Montgomery County sentinel., 1890-08-01

mentp There has never been anything ap-
| preaching the tyranny and absolution of
| this one man power in the House since con-
| stitutional government was founded; never
such trayesty upon popular government.
| OF course, | can only speak coniecturally cf
the fate of the bill in the Senate. The Re-
publicans have majority in that 5sdg, but
| at present there is no rule by wbictf&he gag
can be applied to the minority, no limit &c
| debate, and trust no attempt will be made
| TO frame one. i violate no confidence when
l say that large number of Republican
| Senators do not approve of the proposed
change in the election laws, and l shall be
very grievously and greatly disappointed if
they yield their Independent private judg.
ments to the behests of the conspirators Of
their party in their efforts against the liber
ties Of the American people, for in my
| judgment it is a deliberately planned con.
| spiracy on the part of desperate partisans
to retain power at any expense l do not
venture too far or indulge in extravaganza
when say if they succeed it will be the be.
| ginning of the end of constitutional
government in this country. So thoroughly
am l convinced of this that should despair
| ofthe continuance Unpopular institutions il
the American people do not rebuke this
desperate invasion of their liberties by des-
| perate men when they have an opportunity
to do so at the polls. | cannot bring myself
to believe they will permit such fiagrant
violation of the principles of home rule and
local self-government, nor am l willing to
insult their intelligence and patriotism by
assuming they do not see through the pre-
texts and motives. of those engaged in it.
"Frauds and intimidation in elections in
the South have been seized upon and exag.
gerated as justification for this assault on
the rights and liberties of the people. If all
they say in this regard is true-and it is not
| true; ii elections at the South are as bad as
they represent them-and they are not; If
the negro vote at the South is suppressed to
the extent they claim-and it is not, this bill
will only intensity the evil and postpone
! indefinitely the correction of whatever er-
rors exist. Whatever of truth there may
| be in these wholesale charges against the
South, and | think could demonstrate, if
the proper limits OF this communication
would permit, that in most instances they
are not true, and in others greatly exagger-
ated; but whatever of truth there may be in
any of them, it cannot and will not be de-
MED that the suffrage is shamefully sup.
pressed and corrupted in many parts of the
North by the undisguised use of money and
| intimidation. So that these at least are not
| the people to taunt US at the South with
'suppressing votes
"Federal election laws will not correct the
evil in either section or in either party. The
public opinion in each section, in each of the
| States, in all of the States alone can correct
them The laws are ample now to protect
| the ballot. Congress might pass m act
I every week of its existence amending and
adding to present statutes, ano they would
be as Intellectual as existing laws until
| sound, healthy public sentiment condemns
| axril in nj tha
conscience revolts against them. So that
neither section or party can with propriety
charge the other with election frauds. They
exist everywhere in our political system to
a less or greater extent, and can only be
eradicated by all sections and all parties
rising up and putting upon them the seal of
popular condemnation. Acts of Congress
will not do it, They have been tried and
failed.
"My observation and experience with rep
resentative men leads me to the conclusion
that this is the prevailing opinion among
them in both parties, and it is due to large
number of the members of the Republican
party with whom am thrown to say they
do not sympathize with the present scheme
of what is known as the Lodge bill to con-
troll federal elections. They are as patriotic
and devoted to the principles of home rule
and local self-goyernment as anybody; but,
unfortunately for them and the country,
their party organization is under the con.
troll of a political junta as Inscriptions and
revolutionary as any that ever dominated
the commune of France. This desperate
junta, desperate in its anxiety and efforts to
preserve party power, desperate in its pur-
pose to retain control of the enormous reve.
nues of the public treasury, TO be used as
corruption fund in eections-they have
zxC
in the maelstorm of revolutionary proceed
ings inaugurated for the objects above stated
"By such methods, by the mercless appli,
cation of the party lash and the unscrupu-
lous and tyrannical use of the gag in debate
and violation of parliamentary right and
| law, they have carried their measures
through the House. 1t remains to be seen
whether their assaults upon the conservat-
ism of the Senate now being vigorously
made will prove effectual in that body. am
encouraged to hope and believe they will
| not.
81 know that large number of Republi.
can Senators do not approve of this election
bill, and believe they will have the cour.
age oil their convictions. In this l may be
disappointed, but OF one thing the country
may rest assured, the Democrats of the
| Senate will exhaust every right and re.
parliamentary law and usage to defeat this
iniquitous and revolutionary scheme If
they fail, there is but one move left, viz, an
appeal to the country. If In this they fail,
we shall, as l have said elsewhere, see the
beginning of the end of home rule and 10.
cal government in this country. We shall
see the establishment of Alexander Hami.
toms ideal form of governments strong,
centralized, corrupt power at the seat OF
government; magnifying, paternalizing the
national authority; minimizing, paralyzing
and ultimately destroying the power Of the
States and people We shall see Jeffersons
idea of popular government, popular rights
and State autonomy supplanted by Hami-
tons contempt for popular government and
the Inauguration Of his British system, his
model of human government
"These are very deliberate convictions,
formed after a calm survey of the situation.
| may be mistaken. sincerely trust that
am. have always reposed implicit con-
fidence in the patriotism of the great body
of the American people; in their love Of
liberty, of home rule, of constitutional gov.
ernment; in their aversion to despotism and |
oppression, whether that despotism and op. |
preston is represented by kings or favored |
classes or unrestrained irrepressible majori- |
ties; but the inroads of accumulated wealth |
which is building up in our country and |
engrafting upon our institutions powerful |
plutocracy. the aggressiveness of corporate
power, do not encourage hope in the hearts |
of those who believe in government by the
people and for the people. as laid down in
our constitution.
Whatever may be the fate of the present
force bill, beg to impress upon all in the
South who take the trouble to read this the
importance of self-restraint and moderation
in action and speech. Above all things,
that we do not visit natural feeling of re-
sentiment upon the colored people. It must
not be forgotten they are not responsible and
should not be held accountable Nothing
would be more acceptable to the bloated
and desperate partisans urging the passage
Of this bill than that we should have race
conflicts in which the negro, as he always
is, shall be worsted and killed. Many of
hem have not disguised ihe satisfaction
r H.