Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-12-07
A Long Step Toward Despotism

ant part OF the Presidents message,
the one which overshadOws all others
in importance, is the recommends
tim of legislation to place congress
ional elections under Federal control.
All of our readers may not under
stand the full significance of this
scheme, which is the furthest step in
the direction Of Centralism ever
suggested. President HarrisOn's
plan may be regarded as substantially
embodied in the bills which have
already been introduced in the
United States Senate by Senators
Sherman and Chandler. Mr.. Chand-
Ter recognizes the force of the opposi-
ton to the proposition in the North,
and therefore in terms limits the
application of his bill to the States Of
South Carolina, Mississippi and
Louisiana. Senator Sherman's bill is
general in its application, but, of
course, is intended merely as an in
strument of tyranny and oppression
in the South. Otherwise the
principal features ofthe two measures
are the same. If the scheme pro-
posed should become law President
Harrison will be empowered to APP
point a Board of State Canvassers
consisting of five members for each
State and an Electoral Board for each
Congressional District, consisting of
three members. They are to mold
Office for life. The Electoral Board
must appoint a registrar and three
judges for each precinct and are
empowered to increase the number
of voting precincts I'D HJit,tm. These
are to hold their Office for six years,
subject to removal at any timeif they
fail to discharge their duties to the
satisfaction of-well, we may say, the
Republican party. Their duties are
to register the votes, count the bal
lots, correct Irregularities" C) and
"declare the result"
The mere statement of the terms of
the bill presents upon the face of it
all that can be said in condemnation
of the scheme. 1t would create a
vast and powerful machine absolute
ly under the control of the President
ofthe United States, whose appOintees
would have almost absolute power in
congressional elections. There would
be an army of more than half a mil.
lion offlcehOlders absolutely under his
) control. Every precinct would have
its returning board" empowered tC
overturn the expressed will Of the
people in obedience to the will of the
President of the United States. With
, such tremendous machine in the
, control of the President he would
have the elections absolutely in hi,
, own hands. Congress would bt
} simply his creature, and the means
| for perpetuating his own powel
: would be as great as any despot cOulC
5 desire. Once let such law become
2 a fixture upon our statute books, anC
! we may bid farewell to popular cleo
/ lions and popular liberty. 1t woulC
| be Capitalization in its worst, it
5 most despotic form, for it would
virtually give 10 one man the pOwe
9 to veto the popular will. We know
e what such Il law would mean for tn
t South, and especially for the furthe
Southern States. The burglars ant
t chicken thieves, from VIII Sc rank
r the Federal appOintees for thos
States have been largely chosen b.
e the present Administration, w0uI
= doubtless furnish acceptable workme
e for the operation of this huge ma
IS chine. Elections would be "A farce
= mere form for registering the will {
IF the dominant party or the Suprem
l. dictator at Washington.
II If any political party in Gres
5. Britain were to champion such la
+. it would be crushed beneath an aV;
t. lanche of popular indignation.
e would require bayOnets and canno
Of to force such law upon the Englis
y people. No English monarch wOul
d imper!l his throne by asking for sue
1t power. Yet here in the most enligh
l. ened republic upon earth we find
great political party and its chose
q head gra"ely considering or activel
ID urging scheme having all II
|. essential features of despOtism in i
Of manifest tendency and containin
v. the most tremendous pOtentialiti
" for the utter destruction of populi
- liberty. President Harrison h;
" declared war against not only II
We South, but against the genius
lg American institutions and the pc
In petuity of the American Republi