Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-12-23
NATIONS CAPITAL.
Debate on The Elections Bill
in The Senate.
Senator Voorhees, Frees Els Mind h
Opposition 10 The Bill.
Vice President Morton ard Senators
Worked by Confidence Man.

WAsHINGros, Dec. 22-In the Senate
| the consideration Of the elections bill was
resumed. Higgins took the floor and dis
eussed at great length the present manage
| ment of elections in various States (inelud-
| ing Delswafe) in ord = to show the necessi-
| ty existing for such reform as proposed in
| the pending measure. II he could reach
| the iniq uIty of such election frauds hy the
federal election law be would like to do il.
He asserted bis belief thss there never was
day when The Southern white leaders
could not have had the hearty support and
following Of the black man of the South
| by asking. He always considered that the
one great service the democratic party had
| rendered, wa, its eofralling and bringing
| into its fold all people, who, from nativity
and other circums tances were least fitted
to discharge the functions of American
citizens, and which he asked, had not the
| Southern white democrats done the same
with the blacks! The reason was, Reagan
| replied, in the reconstruction period of the
| freedmen bureau and carpet baggers who
| made the blacks believe that the whites was
their enemies, had arrayed the blacks in
oath bound league to vote the republican
ticket
Higgins denied that the problem Of man
hood suffrage had ever had 4 chance at the
South. The pending bill would bring no
more violence than the present law. If it
did, the Senators could rot help it. They
could not take the responsibility of refus-
ing to do right because oths;s would 10
wrong. He believed that the bill com
| mended itself TO the conscience aud sup
port of the American people.
Gray replied to Higgins structures upon
Delaware and said he had never before
known the Senator TO take advantage of
his position in order to traduce ard yiilify
| the people who honorej him with seat in
the Senate, but he (Gray) would no. admit
that there was particle Of justification for
| what his colleague said.
Voorhees, then addressed The Senste.
| The opening part of his speech consisted
Of criticism of President Harrison for that
portion of his message to Congress urg-
| ing the passage Of the election
bill. If Harrison, he said, should
undertake to put On the stage "School for
HypocrisY," could not do better than
dramaiize that portion of his message that
| related to fair and honest elections. The
| rank corruption of the presidential election
of 1883, resting, folded away in blocks
of tive,' is still fresh and carefully pre-
served in the minds of the American
people.
voorhees, charged that within sixty days
after the incoming of the present admipis-
| tra,ion an extensive, powerful and corrupt
conspiracy was formed to import certain
| class of voters from distant parts of tho
couutry into the States of Indiana, West
Virginia aud Connecticut to secure ms jor-
ties in those States for the republican
| ticket of 1892, Proof was published in the
New York World, on the h of Oc'ober
last, including letter frcm Huston, Treas
| urer of the Uaited States, to Lindsay, au-
| thor of the plsp, ''declarir h 'ms,if beaIti
ly in favor of the scheme, saying he would
speak to the President about it. Ii was
painful (Foorhees remsrkeh), to reflect
| that man who knew Benjsmln iIarriton
better than any other man in public life,
| who carried him and his fortunes through
tue stormy and corrup: campsign of 1883
| in Indiana, who studied him and his poli,i
cal methods AZ close range, felt himself
warranted in submitting for his cousidera-
| tion all approval of the corrupt project for
the overthrow of honest resident ma
joriiies by the shameless importation
| AID colon z4tion Of black voiers from the
South. Yet that man (Huston) retsine1
high Office had met with no rebuBe AMI
continue to bask in executive favor and
confidence. The names of Du Hey and
Senstor Quay having been introduced in
connection vith this scheme for TIA, cnloni
zstion Of negro voters in Indiana, Voor
hees said he took no pleasure in comment
ing on the names of men connected with
that conspirscy; he would not remain silent
when ev. II the most exalted digntariss of
the government found conspiring, plot
ting and burroTing amid the hlsh and
corruption in order 10 overthrow the right
ful sjorities in Indiina to deprive her
people of the first principles of self gov
ernment and place them under rule of
the lowest and most venal negro element
that could be bought and imported from
the South. Voorhees, read letters from
Senator Quay and some republican repre-
| sentatives from Indiana approving OF tie
colonization plan, az well as the cores
pordence between Lindsey and the CO.
workers 10 the enterprise. Whitehssd of
North Carolina, giving some points Of the
plan and suggesting that some 800 negroes
from North Carolina must be placed in In
diana. In one Of the earliest epistlss,
Lindsay to confederate, gave the follow
| ing rich and historic morsel of advice and
instruction (said VOORHEES, 81 given. Now
my dear friends, read this letter, which /
hope will put you 10 better spirits. And
then, in language of one of our creates,
statesmen, burn this letter. Do not tear
| it up, but burn it up" Laughter
| If, Voorhees, continued, Whitehead had
burned Lini'ay's letter or kept sober as
he was enjoyed to do, the world would
have lost one lesson at least, in the art Of
securing a republican majority in demo-
cratic States. A bill is now before the
Senate, he said, which made it an admins
tration measure and would take control (by
| force. if necessary Of the elections in ev-
cry State. II wss assured n its provisions
| that American people were not sufficient
| ly Intelligent, virtuous or honest
| TO be intrus'ed with the great eternal pIin-
cipies of home rule and self government.
| The spirit Of despotism contained in the
| bill is as pervasive Of the whole country
vnd as dangerous to the constitutional lib
erty everywhere as vas the force bill
which passed the House twenty years ago,
| lie appealed to the just-mindsd men and
women of the North to extend to the people
| South an open, full, fraternsl confidence /;
to treat them rs kindred in blood, heart.
hone, thought. purpose and des On. He
read extracts from testimony taken before
the congressional committee Of North Car
olina, sho wing positively that no discrimi
na,ion was msde asairst colored men in
that state, many Of them being prospe rou.
land owners; they had the same school
advantages ss the whites, were never
interfered xiih at elections, and voted the
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