The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-06-05
. NEW PLAN OF EXPERIMENTATION

ANEW PLAN OF EXPERIMENTATION
The Republicans evidently have been
perfecting a plot to change the rules OF
the House Of Representatives. in order
that they may work their own sweet
will in arbitrarily counting out Demo
cratic representatives and passing such
acts as 60 allow the contamination OF
their pet plan to erect great majority
in the South. Tie proposed arbitrary
majority is to be built up on the great
idea Of the Republican party, that a
State with negro majority OF popula-
ton is necessarily Republican, whether
the negroes vote or not, and
must be counted Republican according
TO the census, and not according to the
count at the polls. Or in other words,
when a Congressional committee have
the report of the Federal election SUI
porvisors in the South to the effect that
certain districts voted a majority for
the Democrats, but that the negro popu-
latiOn is really in the majority, the
committee, packed to carry out the
nefarious plan, turn to the census re-
port, which has been dOctored in
their interest, and at once decide that
the census report supercedes the vote.
In order to carry out that scheme
and regulate voting fiom Washington
or, rather, to count the vote ire
spscti,e OF the majority, the Repusli-
cans want to change the rules so that
the minority will lie vainly groaning
at the feet Of the majority when the
majority has only three or four at
most.
1t is true that obstructive legislation
is a great abuse when it is used-as was
evidently the case twice in the last
House merely in the interest of bad
measures, and by very small number
Of men.
But as bad as the possible abuses are,
and when it is seen that the presentrules
are the only barrier against the accom-
plishment of an Infamous wrong over
the people, il will not be the affair of
an abuse of the rules by few men,
but the necessity to hold ON to them
when 1t is the only protection against
the rascally scheme which we have
described.
Therefore, let the Democrats in the
House stand bravely together against
the fight to alter rules when the plain
object of it is to destroy fundamental
principle Of free government Should
such plot be carried out it might en-
able the Republicans to hold the fort
for some time by foul means, but in the
end the North would see that the
country cannot afford to tolerate such
high-handed outrage.
If the trial were not so bitter it
would Individually be better to see the
Republican party let loose, with all its
hounds Of hate and greed untethered,
until the unhallowed chase for tyran-
meal power outraged and insulted the
people beyond endurance, and the G.
o. Z. could DO hurled to the bottom of
final ruin.
We prefer to SEQ the Democrats meet
them calmly, but with determination,
when they make the first attack against
the rules. Obstructive legislation is
generally bad, but when there is no
other defense for the principles of pri-
vilege the people will applaud the Dem
Gratis of the House if they stand firm.
In organizing the new Congress it is
expected that the move would be not TO
adopt the rules Of the last Congress
without amending them, and right
there the Democrats will doubtless make
the FIGHT.