying something 

 in reply to the Senator from Maine, but to-day 



