The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-30
BOOMING THE FORCE BILL
HIsCoOK AND HoAR SPEAK ITS
FAVOR.

mat 1nsre Should De ANY OppOSi-
ton to the Bill - The Democrats
Charged With Supporting Crime at
the Polls
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29--In the Senate
to-day Mr. Aldrich offered his resolution for
amendment of rules, which he had hereto
fore given notice Of, and asked tnat it be
printed and laid over.
AIR. Cockrel asked whether it was now in
order to move to refer the resolution to the
committee on rules.
Mr. Aldrich-Not now, That motion
will be in order when the resou ion comes
up. 1t is not now before the Senate.
Mr. Cockrell-Why is it nota
Nj. Aldrich--BY my asking that 1t go
over.
Mr.. Cockrell-Then the senator offers the
resolution and then objects to it-asking
that it go overa
Mr.. Aldrich-That is the practical effect.
Mr.. Cockrell-All right.
HIsCoCR ON THE ELECTIONS BILL.
The resolution went over.
The Senate, at Q O'Clock, resumed the con.
sideration of the elections bill and Mr..
Hoar yielded the floor to Mr.. Hiscock, who
addressed the Senate in support OF the bill,
He began by saying that 1t was remarkable
that the senators should hesitate in their
support of measures tending to secure honest
elections, promote public virtue and exact
conformity of administration to the will of
the people. National health and perpetuity
alike required that none but legal voters
should participate in elections; that each
legal voter should exercise that uncon-
strained privilege; that all ballots should
be honestly counted and certified, and that
each one should have its just weight in the
determination Of the final results.
GRAVITY OF THE ISSUE.
The gravity of the matter surpassed that
of all other questions pressing upon the
consideration of the Senate Except for
that gravity, mirth or contempt alone
would be excited by what had been said
against the passage of the pending measure.
Had it, he asked, occurred to the senators
on the other side that they might be secur-
ing license of criminals immunity
for crimes, rather than the ma
tional and political rights of the
people? In the light of the history of the
Democratic party, the debate, he said, must
be confusing to a disinterested observer.
The Republican party here had been
charged with attempting to subvert the
rights and liberties of the people for propos-
ing a measure tending only to preserve
their free voice in the government Of the
country.
GREAT GRIMES ALLEGED.
Great crimes committed against the elect
i've franc ise had been iguored or palliated
mot denied; and practices that in the past
had nullified, and il continued in the future
would nu.lify the will of the people, did
not receiv serious consideration from
the other side; and those who would
provide against them were arraigned
as wanting in respect for the
.I,.to.t - r. fk,ax anv,1a
spiritors against the will of the people, as
selfish, willful partisans, legislating for un-
lawful supremacy. He would not invade
the jurisdiction of the state to oppress or dis
franchise her people. But where con-
gress had constitutional power. as in this
case, to alleviate their wrongs or more per-
fectly to secure their rights in CO operation
with the state authority, the Senate
should not hesitate to aeco nplish it. One
of the paramount rights Of the qualified
citizen was to voice his choice as to VINO
should represent him in Congress, and that
franchise he (Mr. Hiscock) would protect
against all violence, obstruction or abridge-
unent, either by or without the sanction OF
the laws or by the connivance and frauds
of state officials or the rufianism of her
citizens
CONTENT WITH THE PRESENT ORDER.
The conclusion was Irresistible that the
Democratic party was content with the
present order of things, and purposed to
resist its improl ement. 1t was notorious,
and had been for years, that in large
northern cities crimes against free and law
ful suffrage tad been both common and
rnonstrous In their proportions and effect;
that legal voting and honest canvass
of the ballots under the state laws
were the exception to the rule; that frauds
equal to defeat of the will OF the majority
4 .,,NN. ad n
perpetrators were even rewarded ana not
punished: aud that the members OF the state
legislatures. representatives in congress,
presidential electors, judges, and governors,
had held and exercised the high func-
tions of their offices by titles rest
ing upon illegal votes and fraudulent
cenyasses. It was most remarKaoIe
that in the construction of the election laws
ii was contended that there should be that
laxity, absence of circumspectlon and ON ,
cial supervision that would guarantee 0ne
safety of illegal voters. of repeaters and
disho est ca vassers from detection and
punishment, and would guarantee immunity
70 tramps. thieves and the criminal popula-
zion of the great states. And IL was aIso
remarkable that every step OF progress III q
the other direction had been declaimed
against and disputed as an invasion oI One
liberties of the people.
WHO ARE THE
Who. he asked were the peoplef Were
only the vicious, evIl-minded and criminals
~ bioh and low degree to be counted In
that distinction. 1t had been urged that
the states had the power to prevent the
crimes complained of. That was granted
but that was not m iterial question. Dta
the states always exercise that power; ana
evan II the state made an effort honestly
ana succeeded, was that any reason
whv the nation, within her JurlS-
dictiou. should not watch electlonS anu
contribnte TO the defense against criminal
essaultsl II had been said that the Peno-
inc measure was partisan In its provlsio IS.
So far as possible that feature nad peeu
elimina ed but. in those large cities wnere r
tbe chief magistrate was usually demo- DEMO
cratic and the state officials democra &c,
and the police democratic, the epuoIical y
ELECTORS we're entitled both to q law anu
officers that would guard their interests
PROVISIONS og THE BILL
Mr.. Hiscock went on 70 discuss ana eA-
plain tine provisions Of the pe ding msssure,
and declared that those provisions diu ho' m
Justify tha opposition to tho bill' Dul Iae.s' ..a
inyiten the concurrence Of all the sshhvgIs.
He addsd that they would receive wen
understood. the approval Of all iair.anlaae1'
honest voters. Referring ~ tho cor
ored men la tbs southern sia.ss,
Ne Hise9ek asserted that y was tne
open, disS1iaed purpose o. ths a'lIy ss,ln.