Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-11-14
THURSDAY. NOVEMBER IA, 1855
A National Election-Law.

When the news first reached Us Of the
recent overwhelming and surprising Demo
cratic victories in Iowa. Ohio. New York,
Now Jersey. and Virginia We jumped to
the conclusion that the voice Of the people
would deter the Republican conspirators
in Washington from attempting 70 pass a
national election-law few days later
we expressed the fear that we had possibly
made that prediction before the facts justi-
fed us in doing so. There arc few Re-
publicans in the House Of Representatives
who are opposed to such a law, but their
number is 30 small compared with then
Der who favor it that the prospect OF It's
passage is almost enough 10 make one
despair Of the republic. The caucus Will
be resorted 10, il is apprehonded, and the
half dozen Republican opponents OF this
wicked partisan scheme Will be whipped
into the traces.
We think that all the Republican State
conventions Of this year incorporated into
their platforms resolution declaring in
favor Of Federal supervision of all congress
sional elections. We might claim, there
fore. that the results of the late elections
show that the people Of the North have
condemned that scheme But we see no.
thing to justify the hope that the Republi-
can leaders will for that reason abandon 1t.
II is a scheme for Republicanizing the
South and thus perpetuoting indefinitely
the rule Of the Republican party all over
the Union. The prospect of ruling the
South from Washington, rs in reconstruc-
IL. L..f la. - a "a a
unprincipled carpet baggers and scalawags,
is pleasing TO the enemies of peace and
harmony between the two great sections Of
the Union.
The national organ Of the Republican
party, which is also the personal organ Of
Secretary BLAISE, may be presumed TO
speak for the Administration when it dis
cusses such questions a. the one now under
consideration. The utterances Of that
paper-the New York Trijpne-aTord no
reason for crediting the Republicans with
n willingness 20 conform their legislation
TO the will Of the people, as expressed last
week at the ballot-box. On the contrary,
those utterances indicate purpose to defy
the people and to proceed TO enact what
ever laws il may be necessary to enact IN
order to enable the Republican plunderers
to keep their hands in the national
Treasury. Here is a specimen of the
TritamSs outgivings:
"There never was a notion more plainly mis-
taken than that the people OF q given state are
the only ones concerned IN the Federal elections
within that state. Every vote that IL fraudu-
lenily cast or counted, every legal vote that II
rejecfed, prevented, or thrown out In a congrcs-
sional election In Texas. - az great an outrage
upon the people OF Maine az upon those OF the
district wherein the unlawful eci occurs.
An this talk about the proposition 90 author
ize Federal supervision Of congressional cleo
lions 20 the effect that II Is a scheme 10 inter
.ere with the rights OF the state II, therefore,
the plsinest nonsense. When mans life il the
price OF his ballot in Federal election anywhere
IN America, something must be done"
The Tribune begs the question. It as
sumes that elections held under State su-
pervision are fraudulently conducted, and
that elections held under Federal supervi-
sion would be fair elections. But this is
exactly the reverse of the truth. Federal
elections would be more fraudulent than
are State elections by as much as three hun
dred millions of dollars exceeds from one
10 ten millions of dollars. Fraud, corrup-
ton, violence, cheating of all sorts. would
run riot i'll elections controlled from Wash
ington. The stealing of the Legislature of
Montana and of two United States scna-
tors from that State was accomplished
under laws passed by Congress. Federal
supervision of elections resulted in that
case just as it would result in every case
in which it might be tried In Montana
81 every vote that was fraudulently cast or
counted, every legal vote that was reject
ed or thrown out" was cast, counted, re-
jected, or thrown out under Federal laws
and Federal supervision.
A Federal election-law would offer pre-
MUM for false counting. cheating, bull
doing, bribery. and corruption of every
sort. The handling of the hundreds of
millions Of dollars that annually flow into
the Federal Treasury would tempt Repub-
lean election officers to commit whatever
crimes it might be necessary TO commit in
order to secure the handling of that money
for themselves and their bosses at Wash
ington. In fact, no worse scheme than the
proposed national election-law has ever
been seriously proposed by any respectable
party or any respectable number Of men in
this country. The success of that scheme
would be the death of the republic.