Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-06-03
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS.

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PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS.
In the Senate on the Oath, the pensions de-
6ciency bill was reported and placed on the
calendar. A bill amending the revenue laws
was read the third time and passed. Mr..
Morgans joint resolution providing rule
for counting the electoral vote was taken up.
Various amendments we're offered, all Of
which were voted down and the resolution as
originally submitted by Mr.. Morgan was
passed by party vote-yeas 25; nays IA
Mr.. Bayard then moved to take up the bill
introduced by him and reported favorably
from the judiciary committee, providing that
the supervisors of election shall be appointed
by the President, by and with the consent of
the Senate, and shall serve two years, begin.
ming in May of each even numbered year.
The Republicans fllbustered to prevent &C
tion on Mr.. Bsyard's motion until the Senate
adjourned.
In the House letter from Speaker Ran
dali was read stating that he would be absent
for a few days, and announcing the appoint
meut of Mr.. ackbun, Of Kentucky, as
Speaker pro TEN. Under the rules, the ap.
pointment was submitted to the House and
unanimously approved. The sundry civil
appropriation bill was discussed and various
amendments rejected, and pending the consid'
GRAFTON of the bill the House adjourned.
In the Senate on the 25th, on motion Of
Mr. Bayard, the Supervisors bill, which
provides that the supervisors of election shall
be appointed by the President, with the con
sent of the Senate, and hold Office for two
years, was taken up. Mr.. Bayard proposed
to change the date on which the terms Of
supervisors, now in Office, should expire, from
May the 1st, to July the 1st He also agreed
to so amend the bill as to recognize the Pres'
dents right to appoint new supervisors dur
ring the recess of the Senate Mr.. Bayard ex
planned the bill, and in reply to the questions
and criticism of Mr.. Hoar, of Massachusetts,
said it was not intended to affect the powers Of
supervisor in any way, but to regulate the te-
nure of office. Many Of them had already held
their places since 1871, and there was no pro.
vision for their removal for cause. Their
office could be vacated only by death or re-
signation. Mr.. Bayard thought this was op
posed to our practice of Government. Mr..
Conkling, of New York, spoke in opposition
to the bill and declared it was one more link
in the chain of legislation intended to nullify
the laws guaranteeing free elections. Mr..
Mcdonald supported the bill. Mr.. Teller
opposed it and referred to the lawlessness in
the South as proof that Federal election
officers were needed. While he was speak.
ing of the use of tissue ballots in the South,
Mr.. Hampton handed him tissue ballot
and asked him to read it, Mr.. Teller said it
purported to be Republican tissue ballot,
and he thereupon went into the history of
the election in Charleston, asserting that the
Republicans used tissue ballots in legitimate
manner to prevent the Democrats from dis
tinguishing them from their own tissue bal
lots and throwing them out. Mr.. Hampton
remarked that the present Representative
from that county was elected by 10000 ma
iority. Mr.. Teller had said 5000 Democratic
tissue ballots we're cast. Even allowing
5000 he still had 1000 majority. Mr.. Thur.
man moved to amend the bill by providing
that no person, who has held or who now
holds the office of Supervisor of Elections,
shall be reappointed. He said he knew some
Supervisors of Elections who had been bad
men and he did not intend they should ever
be reappointed. Mr.. Hoar said the bill was
part of a scheme to destroy the liberties Of
the people by q sort of dry rot The Gov.
ernment was not to be overthrown by
violence, but by corruption Of the ballot
box. Mr.. Hampton said that Mr.. Hoar
might instruct Massachusetts, in her duty
under the Constitution before he condemned
other States. That State dsfranchised 1885,
900 men under the educational quali6ca-
tion, yet she kept her full popular represen.
tation in Congress, in violation of the Con-
stitution. In further remarks he said Hoar
had fallen into a mistake very common at
the North-that where the colored people
make up majority Of the population there
must he Republican majority; no greater
mistake could be made. He ventured to
say there were tens of thousands of colored
men in his own State who were as earnest
Democrats as he was. He believed he could
20 into his State and be elected by negro votes
alone. The negroes realized that they were
better off under Democratic rule than Repub-
lican. He had beaten in the canvass against
Chamberlain by their votes, and he had told
them then that if they were in Massachusetts
where Chamberlain came from they might be
as good citizens as any one, but unless they
could read and write they could not vote.
An animated running debate followed, in
which Messrs. Hampton, Butler, Hoar and
Teller took principal parts, and which turn
ed upon the evidence taken before the Wal
lace committee and the Interpretation of it in
various ways. A loud, desultory, running
debate was then brought on by the assertion
of Mr.. Teller that the Democrats we're