The daily gazette., 1879-02-27
SECOND EDITION
How the House Passed the Clause Re
pealing the Election Ld,cs.

The Washington correspondents and
the telegraph reports of the speeches, in
the extracts below, show the manner in
which the contest in the House Of hep-
resentatives was suddenly brought to
close in favor of the repeal of the tyran-
nical Federal election laws:
In the House, Tuesday, the Democrats,
through the blundering of some Of the
Republicans, succeeded in passing the
Legislative, Executive and Judicial Ap-
preparation bill, with the amendment
providing for the repeal of the Federal
Election laws.
The House then at 11.55 went into
Committee Of the Whole (Mr. Black
burn, of Kentuckey, In the chair ON the
legislative appropriation bill-the que.-
ton being on Mr.. Southard's amendment
repeating the law creating the office of
electoral supervisors, etc. A lengthy
and acrimonious debate at once sprung
up. At length Mr.. Hale. of Maine, OBJ
tained the floor and said that the House
might as well understand exactly how
the matter stood. The gentleman fiom
Ohio (Mr Scuthard) in pressing this
amendment had thrown down to the Re-
publican side of the House the gage of
battle. The gentlemen from New York
(Mr. HewN) had taken the position this
morning that the Democratic party Stood
and would stand in favor of sweeping
from the statute books all that body Of
law which he said interfered with the
operation of State Governments and
State laws in the matter Of elections.
There wa, plan and distinct challenge.
As strong as the feeling was on that side
of the House, equally strong was it on
the Republican side. These laws for the
protection of the ballot would not and
should not be repealed in an appropria-
tion bill. His side Of the House would
not consent 10 the project being pushed
forward and carried through to repral.
The gentlemen might as well understand
that now as hereafter. A voice on the
Democratic side: You said that once
before."l
In conclusion he said: We have done
everything in our power to push this bill,
and at some stage OF the proceedings
between now and the final adjournment
Of Congress the other side Of the House
mush yield its position, for these laws
cannot be and shall not be repealed.
Applause on the Republican side and
derisive laughter on the Democratic
side.
Mr.. Southland replied to Mr.. Hale and
closed the debate. He declared it to be
| the sentiment of his side Of the House
that those laws which had been enacted
for the purpose of corrspting the ballot
box and OF secur NJ the elections to one
party by bribery and by force should be
and must be swept from the statute book.
Applause on the Democratic side.] Let
| it, he said, be distinctly understood that
on this side of the House and with the
Democratic party rests the responsibility,
and that when it is a question OF pure
ballot and of personal liberty the man
who yields the issue deserves the cou-
demnation of free and Independent
people. loud applause on the Demo-
cratic side.] This election law is simply
for the purpose of perpetuating a dynasty
which has beon condemned by the pub
lie sentiment of the country. 1t is a
Northern outrage as well as = Southern
outrage. This side OF the House is de-
termined on this measure, not as = ques-
tion of dollars and cents, but as a
question of absolute right and of the
| purity of the ballot box. We do not
| mean in this free country that any man
shall be arres ed and imprisoned with
out due complaint and affidavit, and
without due process. of law. We mean
to protect the citizen in his present
rights and to protect the bal OF box in its
/ a ,,.I .tc prtf IN Ii
can party can beat the Democratic party
at the polls in fair election, we will
submit willingly, but we intend to con-
tend as freemen to make the ballot box
free, and we are willing to let the issue
come here and now. [Rene~ed applause
on tue Democratic side.]
From the declaration male by Messrs.
Hale and Soutbard, it was believed that
a struggle was about to begin which
would keep the House in sess on nearly
all night. The vote was taken OH Mr..
SOuthard's amendment, and it was
agreed to-yeas 1876, nays ITO. The bill
was then reported to the House, when
all the amendments upon which sepa-
rate vote was not asked were adopted.
The amendment increasing the pay of
Principal Examiners in the Patent Office
from $1,000 to $4,000, rejected. The
amendment fixing the pay Of the United
States jurors at 81 per day, providing a
new method for selecting them, and
repeating the jurors test oath, was adop-
ted without division, The amendment
to rapeal the Election law, was next
considered. A division was demanded,
when the Republicans declined to stand
I'D to be counted, thus showing that no
lanorum had voted. The yeas and nays
were thea called, resulting-yeas, 143
NAYS, 3; which one less then the number
necessary to constitute quorum. The
three gen lemen who voted nay were
Me. SER Chittenden, of New York Fort
of Illinois; and Killlhger, of Prnnsyl-
vania, Republicans. Speaker Randall di
rected the clerk to call his name wheI
he voted yea, thus making quorum
and securing the adoption OF the amend
ment. The announcement of the result
was received with cheers from the Demo
cratic side. The votes of MeSsrs. Chtten
den, Fort, aud Killenger broke down tn
plans of the Republicans, and enabled
the Democrats, 10 carry the amendm ent
The Democrats were thus given tn,
advantage, because to resort to tilibuster
ing placed the Republicans in the posi-
ton of striving TO defeat the most i'm
portant of all the regular appropriation
bills Mr.. Hale, in order to gain time
for consultation with his friends, made ;
,lilatnry mption. and demanded thp yea.