The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-03-26
AN INy.iNoUS Law.
HENRY cAsonLoDcE WOULD OVER
THROW STATE AUTHORITY.

-, ..aao.et Casrpatiun ;ae "te'e'
-u,c,i.E- BY rhe Fedora! ~''eFl
ssrHs.
Representative Henry Cabot Lodge
of Massachusetts,, as the chauma:
OF the House Committee o.
election C President and vice Pres
iZ..at and representatives IN Con
c-oss, has introduced bill to regu
lase The elections OF representative
IL Congress.
It is voluminous bill OF twenty
one sections. The bill IS comoma
ton OF the Australian system VIII
Federal control Of elections. Inc
Australian system as in force IN Mas:
sscnusetts. is adapted and applied to
the whole country IN all Congresslon-
al and Presidential elections.
Each polling place is put IN charge
OF six judges OF supervisors, three
representing each pohtlca! party
Voters who cannot read and wr1te,
and consequently cannot mark their
own tickets, may have tickets marked
for them by one of the supervisors N
presence Of another representing the
opposite party.
Primarily elections are in the con-
troll of the States wherein they are
held. but on a petition of 500 voters
n any district the Federal govern.
ment Will assume all the functions OF
the State and take absolute control
Of the polls under the same regrua-
tons which apply to State control
OPINIONS OF coNeREssMES.
The Washington correspondent OF
the Atlanta Constitution says:
II IS the unanimous opinion OF the
Southern men that, while the bill on
its face appears to apply to the whole
country, It was only intended for the
South, and can only affect the South.
In no Northern State, they say,
would either party dare to lmpugn
the honesty Of the State officers by
petsioning the Federal government
to take charge of their elections In
the South, however, it is different.
No trouble VIII be experienced IN
getting up such petition as the oil
provides among negroes Therefore,
they say it viii be only applicable to
the South. Here are the opinions OF
some leading Southern Democrats
gathered to night:
MR. cANDLEg-
Il regard it is an extremely part.
san measure" said Mr.. Gambler OF
Georgia, who was chairman Of the
educational committee In the last
Congress. :The bill is plainly in
tended for the South alone. Federal
supervisors and managers will only be
appointed in the South. One will be
nominally a Republican; another
nominally Democrat, but both Will
be scoundrels VINO viii swear any
thing to get the two dollars o day.
No decent Democrat will be appoint
ed. The effect VIII be that it Will
create condition IN theSouth similar
to that of the Reconstruction period,
and Will only result IN alternating the
races, and viii perfect the supremacy
of the white race. Il the idea of SUI
rounding the polls with Federal mar
shals of the type we usually have IN
the South, is carried into effect, there
is great danger of riot and bloodshed
at the polls.
"The white people of the South,
whether they number more than the
blacks or not, will control"
GENERAL cATcHINGs-
'The BILL, said General Catchings
of Mississippi, '.is designed to pre-
vent negroes from voting the Demo
cratic ticket. The Federal superyi-
sors viii simply be Republican spies
upon the negroes. The bill is de-
signed to force the negro back to the
old state of antagonism to the white
people prevailing in the Reconstruc-
ton days. It seems the Republicans
are determined to supervise the con-
duct of the negroes as though they
were children. The bill is purely
sectional; it viii never be applied to
the North; but it Will raise the big
gest crop of hell throughout the
South that has ever been heard of
It VIII, however, not result IN chang
inc q single Southern district.
s.They cannot pass the Australian
feature, for it is not applicable to a
country where many of the voters
can neither read nor write.
JUDGE CRISP.
ssSuch legislation" said Judge
Crisp, OF Georgia, lis vicious, be
cause, II not unconstitutional, it
tends to centralization Of power IN
the Federal government. The bill
proceeds on the idea that the people
and officers Of the States are not 10
be trusted; that all purity, patriotism
and loyalty is here IN Congress and
not n the States. Practir~Hy lie
law cannot be operative except IN the
South. It vests in the judiciary such
powers affecting the legislative de-
partment as is subverslve OF the Os-
tinction that ought to exist between
the various departments Of the gov
eminent. It necessarily brings
Judges into politics, and is designed,
in my opinion, to defeat and not to
further an honest expression of Tie
popular Will in the South, under the
7rctanse Of adopting the Austria
Ian system, which is designed to pro
feet the voter from outside influence
This bill, as to illiterates, absolutely
DESTROYS the secrecy Of the ballot
Which is essential to the independ
ence of the voter. The illiterate vot
er1,ndert this system, cannot have hl!
confidential friend to mark and give
his ticket, but must, in the presenc.
Of the managers, who represent dli
ferent political parties, publicly state
e.. rho,o he wishes to vote"