The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-04-02
Concluded from first page.

Mr.. Sparks-Itis reported that he was
suttlor in Michigan regiment Laugh
ter on the Democratic side.
Mr.. Frye-I have heard again and again
that cry as to the capture of the capitol.
Y GU have been nearer to it than you are
to day, but you never have put your hand
yet upon the capitol, and under God you
never will. Applause on the Republican
side and great excitement throughout the
hall Mr.. Frye continued: The South
had turned upon the North and made de-
mand after demand in rapid sue
cession, aud the North in it's
humiliations had responded as rapid
ly, yielding point by point, until in their
pride of power they asked too much, and
then the solid North had said, Not one sin
gle step further; is thy servant dog that
he should do it2 And then had come war,
not Lrouef on by poor old John Brown at
Harper Berry, when he frightened Vir-
glu;l with IS men and some old muskets,
but serious war. That war had had a 10.
Vic. and by that logic the negroes had be-
come freemen and American citizens. But
then Ku-Klux and White Lsaguers came,
and hundreds of poor black men had been
murdered. Then troops had been sent
down and peace had been restored. But
the troops we're soon Withdrawn, and the
result was a solid South. There had been
half dozen dusky faces in the last Con-
gress. Where we're those dusky faces
now? The Democrats had the Senate,
but, thank God they did not have the Ex-
ocutive yet Applause on the Republican
sideI When the Democratic party thought
they would have him by threatening him
they were making an entire mistake. They
had begged out of him on Bonded knee
the withdrawal of the troops from the
South; because they had done that they
should not presume so much; they should
not presume that they could 90 to him with
pistols 10 their hands and demand all they
wanted. (Derisive laughter on the Demo
cratic side.)
Mr. uurd said if anything had been set
tied by the legislation of the last quarter
OF century it was that general legislation
itself could be attached 10 appropriation
bills. The House was right in insisting
that these Objectionable measures should
be repealed. The House was right be-
cause these provisions of the law were uncor-
stitutional; they interfercd with the right
OF suffrage aud with the State laws The
second section of the constitution declared
that the House should be composed of
members chosen by the people of the sew
eral States, and that the electors should
have the qualification requisite for electors
ct the most numerous branch of the State
Legislature 1t was, therefore. the most
numerous branch of the State Legislature
that determined the qualifications of the
electors, and not the constitutional of the
United States. There was no such thing
as right of suffrage for citi-
zens Of the United States. That right of
suffrage was possessed and enjoyed under
the laws OF the States expressly recognized
by the fundamental law of the land. The
Supreme Court has recently so decided.
On what theory then did this legislation
rest? On what theory did the government
send troops to the polls at State elections?
Only on the theory that the right of suf-
trage was right guaranteed by the con-
stilution Of the United States, and that it
was the business of Congress to protect
that right He had shown however. by
the express phraseology of the constitu-
tloD, and by the decision of tue Supreme
Court that no such right did exist under
the constitution, and therefore the conse-
quence was inevitable and irresistible
that any Legislation on the subject was un-
constitutional. He alluded to the fact
that the measures which it was proposed
to repeal were from their very nature dan
gerous aud destructive to civil liberty, and
said all history is full of warning on this
subject. No republic has ever gone into
its grave save through military interior
ence. Shall we escape the force and APP
plication of a universal ruler The con-
troll of elections by troops is a single step,
and In that step free elections fall, and
free elections are the orignators of the
power OF free government. The troops at
the polls mean intimidation of voters; they
mean the substitution of bayonet for bal
lot IL has been said that il means revolu.
ton to pass these bills as we propose. If
there be revolution it is in the suggestion
Wnich has come from the gentleman from
Valo l5arheld and from others Of the dis
lnepished leaders of the Republican par,v
10 the House. 1t is a revolution against
e'erS theory Of the constitution, to the