Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1889-01-25
A Change Not Wanted.

1t is evident that the Republican
leaders do not mean to wait for a new
President and q new Congress before
disclosing their intention to break the
solid South. In the Congressional
Election bill. introduced by Senator
Sherman on Tuesday, they have shown
their hand. Of course, they do not
expect to pass the bill a. present, but
they mean to have it ready for enact
ment as soon as their party has con-
troll of the legislative and executive
departments of the Federal Govern
ment. !.
Mr.. Sherman's bill provides that af-
ter May 1, 1890, the President shall
appoint-the law. be it observed, will
be mandatory. not permissive, and
therefore will not authorize the Chief
Magistrate to discriminate betwe cen
the Northern and Southern States
State Canvassing Board and Congress
sional District Boards, the latter be-
ing directed to appoint registrar and
three judges Of election in every voting
precinct. That is to say, the recep.
tion, custody, counting, and certify
ing of the votes cast FOR Congressman
will be exclusively delegated to Fed
eral officers. When this law is put in
force, the Congress elections will be
as independent OF State. county, or
municipal authorities as if thev took
place in another planet.
The power of Congress to regulate
the times, places, and manner of hold.
ing elections for members of the House
of Representatives cannot Re disputed,
seeing that it, 10 expressly conferred
by Art. l. sec. 6 Of the Constitution.
The designation Of Presidential cleo
tors cannot be thus controlled BY the
Federal Government, except through
q construction Of the Fifteenth Amend.
ment, In cases where the rights of 70
ters have been abridged on account of
race, color, or previous condition of
servitude. The general rule is FORMS
lated in Art. II. sec. ofthe Constitu-
tion, under which Congress may indeed
determine the time of choosing the
Presidential electors, but the place
and manner are left to the State Leg
islatures. Mr.. Sherman accordingly
confines himself to saying in his bill,
somewhat superfluously, that the
State Legislatures may direct the
election of Presidential electors in the
same manner as that prescribed for
Congressmen. He suggests, however.
3 pecunlary indictment BY providing
that in such case the expense of choos-
ing Presidential electors shall be borne
by the Federal Treasury.
This bill is obviously expected to
promote the interests Of the RepubIi-
can party in two ways. Not, indeed,
that any one anticipates that any
State Legislature will, for the sake of
escaping moderate expenditure, vol.
UNFAIRLY abandon an important safe
guard of ito reserved rights BY com.
mitting to Federal oficeholders its
control over the place and manner Of
choosing Presidential electors. Sena-
tor Sherman contemplstes two fold
advantage. In the first place, he looks
forward to the gain of Republican
Representative in every Southern Con-
gress District where, according to the
census, there Is q majorit, of negro
citizens. He hopes, secondly, to ac-
quire strong evidence of fraud or in
rimidation, where any may be discov-
ered-if in q Louisiana district, for
example, the full negro vote should
be polled at the Congress election con-
trolled by Federal officers. and only
small fraction of it at q Presidential
election regulated BY State and local
authorities. What he wants is to OBJ.
tain in this way material on which to
demand the enforcement of the Fiji.
-teenth Amendment by appropriate leg
islation.
There is, however, this consolation
The Republican majority in the next
House will be 80 small that it will
hardly venture to propose any legis-
lation for the Southern States about
whose justice and constitution.lity
there is doubt. That Congress has
power to define the time, place, and
manner Of electing members Of the
House of Representatives nobody will
deny. But let the Republicans try
to 60 one step further, and they may
find the.:Democrats still strong enough
to offer the insuperable obstruction
which they offered once before on
memorable occasion under the sturdy
and unyielding leadership of Samuel
j. Randall.
Hon. John E. Russell, of Massachusetts,,
in an address delivered before Tho Mary
land Farmers Convention in Baltimore,
spoke as follows on the subject Of the fol-