Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-02
The Threats New York Makes.

The Threats New York Makes
We fear that bad feeling animates the
breasts Of the Republicans in Congress.
We have had no unmistakable indications
as TO what that body will do in its efforts
20 solve the negro problem by national
legislation; but we have had ambiguous
outgivings tending to show that there will
not be wanting desperate attempts TO hui
initiate the southern people and reduce
them to a condition not much better than
one Of serfage in the effort TO provide by
law for the perpetuation of the rule Of the
Republican party.
A significant article appeared in the New
York Tribune Of Monday. 1t was headed,
Honest Voting and the Worlds Fair"
What has the Worlds Fair TO do with hon.
est voting? Nothing. But as the malice
of the sectionalists can always find an ex-
cuse for wronging the South. the Tribune
undertakes to intimidste the southern
members of Congress by threatening that
the northern Republicans--or rather the
Republicans in Congress from oil sections
will punish any attempt which may be
made by southern Democratic members
to exchange votes for the site Of the
Worlds Fair for votes against q ma
tional election law. The poor southern
members will find themselves in a strait
when Congress comes to voting upon the
question of the location of the Worlds
Fair. If they vote for Chicago New York
will proceed at once to organize all the
Republican members in favor of bill TO
provide for governing the southern States
from Washington. If they vote for New
York Chicago will exchange votes with
New York and proceed to organize all the
Republican members in favor of the same
sort of bill which we have just mentioned.
In this extremity the unfortunate south
ern Democrats will pc .ps be compelled
to cast their votes for Washington city or
st. Louis.
In introducing its method of silencing
the South the Tribune insults the people of
this whole section by declaring that fifty
southern representatives :" take their seats
without having been elected" This asser-
ton is of course to be accepted as good
and sufficient reason for providing by law
that these southern representatives shall
all be Republicans. In fact, there's no ne
cessity for even the form of an election.
The census returns will serve as credentials
for all the Republicans who present them
selves at Washington as representatives OF
congressional districts having each ma
jority of negroes.
The Tribune says that the proposition to
"transfer to the Democratic side enough
Republicans to defeat legislation for puri-
ty and freedom of suffrage" is "a cha
ENTHUSIASTICALLY southern plan" Not
Democratic plan, but southern plan.
The people of this whole section are thus
in effect charged with the crime of con-
spring to secure to the South the opposite
Of purity and freedom of suffrage"
Such charge coming from the North,
where rich employers furnish Republican
ballots to their half-paid workmen. and
discharge them if they do not use them,
is as impudent as it is untrue.
The Tribune talks to the Republican
congressman as if they were its servants. 1t
even goes so far as to affirm that the
Worlds Fair is not likely to be held at all
if any kind OF political trafRcking is per-
mitted to fix its location. There's inso-
lcnce for you, but 1t must fail of its object
The northern Republicans are not so base
rs to suffer themselves thus to be dragooned
into the support of New York's claims to
the Worlds Fair. And if any Republican
congressman, from Chicago for example,
shall find his city ruled out because he has
voted against unconstitutional legislation
he will probably think twice before he falls
in with the scheme of the malignants who
treat him as a galley-slave that can be
scourged into compliance with the will OF
his masters.
: We began by a reference to the bad feel
ing which we fear is entertained by the
northern Republicans in Congress. That
feeling is clearly indicated by the following
paragraph from the T'Tb,ses article upon
which we have been commenting:
The southern members who dread a
free vote and an honest count have no bet
ter resource than the resort to flibuster-
ing, SO often threatened. 1t remains to be
seen whether q minority can dictate to the
House with Mr.. Reed in the chair. The
latest suggestion is that Democratic men,
bers should not leave the House, so that
they cannot 90 sent LOT anu 1OIinaiiy Gu
tered as present when brought back, bat
should simply sit in their seats and refuse
to vote. That is peaceful means of ex-
ercising their power. twill also be in order
for the Speaker to open his eyes and see
for himself whether there is quorum
present"
That is threat to deny to the Democrats
the protection which the rules of the
House of Representatives have almost
always afforded to the members of that
body, whether the majority OF them were
Republicans or Democrats. 1t is to make
the Speaker an autocrat. If he says there
Is quorum there is a quorum. II he says
there Is no quorum there Is no quorum. If
he is opposed to bill there Is no quorum.
If he is in favor Of bill there's quorum.
This is what our New York contemporary
means by its insolent threat that it will be
Speaker Rrrp's right TO open his eyes and
see for himself whether there is quorum
present. The words are well chosen. Trui7
1t will be seeing for himself"
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