The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-05-24
UNCLE SAM HAS BEEN HOODWINKED.
Congressional Elections Down South
and the Bills Before Congress.
Letters Sent to Washington by Ezra,
King of the Cranks.
Something About Gen. King, who
viii Visit Us In July.
Especial to the Press. ]


WASHINGTON, May 23.-A federal election
bill seems almost certain of long and stormy
consideration in this Congress. The Repub.
hcans are endeavoring to perfect such a
measure as will promise to give fair elec.
tions in the South, while the Democrats are
preparing in every way possible to oppose
The enactment of federal election law does
not mean the beginning of such new and
unprecedented policy as the Democrats
would have the public believe. Interference
of the national government with the elec.
tions of congressman has been the policy OF
this government since 1871 certainly In that
year there was enacted the supervisor law,
which has been on the statute books ever
since, and which has been used more or less
every year. when there have been congress
sional elections. The clause of this law re.
lating to the supervision by.federal officers
is as follows:
Whenever, in any city or town having upwards
OF 20,o0o inhabitants, there are two citizens
in any district SSSey re or pa @
zens thereof of good standing, who, prior to any
registration of voters for an election for repre-
sentative or delegate in the, Congress of the
United States, or prior to any election at which q
representative or delegate in Congress of the
United States is to be voted for, may make known
IN writing to the judge of the Circuit Court of the
United States for the circuit wherein such:city Or
town. county or parish, is situated, their desire to
nave such registration. or such election, or both,
guarded and scrutinized the Judge, within not
less than ten days prior to the REGISTRATION if one
there be, or If no registration be required within
not less than ten days prior to the election shall
open the circuit court at the most convenient
point in the circuit
The court, when so opened by the Judge, shall
proceed to appoint and commission from day TO
Under nj
the Judge, and under the seal of the court for
each election district or voting precinct in such
city or town, or for such election district or vot
ing precinct In the congressional district, as NAV
nave applied in the manner hereinbefore prescri6-
ca, ana 70 revoke change, or renew such appoint
ment from time to time, two citizens, residents of
the city or town. or of the election district or vo
ing precinct In the county or parish, who shall be
and Wre be ESssPP parties and be able to
be known and designated as supervisors of cleo
tionS.
This is the federal election law of the
present time. 1t may be called into use in
any congressional district in the United
States; and it is called into use in large cities
like New York and in turbulent distri cts
like those of the South in every year when
there are congressional elections
But this law is not effectual, at least not in
the South 1t involves the principle that
the national government has the right to see
about the election of the Representatives to
Congress. but does not provide sufficient
safeguards to make sure that that superyis-
ion shall be effectual. In the Southern
States, where the supervisors are most need
ed, numberless ways have been found
to make this law dead letter.
The elections forCongressmen are held at the
same time with the local state and county
elections. Hence, the United States super
visors are put it at the polling places with
other election officers appointed or elected
under state authority. In South Carolina.
where the election machinery is all in the
hands of the governors, the state election
officers are all Democrats. According TO the
DA1eod oSaScS law Vuo "a Gno OniIou oIaEoS
supervisors is Democrat, so it happens that
The one Republican United States supervisor
inds himself associated with four or five
Democrats, and he is sure to be intimidated
and kept from his duty unless he i S man of
great force of character and not little in
difference to life and property. The result
is that the United States supervisor turns
out to be mere fgurehead both in South
Carolina and in other Southern States, where
it is the policy of the Democrats to defraud.
The United States of America already inter
feres in Southern elections, but is hood
winked every time. The question up for
now, is whether the govern
ment shall continue to be hoodwinked or
whether it shall do what it has been prefess-
the lone Republican supervisor shall be left
to fight it out alone for twenty more years
In the polling places in the South.
There are three distinct measures before
Congress for making effective Federal su-
pervision of Federal elections, which means
the elections for congressman alone. There
is the Hoar bill in the Senate and the Rowell
and Lodge bills in the House.
The Hoar and the Rowell bills proceed
upon the same plan, which is to extend and
strengthen the system which we now have In
the election bill passed in 1871, the super
visor system. Both Mr.. Hoar and Mr.. Row.
ell recognize the helplessness of the one Re-
publican supervisor who is placed in the
ward room with Democratic supervisor
and with several Democratic election judges.
So they provide in their bills for three
one for each party, and a third who
would be- aRepublican probably or some man
of independent convictions. So there would
probably be two instead of one to thwart
the schemes of the Democratic election offic-
would have more backbone than one this
plan is an Improvement, of course. In regard
to the duties of these supervisors in found
the essential differences between the Hoar
and the Rowell bills. The Hoar bill provides
that the United States supervisors in each
voting place shall make up the return of the
vote in connection with the state officers, all
the officers of election at the precinct unit
ing in return to the chief supervisor of
elections for the district and to the clerk of
the United States lC0urt. The Rowell bill
provides that the United States supervisors
of fhatr
own to the chief supervisor, while the state
officials make return through the accustomed
channels. If these two returns are found
the same the candidate who appears to be
elected will be allowed to take his seat on
the assembling of Congress. But If the SUI
peryisors' returns show one man elected
while the state returns show,E another,
neither will be allowed to take the seat in
Congress until the contest is passed upon
Both bills make elaborate provision to Sc
cure fairness in counting and also in regis
tration, although the state registrations are
not interfered with; but both bills rely for
effectiveness upon the supervisor system,
which is now in vogue, but which would be
amplified and strengthened.
But when we turn to the Lodge bill we
find an altogether different plan proposed.
Mr.. Lodge originally had in his bill provis-
ion for the application of theiAustralian sys-
tenn but that was too radical a change for
states with so large an illiterate vote as the
S0utlern OCaLeS, anu MT. L0QR6 mas Ielt
constrained to withdraw this feature so far
as making it mandatory is concerned. His
bill would have the method of casting
the ballot conform to the practice of the
various states. But this is the only respect
In which he would defer to the state meth
DDS. He would have the United States take
control of every polling place of the nation
so far as the election of congressman is con-
although he would not have these
United States officers interfere with the
state elections, of course. The United States
would do its own registration, have its own
ballot boxes, attended to by election officers
acting under the authority of the United
States instead of under the authority of the
state or towns, and have its own count and
returns. State officers would have nothing
to do with 1t, the United States paying all
the bills even.
. There Is further and very important diff
terence between the Lodge bill and the
Hoar and Rowell bills. The Hoar and
Rowell bills do not make the employment of
Supervisors universal. 1t is only when a
certain number of voters apply to the United
States Circuit Court that United States su-
perVisors may be appointed. But under the
Lodge bill there would be no need of appli-
cation, for every voting place would be under
the control OF United States officers.
Between the two ideas there is a great
balancing off of opinions, of course. The