San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1890-07-31
Federal Election Dill.
SPEECH OF HON. LITTLET0N W.
MOORE, OF TEXAS.
In the House of Representatives, Mon
day, June 80, 1890.

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alton the bill (H. II, 11045) to amend
and supplement the election laws Of
the United States
Mr.. Moore, of Texas said;
Mr.. Speakers We have witnessed
in this House within a few briel
months the most remarkable revolu'
ton that has occurred since our Con
stitution was ordained and this Gov
eminent OF States adopted 1t may
be instructive to note its processes
and progress. This session OF Con-
gress found the Republican party in
majority OF three. The first stop
in this revolution was to so organize
the House and adopt such rules that
this slender and unreliable majority
might be increased, by turning out
the representatives of the people and
placing in their stead it's own crea-
lures, by which you now have ma
jority of twenty, md yet to be in
creased by the same mode as further
exigencics of your party may de-
mand.
All parliamentary distractions to
these revolutionary proceedings were
to be removed A quorum is to be
counted by the Speaker. The yea
and.nay vote required to be entered
upon the House Journal to be kept
by the House under the Constitution
is to DO so changed rs that The Speak
err adds thereto snch persons only
as lie designates to make up a quo
rum.
One hundred members to constl-
tute u quorum in the Committee OF
the Whole for the purpose of con-
sidering all bills of appropriation,
and such also as make a charge upon
the people A Committee on Rules
to be appointed by the Speaker, OF
which he should be chairman, alone
to present such bills as the Speaker
should decide might be considered,
with power in thia committee to pro-
pose the previous question, thus limit
ing debate and preventing any amend
ments.
These, Mr. Speaker, wero the pro-
cesses to be used, and with what
moderation the proceedings OF this
House too painfully will show.
In this mode you have increased
the burdens of taxation imposed by
your tariff from 43 per cent. to 81
per cent.
You have defeated tho will Of the
people, who demanded such remedial
change in our financial policy by
which we might have larger volume
of currency, and instead of giving us
free coinage of silver yon have utter
ly and completely demoralized it.
None of these wrongs and oppres-
sions would you have attempted until
you wrested from the representatives
of tho people their usual and rightful
powers,
All things now being ready, you
and your party have entered upon
the final stage of this revolution, rs
exhibited in this Federal election
bill. Two days you allow for general
debate and two days to consider the
same by sections and to offer amend
ments, when the previous question is
ordered! This, Mr.. Speaker, is the
refinement of cruelty, for your mercy
could have better been shown by re-
fusing all debate and opportunity to
amend n most complex bill of seventy
three pages, when the House must
know such timo is wholly insult
cient
Your party is impatient ofrestraint,
your work of obstruction is yet in.
complete. The members of this
House whom your party counted in
from the South by turning out Dem
ocrats are anxious to give expires
sion of their gratitude, nndyo may
well count upon them to n man to
vote for any law that will humiliate
and degrade the South.
I regret, Mr.. Speaker, that in The
time allotted me 1 can not analyzC
this bill and expose its unjust, dan
gerous, and unconstitutional provis
ions us l would wish 1 shall dea'
in no invective, vituperation, or re-
elimination, the occasion and the
hour demand of us the most consider
ate Judgment and sober. deliberate
expression.
II the condition Of the States or
any one Of them is such, demanding
such radical change in the mode Of
choosing Representatives as is pro
vided in this bill. then indeed is oul
Republic ia danger. More than {