Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 October 1885 — JOHN SHERMAN’S VIEWS. [ARTICLE]

JOHN SHERMAN’S VIEWS.

The Ohio Senator Talks Plainly on the Suppression of Suffrage in the South. . _ Jl; ' ’ The Democratic Question of “What Are • You Going to Do About It?” Answered. > [Speech of Hon. John Sherman, Cincinnati] My friends, there are other questions of national importance—questions compared to which these that I have been discussing are unimportant, because that which relates to money and property and taxes is not to be compared to these great fundamental principles of liberty and equal rights upon which our government is founded. I stated in the beginning of this campaign, as a matter of sober fact, that in all the Southern States, especially in the cotton States,' the Democratic party of those jStates have subverted the rights of seven millions of colored people, entitled by the Constitution and laws to equal civil and political rights. General Chalmers says I did not make it broad enough; that I did not declare that they had disfranchised all Republicans, whether white or black, and that men who had served in the Confederate army were, by the violent methods which I will mention, deprived of the elective franchise. I stated that principle fairly and squarely, and fairly declared if there was any dispute about it I would prove it by document and testimony as strong as holy writ; I would pile these proofs mountain high, so that every doubting Thomas in the land might know that what I said was true. What was the reply given to this by our Democratic friends? What did Judge Hoadly say when he was called upon to face this great indictment of the Democratic party ? He said Sherman was waving the “bloody shirt!” The only “bloody shirt” I waved was the declaration I now repeat —that the Democratic party of the South has disfranchised by fraud and violence the whole population of the Southern States in effect; and besides that has established a system of ostracism and terror by which those colored and white Republican voters dare not hold thfeir heads up amongst them. Where was the “bloody shirt” in that? I don’t see it. But Gov. Hoadly went on, and he “■waved the bloody shirt.” He commenced by saying that I had called attention—which I had not—to the bloody graves scattered all over the South, and the rebel prison-pens, which he graphically described, and all that sort of thing. He said I tried to call attention to these things only to avoid a discussion of the temperance question. When I meet in argument, if my opponent don’t meet me fairly and squarely, I pull him up to the bull ring and hold him to the issue if I can. I say now that no Democrat in Hamilton County dare take issue on this question. These people have been deprived of their rights. And that is not all. They have not' only been deprived of their rights, but these men, Democrats of the South, are now exercising political power based upon the six million of colored people scattered over the South. There are thirty-eight members of Congress and thirty-eight electoral votes assigned under the Constitution to these six million of colored people in the South; but they manage matters there so that these colored people have no right to vote. They’re deprived of their votes, and then these Southern Democrats vote all this vast political power themselves; and by that means alone Grover Cleveland is now President of the United States; and but for this erroneous crime James G. Blaine would now be our President, and John A. Logan would be our Vice President What answer do they make to this indictment? “The bloody shirt!” And I don’t know but the time is coming, my friends, in this country, when the patriotic people of the Northern States must wave the “bloody shirt. ” I say to you, although my years are gassing away, and I look upon the faces of thousands of bright young men, I say to you that the Republican party of the United States will never submit to the ostracism that is now practiced upon these six millions of people. And when they ask me “What will you do about it ?” as Boss Tweed asked of the local authorities of New York, I say we will find a remedy; and the time is not far distant when that will bei/ound. When we see Jefferson Davis, the arch-rebel of the country, extolled in the Senate as a patriot—and I was frowned upon with great severity when I denounced him as a conspirator and traitor—when we see the flag of our country, under which the boys in blue marched to many victories, lowered in sorrow at the death of Jake Thompson; when we see Fitzhugh Lee riding at the head of his Democratic cavalcade with the old flag of Gen. Pickett at Gettysburg, and with the saddle and bridle of Gen. Lee, marchingjjgjth this rebel cavalcade through Virginia in order to arouse the rebel passions of that population; when we see men almost without number who have been rebels representing this great Government of ours, in various lands, in Cabinet positions, and holding high carniyal in important offices, and Union soldiers and widows turned out to allow these Democratic partisans to come in, you, my countrymen, the measure of my forbearance has almost ceased to be a virtue. But they say, “What are you going to do about it ?” And the only answer that Goy. Hoadly could give was that of “What are you going to do about it? You have had power in this Government; you did not find a remedy, and therefore no such wrong exists.” W’ell, we did have the power, after the war was over, in a kind of a way. When the war was over, did we show any feeling of hostility or want of charity? No! No nation was more liberal to extend emancipation and to make easy their coming back to their relations in the General Government We do fiot want to oppress them now. No blood was shed. No property was confiscated. In all human history there is not another such example of kindness and forbearance to the party that had been overcome in war. But no sooner had Gen. Lee taken the parole and surren-

