The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-30
MOVING Toward centra1izntion.


1t is quite evident that it is the purpose
of the Republican party to deprive the
states of whatever powers that remain to
them. That party has never hesitated to
attack the rights Of the states whenever it
thought it could gain partisan advantage
by doing so. The federal election bill
which it proposes to pass is long step in
the direction of GENERALIZATION. The bill
has not yet been agreed upon. but there is
not much doubt that it will be based upon
the speech delivered by Speaker Reed in
Pittsburg last Saturday night
Mr.. Iced proposed in that speech that the
national government should take from the
states the control of the machinery for the
election of President and representatives in
congress. If that proposition should be
carried out, the next step would be to give
the national government the power TO con-
troll the election of senators. There is just
as much reason in depriving the states of
the right to control the election
of senator's as there is to deprive
them of the control of the election
of representatives. 1t would be more diff
cult, of course, to deprive them of the con-
troll of the election of senators than it
would to deprive them of the control of the
election Of representatives, because the cleo
ton of senators depends upon the elections
of the members of state legislators, but to
deprive them of the control of the election
of representatives would be just as great
wrong as to deprive them of the right to
control the elections of senators.
TQr,k
is noticeable in other things than the cleo
ton of members Of congress. In an inter-
view the other day Representative Wilson,
of West Virginia, called attention TO the
fact that in the present congress all impor-
tant legislation is decided upon in a caucus
of the Republican party. AS an illustration
of what he meant, he stated that the judi
ciary BILL involving complete change in
the judiciary system of the country, was
brought into the House and hurriedly
passed, LARGELY two hours being allowed for
the discussion of its merits. 1t was agreed
upon in a secret caucus, aud, by means of
the rules which this House has adopted, it
was passed before the members were fully
able to comprehend it.
There is bill pending in the House now
to prevent tho passing through the mails of
newspapers aud other publications which
contain great deal of criminal news, and
it gives postmasters authority to exclude
from the mails such publications If the
bill were to become law, postmasters could
stop the circulation of all newspapers which,
in their opinion, contained Objectionable
matter. Partisan postmasters, eager to do
their party a service, wonld not hesitate to
exclude from the mails newspapers hostile
to their party. 1t is evident that a power
such as this bill gives would be subject to
great abuse. The party in control of the
government would be able 20 dictate to the
people the kind of newspapers they should
read.
Mr.. Reed said quite plainly that the pur-
pose of the Republican party in taking
control of national and congressional cleo
tions was not to help colored men to get
into office, but to get the votes of the black
voters of the south. That that party has
no sympathy for the blacks is shown by its
refusal to elect black men to congress in the
north. In Ohio, for instance, there are
many thousands of black voters, but no
black man is elected to congress from that
state, and no one is likely to be. The states
are to be deprived of their rights in election
matters not for the benefit of the blacks, but
for the benefit of the Republican party. For
the sake OF power that party is ready and
willing to overstep all constitutional bounds,