The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-10-29

being outraged and murdered for eight
long years, Mr.. Reed maintained de-
termiaed silence. Only since the out
RACES have mostly passed away has
he been moved to speak. And what has
moved him? Is it sympathy for the
colored voters, whom, as he says, he per-
mitted to be outraged, murdered and
hanged for quarter of century with
out protest? No doubt Mr. Speaker
would like to have US think so, but he
will not so impose on our credulity. He
has much more plausible reasons than
pretended pity for the colored people for
his phenomenal outbreak.
1.-THE Republican vote of the South"
he declares, ''the Republican party is
entitled to under the Constitution,
whether the vote be ignorant or sensi-
ble." If this means any thing it means
that for the benefit of the Republican
party, not the country, is this legisla-
tion intended. Its object is to Sc
cure, not for the good of the coun-
try, but for the good of a party,
what is called 1.-The Republi-
can vote of the South" That vote may
be ignorant or it may be sensible-most
likely it is ignorant-but nevertheless
the prohibitory tariff magnates want it,
and want it bad. The more ignorant it
is, the more they want it, and the less
able they are to do without it. 'If ig-
norant," Mr.. Reed continues, ''we need
it to offset the Democratic ignorance
which votes in New York and other
large cities" Of course we are to infer
from this that whatever is opposed to
trust despotism, and an unlimited tariff
for its benefit is democratic ignor
ance," and it must be confessed that
great deal of that kind of ignorance pre-
walls nowadays, not in large cities only,
but in small ones as we'll. Among the
farmers of the Northwest it seems to be
spreading over the country like a prai-
rie fire.
To crown his argument for the
Force bill, and bring it to an over
whelming climax, Mr.. Reed def
antly inquiries why they (the Demo
crats) should poll their ignorance and
we not poll ours" Now, really, most of
US had supposed that the prohibitory
tariff faction had polled its ignorance
and polled it to an extraordinary ex-
tent. There, for instance, is Mr.. Murat
Halstead-or rather ex-senator Hal
stead, an illustrious member of the Cob
den Club, now in retirement in Brooklyn
they have been polling him, and for
dense and impenetrable ignorance, both
as to the tariff and other public ques-
tions-except ballot-box contracts-he
is without rival.
Let it be understood, then, that the
crowning argument for this Force Bill is
the prohibitory tariff demand for ignor-
ance. But Mr.. Reed gives other argu-
ments. He says manhood and not
is the basis of our government" :"
May we not here respectfully suggest
that this depends somewhat
on the kind of manhood refer
red to? According to the prohibit
tory tariff idea, American manhood is
American babyhood. The only sort of
full-grown political manhood which
seems to be evolved from prohibitory
tariff politics is that which submits it
self abjectly to the decree of caucus,
or the diction Of a partisan autocrat.
Take, for example, the melancholy case
of Mr.. Butterworth. A few weeks ago
he delivered in the House of Represen-
tatives a speech which no intelligent
person can read without concluding
that, in the opinion of the speaker, the
Mckinley bill is just what the Minneso-
ia farmers call 1.-THE crowning in
fanny of protection" And yet, when his
name was called, Mr.. Butterworth
voted for that very bill. He surrender
ed his convictions, his intelligence, his
conscience to the decree of the
caucus, as did many of his Republican
colleagues who knew as we'll as he
did that the bill was wrong. The only
essential political difference between
these gentlemen and some of the rest of
us who are not in such good standing in
the Republican party is, that while they
believe one way and vote another we
vote as we believe. The surrender de-
manded of Mr.. Butterworth is demanded
of US, and of every conscientious Repub-
lican, and this is what is meant, in the
prohibitory tariff sense, by making
manhood" the basis of our govern
ment
Mr.. Reed asserts as further argu-
ment for the passage of this Force Bill,
that ballot-box stuffing and cheating in
the count have taken the place of vio-
lence. Outrage and murder did not af-
feet him at all, but he is very much
touched by ballot-box stuffing and cheat
ing. He evidently wants US to infer,
that these evils are exclusive to the
South.
But while it is monstrous wrong to
cheat ignorant voters, it is a still great
er wrong to bribe and corrupt both the
ignorant and the intelligent The
alleged suppression of the black
vote in the South does not dc
the country hundredth part the harm
that is done here in the North by the cor
rupt use of money in elections. The
corruption of the ballot by bribery is to-
day our chief national danger. 1t is an
evil which there are good reasons fol
believing exists in Mr.. Reeds own con,
gressional district as much as in any
district of the South, or more. Yet there
is not a line or section in this bill
which provides any new safeguard
against this atrocious fraud. If. by
virtue of this measure, the ignorant