San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-17
GOOD REASON FOR 1T.

meet with the approval of a single
democratic journal in the country.
Not one of these journals will deny
the authority of congress under the
constitution to pass such q law, and
none of them can truthfully deny that
without such law there will not be
held an honest election in any con-
gressional district in which there is a
considerab BILE colored vote. There are
only two valid objections against the
law, that is valid from democratic
standpoint. Either the upholders of
the democratic doctrine of states
rights are alarmed at this exercise of
its constitutional powers by congress
or the democracy are alarmed at the
prospect of an honest election in those
congressional districts where colored
voters are found in considerable num-
bers. These two reasons, virtually
one, are at the bottom of all opposition
to national election law. 1t matters
not in what guise it comes, such law
will be unwelcome to southern demo-
Gratis who know far better than their
northern allies can know that the
polling of fair vote in the South, tol-
lowed by an honest count would for
ever break the ranks of the Solid
South and put the control of the Ma
tional House of Representatives in the
hands of republicans for a half cen
fury to come. When a law regulat-
ing national elections is designated
by prominent democratic journal
las a political law to keep the presi-
dent in power" it is virtual admis-
sion that without such law he would
be kept out of power. The con-
ditions of supervision under the law
as proposed and favored, being such
as to prevent fraud by every posi-
BILE safeguard, such admission as is
made above, is an admission that only |
by fraud can a republican president
be kept out of power. There would
be no objection of any moment to
such a law by the democrats in New
York, Ohio, Massachusetts, Wiscon-
sin, Indiana and other northern
states, because there the suppression
of the repub lican vote as it is regular
ly suppressed in the south is an i'm
possibility. 1t is tor the purpose of
the southern republican |
vote that this federal supervision of
congressional elections is so de-
nounced, because the suppression of
that vote is the only hope of southern |
democrats for the perpetuation of the |
solid south. There is not a valid |
against the law. Congress |
has the constitutional right to super
wise its own elections, and there is no |
doubt that the national supervision
would be less subject to sectional con-
troll than sectional supervision.
The entire country is involved in
all that concerns national politics
and the country has a right to de-,
mand that in the election of members,
to the national congress the rights Of
the voters of every section are main
tanned equally with those of every
other section. The repu blicans of the
nation have been most unjustly de-
prived of the votes in congress which
their southern colleagues would have
cast for the last twenty years had as
free a ballot and as tair a count OBJ
tanned In the south as in the north.
There is no doubt of the authority of
congress to enact the law. There is
no doubt that without the law south
ern republicans are defrauded of
their ballots, and democratic con-
gressmen elected instead of republi-
cans in republican districts. There
is no doubt that this thing will con-
tinue until the law is enacted. There
is no doubt that democrats and repub-
licans alike understand this. There
is also very little doubt that the law
will pass before another congressional
election is held.
THE probabilities now are that the
Worlds fair business will not be taken
up this year. Congress, if it follows
it's usual custom, will adjourn the last
of this week and sessions will not be
renewed until the Monday after
Christmas. There will then be rush
of business and action will depend