The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-07-05

for the enforcement Of party tyranny next
fall.
Boston Journal
There have been few more bitterly con
tested Congressional struggles OF recent
wears than that which has just ended III lne
passage by the House of REPRESENTATIVES vi
The National Election bill. 1t has been
fell that it was fight almost for life on the
mart of the Bourboun oligarchy, wnlch
holds by fraud and intimidation several oil
the Southern States. and the Southern DEM
ocrats have been eagerly assisted In thelr
battle against the bill by their subserVlent
ard apprehensive Northern brethren. III Is
unfortunate that party lines nave been 50
strictly drawn during the consideration, .,
the bill for in its essential features the Dll
is ANYTHING but a PARTISAN measure. IL Is
simply an equitable method of insurng fair
and honest Congressional elections. ana
the frantic Democratic opposition 10 IL mas
been naive acknowledgment that the DEM
ocrats havemueh more to fear fromthe opera
ton of such measure than the Republicans.
We are convinced that the bill, II IL De-
comes law, will amply justify the men
who have been foremost in promoting IT,
and that honest and patriotic cltlzens the
whole country over Will applaud tnelr
sagacity and foresight. Speaker Reed,
whose indOmitable courage and energy
made the passage Of the bill possibility,
and Messrs Lodge and ROwell, who were |
chiefly instrumental in the work of putting |
the bill into shape, are especially 70 be con-
graduated on the successful outcome Oh
their labors. The bill now goes to the SEN
ate and the enemies Of good and honest
politics. like the enemies of American in
dustry. rest all their hopes on the slow ana
cumbersome methods Of that body III the |
Senate properly realizes its responsibility |
| these hopes will be entertained in vain, ana |
the National Election bill, as well as the
| Tariff bill, will become law OF the United |
States before adjournment
New York Starl
| The army and navy. as well as the courts, |
are TO be made parts of the bulldOZlng, |
cheating and dragOOning system. our gal-
| LIANT soldiers and sailors are TO be turned at |
need into sort of PretOrian Guard; body |
| of Janizaries to do the will Of any petty |
party despOt in a Congressional district. 20
| far as elections are concerned, we are to
have, if the Senate agrees with the House,
| a sort of Russian system Of petty district
| tyranny under which the attempt to express
| opinion at the polls is to be accounted Grim
| inal, the despotism Of underlings is to be
supreme, and when resort is had TO the
courts the citizens are TO find tribunals or
ganized only TO convict.
Hartford Times.
The one object Of the Force bill, by which
Congress and the Executive are TO throttle
| the elections in the South, is 10 secure for
| the Republicans a majority in the next
Congress, and to gain position Tor the
Presidential election. Without some such
rough and arbitrary act as that-itself
violation Of the COnstitutiOn-the lndica-
| tions all are that the Republicans would be
very decidedly in the minority In the next
House.
Louisville Times.l
From party standpoint, the passage OF
| the Force bill viii make votes for the DEM
ocrats at the South. for in all the cotton
States. and IN Virginia, it will draw the
| color line and that means white supremacy.
| Pass the bill, and there would not be left
| i'm Mississippi enough white Republicans of
| whom 10 make enough supervisors to put
the measure in operation; il would heal all
| local discussions in the Democratic ranks
| in South Carolina, and make every Farm
ers' Alliance Convention throughout the
South Democratic ratification meeting.
lOmaha Democrat
With the South already rIyaling the North
in manufactures, and the old spirit of hos
| tility TO Northern ideas completely buried,
| is il not wicked for party ambition to seek
| to reopen the old sores and SOW the tares OF
discOrd among the wheat of harmony
ALBANY Union.l
The Force bill. now pending in Congress,
is a measure to cause the shedding of blood
and riotous conduct at the polls. The peo-
pie of this country love liberty and they
will fight for it. They will not be deprived
of their right of suffrage, and desperate
Congress, whose conduct has forfeited the
respect of the people, cannot perpetuate its
power or re-elect its majority at the expense
Of the freedom of the American people.
Houston Post
The Federal Election bill is the last card
of the Republican party, its dernier resort.
The administration has been failure. The
attempt of the party to prOpitiate the tariff
barOns of the East and the tariff victims OF
the West has provoked a storm Of ridicule;
its pension measures have failed 10 satisfy
the old soldier element, while disgusting
the rest of the country, and in bidding Tor
the support of both the Eastern goldbugs
and the Western silver men, it has In
CURED the suspicion of both
New York World
The Republican leaders found the bay0-
net prop an uncomfortable support fourteen
years ago. 1t would simply impale them
if employed now.
New York SUM-
Thus. the first attempt at the enforcement
of the Republican election law will be the
, beginning of the great Democratic cam
paign for its repeal. The eternal Issue OF
. home rule, of state rights, OF freedom from
the illegitimate interference Of a central
government described by Thomas Jefferson
as government charged only with the
, | external and mutual relations Of these
States" will be sharply defined. once
again the Democracy will be found con-
tending in patriotic unison for the glorious
American principle which has been for
| ~
the very heartbeat OF its existence.
How small, then, will seem all differences
of opinion concerning tariff rates, or COM
petitiye examinations for clerkships, or cur
rency and coinage, or ballot booths and
I, pencil scratchers. How paltry the preten-
sions of any individual who, in the presence
Of danger threatening the life Of the Re
public, assumes 10 say what question shall
&. be the issue of the next Presidential cam
= paign, and what questions shall not enter
: into public discussion among our 6j,OOO,OOO
people.
, Such is the programme laid out for the
immediate political future by Speaker Reed
and the Republican centralizers. The Demo
crazy is ready for the contest. Everywhere
chat the Declaration of lndependence is read
today, il Will sound like a campaign docu-
mept and call to duty.
VALLEY virginian.l
r In the House or Representatives, on the
I'd inst, the Lodge Election bill was passed
by 155 to 14S. This is about the majority
that the opponents Of the bill thought il
would carry. Ii now goes TO the Senate,
where, we hope, for the peace, order, pros
perity and progress of the South, it will be
defeated
Norfolk Ledger.
The thing now TO be done is TO make the
| best possible fight against the bill in the
Senate, and if il should pass that body, 10
organize the Democratic party in the
Southern States on such basis that this
fair portion of the country will take no step
backward in the work Of improvement
which has been going on since the rule of
the bayonet ceased.
Norfolk Landmark.l
The most portentous subject for the con-
sideration Of the people Of the United States
, to-day is the Federal Election bill now be-
fore their Congress, the purpose Of which is
, 10 Extensively take from the States the power
10 regulate their election of Congressional
RQuresonfafixes and Eleefors and placa IL