St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-03
Terence V. Powderly Writes
a Strong Letter Against :
the Force Bill.
Knights Of Labor Asked to
Take Strong Steps Against
the Measure.
Members Of the Order to OPP
pose Congressman Who
Voted for the Bill.
The Measure Designed to In
timidate Voters and En-
courage Fraud.

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 3.-The follow
ing letter upon the federal election bill,
from the pen of General Master Work
man Terence V. Powderly, will be is
sued to the members of the Knights of
Labor tomorrow through the official
journal of the order:
'Read twice and ordered to lie Or the
table," is what was done on July Z in
the senate of the United States with
what is known as the Lodge force bill.
The bill, if it passes, is intended to
regulate&the election of congressman,
and is particularly designed for use in
the South. AT least that is what it is
supposed to be. A very appropriate
title for the bill would be "a law to
place the control of its own election in
the hands of the United States congress,
and to prevent the people from interior
ing too much in that little matter"
The proposed law covers seyenty-six
pages of the regulation congressional
file, with about $50 words to the page.
1t is so complicated, so cumbrous and
lily constructed a. piece of machinery
that it is very doubtful if its parent
could successfully manage to explain
what it would be able to perform.
Shorn of verbiage, the intent of the law
is to perpetuate the existence of the
party in power. and enable it to keep
a close watch over the election of all
officers as we'll as congressman.
A Leading Question.
Why should special law be enacted
to regulate the election of congressman?
Whom do they represent that they
should insist on manipulating the cleo
ton machinery in their own interests?
A congressman does not represent the
United States in the house Of represen-
tativeS-he represents number Of citi
ZenS comprising a certain territory in a
certain state, and the people OF that
state should have the right to Scrutinize
and regulate the election of the man or
men who will represent them in con-
gresS.
The law provides that the agents of
the United States government shall
have the right to scrutiniZe the election
of members of congress, but it is so art
fully worded that they shall also have
the privilege of scrutinizing the election
of all other officers as well. Section 9
of that law is in direct viola
ton of the contract by which
the several states are bound to the
United States, and is most unwarrant
able interference in the legislation of
the sisterhood of states. 1t reads: "See-
ton 9: Hereafter all votes cast for the
office of representative OF delegate in
congress shall be counted, canvassed,
certified and returned in the manner
hereinafter provided; and any state,
territorial or municipal law or ordinance
in SO far as it conflicts herewith is here
by annulled."
If the citizens of the United States
value their independence they will
promptly resent such tampering with
their right to make state, territorial and
municipal laws to suit themselves. If
the government of the United States
shall have the right to supervise the
election of its own officers and take that
right out of the hands of the people,
who are supposed to be represented, of
what use is it to support the govern
ment of the separate states and terri
tories?
~ Intended to Intimidate.
Where does congress get the authority
to annul state, territorial or municipal
law? 1t is told by its friends that the
law is to operate in the South, and that
its passing will enable the people of
that section to guard against bulldozing
and intimidation. There is more in
timidation contained in four lines of
that law than in all the Southern out
RACES that have taken place since the
war.
1t is claimed that this law will enable
the colored citizens to vote free from in
timidation and influence. That may be
true of the outside of the polling place,
but it simply transfers the intimidation
H. - IN 80 kl1. @AII
ing booth. Why not act the part of
men, and say that the colored men are
not fit to have vote, for that is what
they mean? If there is body of men
in this land who do not know enough to
do their own voting, if they lack the
manhood to defend their ballots with
their lives at the polls, then that body
of men are not the kind to be privileged
to vote for those who make laws for
others.
The Democratic party does its best to
intimidate the colored citizens of the
South, and they give as reason that
If they did not do so they would be sub
ject to negro rule down there, or as
they put it, Ignorant rule In the
North the employers of labor intimidate
the wOrkmen in the interest of the Re-
publican party. but that party cannot
lay claim to so respectable an excuse as
to desire to avoid Ignorant rule" for
the workmen of the North have never
imposed ignorant rule where they
elected their own representatives.
A Better Proposition.
Our laws should not be framed in such
a way as to recognize ignorance or illit-
eracy, for to recognize illiteracy is to
perpetuate it. Every law should aim at
the abolition of illiteracY, and instead
of making laws to guard the I'M
educated man at the polls, we
should make laws to guard the
republic against illiteracy by
obllglng all voters to know how to read
and write before voting. A law that
would fix OH certain day in the future
on which all citizens would be required
to know how to read and write before
voting. and which would not interfere
with those who are voters at the pres
ent time and who are not so educated,
would go further toward regulating
the election OF congressman in an hon
est way than the piece of machinery
now on the table of the United States
senate.
The adoption of the Australian cleo
ton law would solve the difficulty so
far as an honest count and an uninflu-
enced election is concerned, but fear
that is not the aim or intent of the pro-
moters of the proposed law. In fact, I
believe that if we had not agitated so
vigorously and SO successfully in favor
of the odoption of the Australian law
there would be no fear Of an honest
election, and as a consequence no ne
cessity for the supervision of congress
sional watch dogs.
In section 10 the following is to be
found: "If during the count and canvass
of the pallots contained in any box other
than that intended for the reception of
ballots for the office of representative or
delegate in congress there shall be
found any ballot or ballots fer the
office of representative or delegate in
congress, it shall be the duty of the
chairman or acting chairman of the in
spectors of election to count the number
of such ballots so found and then del
liver them to the chairman or acting
chairman of the supervisor of election,
who shall count them and Immediately
place them in an envelope and seal
them up"
All Boxes Under Scrutiny.