The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-20
STEWART OUT OF LINE.
HE BOLTS HIS PARTY ON THE
FORCE BILL.

He Points Out That the Employment
ofForce Means the determination of
Either the Whites or the Blacks-The
Opposition to the Force Bill of 1875
Recalled.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.-The election bill
was taken up in the Senate this afternoon,
and Mr.. Bate concluded his speech against
it. He declared that its effect would be the
organizing of mobs by the government
itself, and the leading os them by govern
nent officers AS this alien and sedition
laws had pulled down the older Adams,
this force bill. he predicted, would pull
down tho younger Harrison.
Mr.. Gibson opposed the bill as unseasona-
ble as belonging to another epoch, and as
not in keeping with the temper of the times.
1t comes like an arctic iceberg into a tenn
perate sea, but he believed that the senti-
ment of kindliness and brotherhood which
pervaded the Senate and country at large
would cause it to dissolve and disappear. 1t
was the most intensely partisan measure
that was ever before the Senate and ought
to be entitled "a bill to vest the supervis-
ion and control of elections in the Republi-
can party and to vest i:l that party perma-
nent organization of ths House of Repre-
sentatives."
At the close of Mr.. Gipson's speech the
Vice President announced the question to
be on Mr.. Gray's amendment TO strike out
the house-to-house provision, and asked
whether the Senate was ready for the ques-
ton.
Mr.. Gray withdrew the amendment leav-
ing the question to be on Mr.. Buffers
amendment declaring election supervisors,
deputy marshals, ETC., executive, not judi
cial officers.
APPOINTMENT OF CANvAssERs.
Mr.. Faulkner offered an amendment, of
which he had given notice The other day,
being a substitute for section IA, as to the
appointment of three election canvassers for
the state upon application therefor. He
had the floor to speak upon 1t, but yielded
TO MIR. Stewart, who made an argument
against the bill on the ground that an
attempt to execute it in the south would be
disastrous to both races. He believed that
the safeguards thrown around the elective
franchise in the great cities of the north
had been on the whole beneficial; but a
different problem was presented in the
south. He was a friend of the colored
man and deeply sympathized with him,
but he could not ask him to put his life in
jeopardy in order to fight political battle
for bis Mr. Stewarts) advantage. He was
equally friendly to the white man, and de-
sired to refrain from any act which might
seem to justify him (the white man in
making war upon the defenseless race which
congress had enfranchised.
WON'T BE DRIVEN.
Whatever was done in the matter of pro-
tecting suffrage at the south. unless it was
done through the voluntary action Of the
people OF that section, would hayeito result
In one or two things; If the negro were pro-
tected by force, the same force would in
evltably be driven to the necessity of de-
stroying his enemy. That involved the
enslavemenU and final extsrmination of the
whites. There was nothing more certain
than that. The employment of force would
result ultimately in the exterminatlon
either of the blacks or of the whites.
RECONSTRUCTION LEGISLATION.
He reviewed the re construction legisa-
ton, In which he had himself been a promi-
nent actor in the Senate, pointed out the
stringent provisions by which the protec-
ton of the negro voter was supposed to
have been all-sufficient, and quoted argu-
nents made by leading republicans in both
houses against suspension OF habeas
corpus, and against allowing the military
power of the United States to be exercised
IN the south during the presidency of Gen.
Grant. And he asked how, If Gen. Grant
mad been unable to protect the colored men
IA thelr right OF suffrage any other Presi-
DEBT could do better? If military power
was TO be used in the execution of the pend
ing bill, then the bill should be defeated:
ana, II 1t was to be dead letter, why pass
PUBLIC OPINION AGAI1JS 1T.
Public opinion at the south was entirely
against it, Instead of protecting the col
ored man it would bring upon him persecu-
tion and misery, il not death. No assump-
non OF party necessity could justify
AL1
Vi Tie Senate, he held, to trust to natural
causes, in the hope that they would remedy
Tue evil. The bill ought not to pass be-
cause It would never be enforced because
II would consolidate the southern whites;
Uecause 1t would bring further misery upon
ene southern blacks. and because it would
increase sectional animosities and kinde
anew the discords of the past.
THE FORCE BILL OF 1875.
Mr.. Stewart gave brief account Of the
supervisors election law. and of the act for
me suspension of the writ of habeas corpus
tt tte fecalled the speeches in opposition to
E,erorce bill Of 1875 made by Senators
george +. Hoar and J. r. Huwley, then
representatives. in the House. Among
Inc, nose then voting against the force
Gil Mr.. Stewart recalled Messrs. Foster.
UarneId, William Walter Phelps, Kasson
sna Kellogg. MIR. Hawley, he said, was
tty tepy strenuous in his opposition, declaring
y; SuaV there could be no genuine protection
it p sne south under legislative enactment.
aselerrlng to Mr. Hoar's speech of the last
SESSION, In which he stated that no
,IIlltary force would be used in
eue execution of the bill under
cGnsideration, Mr.. Stewart said that if this
h;i, rev OF the case be correct, the pending
b.4 snould be defeated. If the law was to
dead letter upon the statute books,
WY enact it! What good would it effecti
COULDN'T BE ENFORCED.
~ could no more be enforced by the courts
s.n %na lurles than the laws already upon the
saIute books could be, which, If they could
oenlorced, would be ample for the sup
Rtesslon of all the frauds complained of.
ho 1le effect of the bin, in his obinion would
y. W cause even sill bitterer race hatred.
ma suggested that the peti TONERS required
,re, anuer IL would become marked men, as
no"in NM also the supervisors, and from the re-
IN IN rs rs Oh the investigating committees, and
t,-aIH ~ ene knowledge obtained during the past
tbanVy years. it was plain what
Si'I SeI late would be. Unless congress was
tb1posed TO proceed 60 the remedy under
constitution that OF denying represen-
ob.s I'm oD account of exclusion from, or
th'aclss he TO the exercise of the franchise,
oaIy remedy that existed was ia the
s,atoieeinent Of the laws already on the