The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-01-31
Shermar's Ambition

GleJLQ6C Am DlL4On
A Washington correspondent of western
newspaper says Senator Sherman has aban-
dcned the hope Of being President, and has
no desire to be a member Of Gen. Harrison's
cabinet. The senator wants to stay in the
Senate during the remainder of his public
career, and TO connect his name with legis-
lation of some kind that will insure him en-
during fame.
The correspondent says that he recently
had a talk with the senator about the bill
to give the federal government control of
congressional elections, which the senator
introduced into the Senate a few days ago
with the statement that he did so 5v re-
quest. II seems that the work of framing
this bill was done by the senator himself,
and that he proposes to make the greatest
effort of his life TO get 1t passed.
The provisions of the bill have been stated
in the dispatches. They provide for divorc-
ing congressional from state, county and
municipal elections, and for the appoint
ment Of state canvassing boards and con-
gressional district returning boards. They
also provide for federal judges of election
and for federal officers to maintain order at
the polls.
Although the bill applies to the whole
country, it is intended only for the south.
Senator Sherman pretends TO believe that
the elections in the south are not fair. He
insists that the negroes are not permitted to
vote freely, and that the ballots Of those
who do vote are not counted Without
knowing the actual condition Of affairs in
the south relative to the negro vote he pro-
poses 10 urge the passage Of a bill which
would be more centralizing in its effects
than any law ever enacted by congress.
1t may be that Senator Sherman believes
that the colored vote is suppressed, and 10
sincere in advocating the bill in question,
but would 1t not be advisable for him before
he urges the bill TO find out whether the
negro vote is suppressed, or whether negroes
fail to vote because they are indifferent
about the result of congressional electionsl
The Republican party in the south is
without organization. 1t does not except
in a few districts, nominate candidates for
congress. The negroes remain away from
the polls because they don't care who is
elected to congress. They don't know any
thing about the issues involved in the cleo
tions and the majority couldn't understand
them even if they were TO make an effort to
do SO.
There arc two ways to get the negroes to
the polls in congressional elections. One is
to offer TO pay them for their votes, and the
other is to send election agents among them
to tell them that they are in danger of
losing their liberty and of being deprived
NJ bair Vii - u 81
lican ticket.
1t looks as if the purpose of the Sherman
bill were not to secure fair elections, but to
afford the republican party an excuse for
coercing the negro to vote the republican
ticket by means Of federal agents With
the ballot boxes under the control of repub.
lican election officers, the republican party
hopes TO get the negro vote into the ballot
boxes, and if it fails in doing that, its pur-
pose probably is to make good use Of the
returning board machinery, for which the
bill makes such ample provision.
Senator Sherman would not have intro. |
duced his congressional elections bill if con-
gress and the administration were not re-
publican, not only because such bill would
stand no chance of passing, but also be-
cause neither he nor his party would want
the federal government to control con-
gressional elections, if the returning and
boards were to be appoin ted by
a democratic President. The purpose is
doubtless to pass the bill during the next
congress with the expectation that it will
enable the Republican party to keep itself
in power II this is Senator Sherman's
ambition it is not a very high one.