Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-11-30
The Federal Election Bin

As It now seems apparent that
something resembling the bin re-
ported as having been prepared by
senator John sherman for the regu-
lation of Federal elections, win be
presented and discussed in the com
ing session of Congress, it would
seem that the supreme moment will
soon have arrived when the contest
bstween the centralizing party, and
the party # State rights and local
autonomy is to be decided. be
greatest struggle that has ever yet
been made between the two great
artics of the country will hinge NJ
n the attempt TO control the elec'
ons in the tates by the centralized
power of the Federal governm ent.
the entral government assumes
the control f the choice of the
States Of their representatives, the
voice of the States will be forever
siienced.
The elegant and philosophical
Southern orator, W. H. Grady, dis
cussiug the method of Strengthening
thp government of the United State
said truly that the way to ma5e the
vemmcnt stronger in the hearts Of
the people was;
"To exalt tie hearthstone-to
treugthen the home to build W
.he individual to magnify and
lefand the priu"il al of local self
government. Not by depreciation of
the Federal Government, but to its
! iory not to weaken the republic
out to strengthen it; NOS 70 cheek
the rich blood that flows to its heart.
bnt t. send 10 full snd wholesome
from healty members rather than
from a(hered and diseased ex-
tremi.ies.'
The power of the great general
government does not consist in
grasping The powers of the people in
he hands OF single individual or Of
oomtinatan Of few individuals,
Or , holding the entire control
widely scattered sections in the
hands of a strong central power.
Ours is too large a domain to be
held in subsection by an administra-
ton composed of men who are
strangers to the wants of any but a
small portion of the country, In the
words Of recent speaker:
"The history Of the growth Of
rec institutions is a history of tn
7rcl r,neEl II local seif-goveru
,n'. That is tIl,ir WALKING rril
,iple Under no Other theory or
practice do we reach the goal OF
government by the people, that be-
longs to the people, not the govern
ment to which the people belong.
That government that deals with a
citizen at long range becomes his
matter, no matter what its name may
be or how its machinery may work.
That government hat he can hold
Immediately under his own eye, on
which he can constantly keep his
hand, that is his servant"
The assumption by our federal
government of the methods of elect
lag members of Congress from the
States would not be submitted to by
the people of even the strongest
the republican States, if the methods
were applied to them. 1t is there
fore to I've the policy, we are told, to
apply the new methods only to the
States in which it is said the colored
voters are deprived of suffrage. 1t
would not he hard to demonstrate
that the votes of thousands of white
men in the Northern republican
states are as effectually controlled
as are those of the colored people
OF the outh.
BY what right does this admins
tration claim to pass a sectional
election law? Why in a common
union of States shall one system Of
election be prescribed for one por-
ton Of the country that would moi
be submitted to by the other? L;
the South to be looked on or treated
forever as "a conquered province
That coarse was tried long enough
ii was thought to convince the peopl,
Of the North that true peace coul(
never be conquered. England has
for centuries been trying to hole
Ireland in an enforced union, but i
is no peaceful union. Nor will i
ever he union Of peace in this re
publican country, if the effort of th,