The Portland daily press., 1890-12-20
HEARD WITH INTEREST.
Senator Stewart, Republican, In or
position to the Lodge Bill,

position to the Lodge Bill.
WASHINGTON, December 19-In the Sem
ate today Mr.. Gray withdrew his amendment
eliminating the house to house clause from
the elections bill declaring that election sup
eryisors, deputy marshals, etc, were execu-
tive, not judicial officers.
Mr.. Stewart made an argument against the
bill ON the ground that the attempt to exc
cute 1t in the South would be disastrous TO
both races. He was the friend of the col
Ored man and deeply symLathised with him.
and he could not aSk him to put his life In
jeopardy in order to fight political battle
for his Mr.. Stewart's] advantage. He was
equally friend to the white man, and de-
sired to refrain from any act which might
seem to justify him 1.-THE white man. in max
ing war upon the defenceless race Congress
hsd enfranchised. Whatever was done in
the matter Of protecting the suffrage at the
South, unless It was done through voluntary
action of the people of that section, would
result in one of the two things. Ii the ne
gro was protected by force, the
same force would inevitably be driven
to the necessity OF destroying his enemy.
That involved the enslavement and final ex-
termination of the whites. The employ
ment of force would result ultimately in the
determination of either the blacks or the
whites. He reviewed the reconstruction
provisions by which the protection Of the
negro voter was supposed to have been all
sufficient. He quoted Arguments by leading
republicans in both houses against the Sus-
pOnsiOn of the habeas corpus, and against
allowing the military power of the United
States to be exercised in the South during
the presidency of General Grant. He asked
how, If President Grant was unable to pro-
tect the cOl0red men in the right of suffrage
any other President could do better? If
,t1flf 70 arxyf nxxJnr vuQG N N Ia
tion of the pending bill, the bill should BIZ
defeated; If it was to be dead letter,
why pass it? Mr.. Stewart recalled the
sp--ch.s in opposition to the force bill In
1875 made by Senators George F. Hoar and
}. X. Hawley, then representatives In the
House. Among those then voting against
the force bill were Messrs. Foster. Garfield,
William Walter Phelps, KassOn and Kel-
logg. Gen. Hawley declared there could be
no genuine protection in the South under
legislative enactment. In his judgment the
solid South was maintained by reason OF the
leaders use of the cry that 1t was intended
on the part Of those who controlled the gen.
eral government, to interfere with their local
affairs. The moment such cry was effectu-
ally proven to be without foundation the
South could not any longer be kept solid. II
the bill was passed white men would be still
further consolidated and the trained power
and organization of the late Confederate
| States would be brought to insure the de
struction of the colored race in the South.
The fact that this was the first open OppO
| sitiOn to the bill on the part Of Republican
| Senator caused the closest attention to bt
| paid to Mr. Stewards speech on both sides
| At the close of the speech, Mr. HOar r0st
| and said he would not now reply to 1t, bu
| wished to have put upon record the provis
| ions of the force bill To which reference wa
made, which passed the House in 1876 HI
| had its provisions read for the purpose O.
| justifying the opposition made to 1t by him
| self and other Republicans, and to show
that there was no inconsistency in their op
| position to that measure and their supper
| of the pending measure.