Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-30

the second district Of Tennessee would oonfine |
the perpetrators within the walls Of the peni- |
Tertiary. Strangers,listenng TO this debate |
might think that the object of the measure was |
to arrest the whole democratic party. What |
harm would a federal election law do?
WHAT HARM WOULD RESULT
from an honest election? Had the democrats /
from the south practised dishonest elections !
so long that they would break their hearts to
have to stop them? He then proceeded 70 |
quote from the report made by Mr.. Sprir ger |
(lll) from the committee on elections in the |
Forty-fift Congress in the contested case of |
Dean against Field. in which he asserted that |
Mr.. Springer laid down the exact principle in- |
VOWED in the pending bill. namely that the |
laws Of every state Of the Union should con- |
form TO the law of the land. Ii was said that
the bill would revive race prejudice He under 4
took to say that there was no race
prejudice wss no. involved 1.cs ra1, in this bill
democrats were combating; it was political
prejudice. The objection was not that the
colored man was black, but that he voted the !
republican ticket. He wanted this government
to be so strong that 1t could reach out its
hand and punish every crime against the rights
of the nation.
REPUBLICAN WHO OPPOSES THE BILL
Mr.. Coleman (La) announced himself as
republican both from conviction and from prin-
ciple; as southern man by birth, education
and association. He had been elected to the
House as a republican, but he was opposed to
the enactment of federal election law
at this time, and, notwithstanding the
fact that the promoters OF this meas
ure aimed to secure the great desideratum
of free ballot and fair count He did not
think that this was the proper time TO make
this political experiment. He would heartily
support a national election bill if he thought
that Its enactment would secure an honest bal
lot, but the supposition that the passage of
such measure at this time would have this et-
feet was based on false impressions and on an
ignorance of the true state of affairs in some
portions of the south. Why should the MEM
ories Of the reconstruction period be stirred up?
NOT IN LISCoLN's FoorsrEPs
This was not following the advice of that
wonderful statesman, Abraham Lincoln. He
opposed any legislation calculated to create
trouble and friction between the races. lie did
not wish TO stimulate any trouble, and be was
certain that trouble and bloodshed would
follow the enactment OF the legislation, and that
the law would fail in its purpose, as he was
that he would vote against IT IN this House. |
he wanted peace, progress and prosperity. |
He wanted to see continue and increase the in
dustrial development in the south. A federal
election law would be an expensive political
blunder. The public money could be used TO
greater advantage in paying the honest claims !
of the people OF the south in reimbursing the |
depositors in the Freedman's Savings and Trust /
Company: in constructing leyees on the Mis- |
sissippi river, and in educating the children of
the south, black well as white. lie |
wanted TO see the solidity of the south broken, /
and there were signs Of disntegration in the |
democratic party Of the south. Pass a federal |
election law and the men now ready to separate
from the democratic party would get back into
what they were told was the white mans party
rather than risk negro supremacy. In conclu- |
sion, he appealed to the House TO listen 20 the |
words Of Grant, the soldier and the patriot
"Let us have peace"
KENrUcKIAS WHO FAvoRs A FREE BALLOT.
Mr.. Finley (Ky.) spoke in support of the
measure because it granted to the humblest
individual north, south, east and west. the
fullest right to go to the polls. cast his vote
aud have it honestly counted He did not
understand how the bill was to arouse MALI
ciousness on the part of southern democrats.
Did they intend to bring bloodshed upon the
country If this law was enforced? Did they i'll
tend at this day to bully anybody to scare
anybody, to intimidate anybody? The time
for that had passed. Instead of kicking up
row and arousing the feelings Of the American
people gentlemen who wanted pure elections
should unite upon this measure and eliminate
politics from it.
WHY THIS CRUSADER
Mr.. Turner (Ga.) inquired what the situation
was which invited this new crusade against his
section. In q time Of profound peace. when the
business interests of this country were cement
ing together in the bonds of brotherhood
alienated peoples, when northern capital and
enterprise were finding safe investments in the
south, when, by peaceful processes, the
people lately engaged in war were again to be
reunited In the bonds Of fraternity and peace, !
what excuse was there for kindling again the |
fires OF political persecution?
BE POINTED OUT THE DANGERS
which he considered would arise from the ad- |
ministration of the law. When the next
Congress met the country would
be placed under a strain not paraIleled |
since the days of the disputed presidential |
count. The people would not trust in the de- |
cisIons of partisan returning boards. They |
might submit, as they had submitted before, |
but. according to the traditions of liberty, ac-
cording to the maxims which had governed the |
Anglo-Sa1on race, this effort was fraught with |
peril. 1t might be statesmanship but il was |
the craftsmanship of Guy Fawges and ought to |
be rebuked by the whole country.
MR. wADDILL SAYS II Is THE SAME OLD SOUTHERN
CRY TO BE LEFT ALONE.
Mr.. Waddill (ya) said that il the bill would
do only a small extent of what its supporters
claimed for it it was bill which should be
hailed with delight by all men. The cry of the
southern men that all they wanted was to be |
left alone was the same cry that was made in |
1861. He warned them that notification of the |
colored vote and Of the Constitution in 1890 |
might do for them what secession
did In 1861, and that the white republicans of |
the south would not submit to be ruled by |
force. The supervisors system. he declared |
was the only show for honest elections in the /
south. There had been more election frauds |
In his state since 1888 than in all the years |
before that time. 1t was asked who demanded |
this bill. The frauds in Virginia at the last
election demanded it; the wronged people of |
the north whose voices were hushed here de- |
manded it; the innocent blood of Jno NJ. CLAW |
ton cried aloud from the grave and demanded |
il.
Mr.. Tracey (N.Y) earnestly opposed the |
measure, which he declared that no patriotic |
man could vote for.
Mr.. Cultivate (0hio) in opposing the meas /
ure, said that one of the features of il was the 1
construction OF political machine to control /
the representatives of the entire south in the |
next republican national presidential conven-
tion. The bill was intended to promote the
industry OF making contested election cases.
MIR. Hopkins Oil favored the bill
THE