dered to Grant at Appomattox than they went home, and at once tried to reduce their colored people to quasi slavery. When that was resisted to some extent and the measures of reconstruction were passed that secured civil and political rights to all people, then they resorted to other outrages, such as the Ku-klux. They met in secret places and armed and disguised themselves—some of them rebel soldiers—to frighten the Republicans, and in cases committed murder. This was kept up for some time. General Graht tried to suppress it. Congress sent committees of investigation. We saw no remedy. None seemed to be at hand except again to call out the boys in blue. That was the only remedy,| and we didn’t propose to do that. We waited for the coming of the time when the clearly acknowledged rights of the people would be yielded without further bickering. But we waited in vain, until finally the Democrats got possession of the House; and these Democrats associated with and combined with the Southern rebels to keep up this ostracism. Governor Hoadly asks, “What will you do about it ?” I will tell you what we will do about it. There is in every one of these Southern States a Republican party now springing up, composed of rebel soldiers, white men and black men, and they are now fighting the battles that ought to have been fought long ago. Governor Wise —Governor, as I hope he will be, unless they kill him before that time—is now fighting the battles of the Republican party in Virginia, with our principles engraved on his banner. Liberty and equal rights to all, protection to American industries, the development of our industries, and diversity to our employment. This is our creed and motto. He is fighting that battle. Shall we desert him? [Cries of “Never!”] Shall we Republicans of Ohio, by the election this fall, say, “We don’t care a cuss for you!” Shall we join the Democrats? [Cries of “No!”] There is one remedy. The time is not far distant when in every one of these Southern Spates there will be a party that will redress this wrong. In Tennessee, at the last election, Judge Reid was almost elected. North Carolina will soon be carried by the Republicans if they be given anything like fair play. In Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, and in every Southern State, there is a Republican majority under a fair election. The Republican party is a brave party —always brave. It has never undertaken to do anything yet that it has not accomplished, and it will accomplish this in due time if you will only stand by it. There are two other things yet I want to talk about before closing, as I have spoken now longer than I intended. They turned us out of office. Well, sir, whenever the voice of the people says to the Repubbcan party, “Surrender your functions and turn them over to the Democratic or any other party,” we obey, because it is the voice of the people. But why were we turned out? what was the argument that led to the Republican party being turned out of office ? They wanted A change! What kind of a change have we got? Are the times any easier? Mr.. Hendricks, when he was going around last summer, said: “If you turn these Republicans out and scatter the money now in the Treasury you could buy two barrels of flour for every family.” Have you got your barrels ? They said they wanted to count the money; and they have counted it, and found every dollar there, even to the last cent. They wanted to examine the books. They said an examination of the books would put a lot of officers on the road to the penitentiary. They have examined the books, and not one single defaulter or criminal has been found in the Republican ranks. They said: “Turn the rascals out!” and they’re turning the rascals in, Cleveland now has more trouble to get rid of the penitentiary birds that have come in under a Democratic administration than with all the Republican rascals that were ever found there. They were going to distribute that $400,000,000. But they haven’t distributed a .cent, and day after day, for nearly six months, they have hoarded more money in the Treasury than was ever hoarded before. They said they would reduce the public debt, and they haven’t paid a single dollar. They have not done a single thing for good. What measure has been adopted or has been proposed by the Democratic party that would tend to relieve the people. They broke down John Roach—that gallant and nbble Irishman, who built up our navy—they broke him down by a system of chicanery, of legal chicanery that surpasses even belief. They have taken away the carrying of the mails from American ships and turned them over to English ships. They have done nothing whatever to relieve or lighten the' burdens of the people or ito make times easier. I trust .times will be easier in the due course of events, but it will not be so through any act or agency of the Democratic party. Let me ask any Democrat—and I hope there are a few here—what object has been accomplished by bringing the Democratic party into power? You have tried it in the city, you have tried it in the State, and now you are commencing to try it in the nation. But I think you will find the experience the same all the way through, so that when the sweepstakes come three years hence you will all be willmgtq turn back the Republican party into ire place of power and dignity. There was never in the history of mankind a party that did more good for their people than the Republican") party of the United States. It preserved our country against Democratic rebellion; but,whatever else may be said, I do not wish to say one unkind word of the thousands of brave Democrats who fought in the South under our flag. Stili, the controlling element of the Democratic party is the solid South, which is now governing the Democrats in the North, who waged the war of the rebellion, which the Republican party put down by force of arms and the valor and heroism of the Union soldiers. And now to continue the record: We gave you the highest credit that was attained in any government of the world; our bonds are worth more in the

market than those of Great Britain, or France, or Germany, or any other country in the world. We gave you a sound national currency that was according to the desire of patriots, but until the Republican party came into power it never was realized. We secured to the landless the homestead law, for while the Democratic Presidents prevailed no homestead law could pass, and the last Democratic President—himself a bachelor like Grover Cleveland—vetoed the homestead law. It was not ufitil Abraham Lincoln was elected that we got the benefit of a homestead law. Another thing we did: We brought about a resumption of specie payments, and made our notes as good as gold coin. My friends, the Cincinnati Enquirer said it could not be done; that while I was trying to carry it out that way, every corner grocery that failed was “Shermanized.” My friends, let us stand by the old Republican party; let us stand by it in the city, let us stand by it in the State, let us stand by it in the nation. We have Amor Smith for your city; give us Foraker in the State, and in due time you will have a Republican President.