The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1890-12-12
overturcs for enlarged commercial az
THE trfERkATtoNAr.. .AsIERIcAN RANK.

overtures for enlarged commercial az
| changes.
THE INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN BANK.
Ihad occasion, III May last, to trans,ait to
| Congress a report adopted by the GEterL :
| tional American Conference upon the .uoIel :
/ of the incorporation of an f1terlsrscn~ -
American bank, with view TO facllifating
sented In that conference. SUCH an lnstltu
| ton would greatly promote the trade we ara
| seeking to develop. renew the recomTen-
| dation that a careful and well guarded char
| ter be granted.
RELIEF FOR THE SUPREME COURT.
! The bill for the relief of the Supreme Court
| has, after many years of discussion, reacneu
| q position when final action is easily attain
| able, and t il hoped. that any differences OF
! opinion may be SO barmOnized as to save the
| essential features Of this very importallt
measure. In this connecticut earnestly re.
| new my recommendation that the salaries or
| the Judges of the United States District
| courts be so readjusted that none or them
shall receive less than S., 900 per annum.
NATIONAL BANKRUPT LAW.
| The enactment CT National bankrupt law
| still regard as very desirable. The Constitu.
| tfon having given to Congress jurisdiction Of
| this subject it should be exercised and uni
| form rules provided for the administration OF
| insolvent debtors. The Inconvenience re-
| sulting from the occasional and temporary
exercise of this power by Congress, and from
| the conflicting State codes of insolvency
which come into force intermediately should
be removed by the enactment OF simple IN
! expensive and permanent National bankrupt
law.
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT.
also renew my accommodation in favor
OF legislation affording just copyright and
protection to foreign authoron a footing of
reciprocal advantage for our authors, abroad.
THE ARID REGIONS.
The subject of the conversion and equal
distribution of the water supply of the arid
regions has had much attention from Con-
| gress, but has not yet been put upon per-
manent or satisfactory basis. The urgency
Inf ~ elJh fllt
| large present demand for the use of these
| lands for agriculture, but out of the danger
| the necessary catch basins may fall
| into the hands of individuals or private
| corporations and be used to render subserv-
| lent the large areas dependent upon such
| supply.
THE POSTAL TELEGRAPH SCHEME.
The use of the telegraph by the Post Office
Department as a means for the rapid trans"
| mission of written communications is, be-
| 1ieVe, upon proper terms, quite desirable.
| The Government does not own or operate
! the railroads, and it should not, think, own
| or operate telegraph lines. 1t does, how
| for the Government to contract with
the telegraph companies, as it does
| with the railroad companies to carry at
! specified rates such communications
| as the senders may designate for this method
of transmission. recommend that such
| legislation be enacted as Will enable the
| Post Once Department fairly to test by eX-
| pertinent the advantages of such use of
the telegraph.
ELECTION LAWS.
If any intelligent and loyal company Of
American citizens were required to catalogue
| the essential humane conditions of National
| life, do not doubt that with absolute unaniDn-
| ity they would begin with free and honest
elections And it is gratifying to know gen
| orally there is a growing and non partisan
demand for better election laws. But against
this sign of hope and progress must be set
| the depressing and undeniable fact that elec-
ton laws and methods are sometimes cum
ningIy contriYed to secure minority control,
while violence completes the shortcomings
In my last annual message suggested that
| the develOpIG ent of the existing law, provid'
ing q Federal supervision of Congressional
elections offered an effective method of
forming these abuses. The need of such law
has manifested itself in many parts of the
country, and its wholesome restraints and
penalties will be useful in all. The COnstltu-
tionality of such legislation has been affirmed
by the Supreme Court. Its probable effect
iVeness is evidenced by the character of the
opposition that is made to it, 1t has been
denounced as if it weFe a new exercise OF
Federal power and an invasion of the rights
of the States. Nothing could be further from
the truth. Congress has already fixed the
time for the election of members of Con-
gress. It has declared that votes for mem
bers of Congress must be written or printed
ballots. 1t has provided for the appoint
ment by the Circuit Courts in certain cases,
and upon the petition of certain number OF
citizens of election supervisors, and made it
their duty to supervise the registration OF
voters conducted by the State officers; to
challenge persons offering to register; to
personally inspect and scrutinlze the
registry lists, and to af1x their names
to the lists for the purpose of identi-
fication and the prevention of frauds; to at
tend at elections and remain with the boxes
till the ballots are counted; to attach to the
registry lists and election returns any state
ment touching the accuracy and fairness OF
the registry and election, and to
take and transmit to the clerk OF
the House of Representatives any evil
be presented to them. The same law
provides for the appointment of Deputy
United States marshals to attend at the polIsI
support the supervisors in the discharge OF
their duties and to arrest persons violating
the election laws. The provisions OF TINS
familiar title of the revised statutes have been
put into exercise by both the great political
parties, and in the North as well as in the
south, by the filing with the court of the
The present law stops just a little
short of effectiveness, for it surrenders to
the local authorities all control over the
of Representatives. This defect should
be cured. Equality of representation
and the purity of the electors must be main
tanned, or every thing that is valuable in our
system of Government is lost. The qualifica-
tions of an elector must be sought in the
law, not in the opinions, prejudices, or fears
of any class, however, powerful. The
path of the elector to the ballot
box must be free from the ambush of fear and
the anticipation of fraud; the count so true
that none shall gainsay it. Such law should
be absolutely non partisan and impartial:
1t should give the advantage to honesty and
the control to majorties. Surely there is
nothing sectional about this creed, and II 10
shall happen that the penalties of laws in
tended to enforce these rights fall here and
not there, it is not because the law is sectional
but because, happily, crime is local and not
universal. Nor should it be forgotten that
every law, whether relating to elections
or to any other subject, whether
enacted by the State or by tho Ma
ton, has force behind it. The courts,
comitatus, the prison, are all and always
behind the law. One can not be Justly
charged with unfriendlness to any section
or class who seek only to restrain violations
of law and of personal right. No community
viii find lawlessness profitable. No commu-
nifty can afford to have it known that the
officers who are charged with the pres.
ervation of the public peace and
the restraint of the criminal classes
are themselves product of fraud or
violence. The magistrate is then without
respect and the law without sanction. The
floods of lawlessness can not be lcveed and
made to flow in one channel. The killing OF
a United States marshal carrying a writ OF
arrest for an election offshse is full OF
prompting and suggestion to men who
are pursued by city marshal Tor
a crime against life or properly.
But it is said that this legislation will revive
race animosities, and some have even sug-
fraud are made impossible that they may be
supplanted by intimidation and violence. II
the proposed law gives to any qualified
eIector by a hairs weight more than
his equal influence, or detracts by so
much from any other qualified elect.
if the law is equal and the animosites It is to
evoke grow out of the fact that some electors
have been accustomed to exercise the fran
chise for others as well as for themselves,