although it may be a fact, as is unquestionably true in some States, that the ‘official returns’ may not be free from fraud,—­that they may represent in some instances not the actual party vote polled, but the party vote counted, certified, and returned.  This plan, therefore, means that representation from some States in future National Republican Conventions will not be based upon Republican strength, nor determined by Republican votes, but will be fixed and determined by Democratic election officials.  In other words, Democrats, and not Republicans, will fix and determine in a large measure, representation in future Conventions of the Republican party.

“The proposed change is predicated upon the assumption that elections are fair and returns are honest in all the States at each and every National election.  If that were true the difference in the representation from the several States would be unimportant and immaterial, even under the proposed change, hence there would be no occasion for the change.  The fact that this assumption is not true furnishes the basis for the alleged inequality in representation, and the apparent necessity for the change proposed.  In addition to this it is a well-known fact that in several of the Southern States,—­my own, Mississippi, among the number,—­the Fifteenth Amendment to the National Constitution has been practically nullified, and that the colored men in such States have been as effectually disfranchised as if the Fifteenth Amendment were not a part of the organic law of the land.  If the plan that is now proposed by the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania should be adopted, the National Republican party by accepting them and making them the basis of representation in future National Conventions of the party will have thereby placed itself on record as having given its sanction to the questionable methods by which these results have been accomplished.  I frankly confess that the plan I have presented is based upon the humiliating confession that the Government is without power under the Constitution as construed by the Supreme Court to effectually enforce the war amendments; and that in consequence thereof nothing is left to be done but to fall back upon the plan prescribed by the Fourteenth Amendment, which is to reduce the representation in Congress from such States in the manner and for the purposes therein stated.

“It is true that the Fourteenth Amendment having been proposed and submitted prior to the Fifteenth, the provision with reference to reduction of representation in Congress was predicated upon the assumption that the different States could then legally make race or color a ground of discrimination in prescribing the qualification of electors.  Still, it occurs to me that if a State could be thus punished for doing that which it had a legal right to do, the same punishment can now be inflicted for doing that which it can no longer legally do.  If the plan proposed by the