Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-12-25
HIGGINS ON THE roRcE BILL.
The Delaware Senator Approves TIL,
Iniquitous Measure.

The Delaware Senator Approves the
Ubiquitous Measure.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.-1n the Senate
this morning the discussion Of the Election
bill was resumed, Mr.. Higgins taking the
floor.
The pending measure went, he said, but
slightly beyond the one now on the statute
books. It did not in any way take the
control of elections from the state author
tiles. The whole subject of elections was
left by the pending bill to the states and
all the defamation against it as to its in
tertering with elections in the states was
groundless, and rested on nothing but bald
MISREPRESENTATION. Itwas confined entirely
and exclusively to the guiding and scrutin-
iaing of elections for the lower House Of
Congress.
He commented upon Mr.Stewart's oppo-
sition tothe bill and said that that Senator s
objection to il was not that it had faults
but that it did not have faults-not that it
was a force bill. but that it was not force
bill.
Replying to some Of Mr. Gray's argu-
lnents against the bill on the ground that
the appointment of supervisors was given
TO the circuit judges, Mr.. Higgins under
took to show that in various states
Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina and
others-county commissions (who had the
appointment of judges and clerks of cleo
non at the precincts) were not elected by
the people, but were appointed by the gov
ernor or the legislature; and that in that
respect the pending bill was not open to
attack.
lie discussed at length the manage
lnent of elections in various states Gnclud-
ing Delaware) in order to show the neces-
sity existing for such reform as is pro-
posed in the pending measure. lfhe could
reach the iniqnity of such election frauds
by q Federal election law, he would like to
do it. Why, he asked. should the purity
Of elections be secured for a city and de-
MED for county or state? AS to the
claim ofsouthern senators that they feared
and could not endure negro domination,
Mr.. Higgins asserted his belief that there
never was n day when the southern white
leaders could not have had the hearty sup
port and following of the black man of the
south for the asking. He had always con-
sidered that the cneg great service which the
Democratic party had rendered was its
corraling and bringing into its fold all the
people who. from nativity and other cir
cumstances, were the least fitted to dis
charge the functions of American citizens;
and why he asked, had not the southern
white Democrats done the same with the
blacks?
Mr.. Higgins denied that the problem of
manhood suffrage had ever had chance
81 WY Iit btbtNtu illWb tilc Dill
commended itself to the conscience and to
the support of the American people. He
believed that the bill was moderate, neces
sary and just that it ought to pass, and
that ii would pass.
Mr.. Gray replied to Mr.. Higgins strict
ures upon the State of Delaware, and said
that he had never before known senator
to take advantage of his position in order
to traduce and vilify the people who had
honored him with seat in the Senate, but
he (Mr. Cray would not admit that there
was particle of justification for what his
colleague had said. He would content
himself with putting his emphatic mega
tive to any inference that might be drawn
from his silence-any inference that it was
an admission, expressed or implied that
there was a particle Of truth or founda-
ton in anything his colleague had said.
Mr., Higgins said that it was not the first
time that it was assumed by those who
were responsible for Democratic policy and
institutions that they were the policy and
institutions of the people, and were there
fore to be exempt from criticism