The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-07-03
CONSTITUTION.
VAUX, OF PENNSYLVANIA,
SAYS 1T WILL BE OVER
TURNED
BY THE ELECTION BILL
And Covert oil wv Jersey, that the Bill
Will'he the fcf of a Government by
bpi
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
SENATE.

to it.
Senators Payne and Gray argued against
the bill, and Senator Plat favored it. The
| question was taken on Senator Jones' sub
stitute offered yesterday-an enabling act
for Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona and New
Mexico and it was rejected by strict party
vote-Yeas IS, nays 49,
Senator Jones OF Arkansas then moved
as a substitute an enabling act for Wyom-
ing alone, and it was rejected by exactly
the same vote. The bill was then passed
by strict party vote-Yeas 30, nays IS.
The bill for the admission of Idaho was
then taken up and went over as unfinished
business till Monday next.
After executive session the senate adj
journed.
HOUSE.
Mr. Dockery, of MISSOURI, rising to par.
liamentary inquiry esked whether it would
be in order 70 reconsider the vote by which
, the postal clerks leave bill was passed yes
terday. He bad been informed yesterday
by Mr.. Ketcham who called up the bill that
itdldn involve an appropriation. Whereas,
he now learned that it would involve an ex-
penditure of $4,000. As Ketcham was not
present Dockery was permitted by unamim-
Gus consent to enter motion to reconsider
leaving it pending tor the present.
The consideration of the election bill was
then resumed.
Mr.. Houghen of Wisconsin, addressing
the house in support of the measure, de-
clared that it didn't propose to touch the
State elections, but did propose to super
wise national elections by the right of con-
gress. The bill wasn't local but general in
its application. The objections made to
the bill by the Southern members consti-
tuted deliberate insult to the South itself.
A prominent Democratic leader in Mis-
sour had advocated the requirement of a
property qualification in voters, and had
suggested that such proposition would
restore supremacy to the whites. That in
itself was confession that the whites
wrongfully used their supremacy. At
presenting Democratic judge or advocate of
the Arkansas contestant for seat on the
floor of the house had justified the outlaw
ry by mob violence of certain negroes who
had been elected to local offices on the
ground that they were not property owners.
Now the bill proposed to follow the local
election systems 1t would take the most
ingenious and complicated system that
could be devised requiring that it should be
honestly conducted.
Mr.. Covert, Democrat, of New York said
that the bill was an evidence of dist rust
fel; by the Republicans of a government of
and for the people. Recently the speaker
had attended the banquet of the American
Club at Pittsburg. He had spoken after
long years of silence upon the Justification
of election returns, fbulldozing and
all the narrowing details OF Southern
outrages. Why he had spoken after that
long silence Mr.. Covert was unable 10 say
unless he was conscious that he was at the
time addressing deliberative body. He
had spoken of the Republican party which
was used to meeting emergencies They
had met them in Indiana when they had
sent in Dorsey with his money and Dudley
with his tloaters and blocks of five and
Quay the archangel of the party. This
of o th was fathers ssrsd Of 70 t a0 int tG on
The clause of the constitution upon witch
it was founded was allowed to remain in
the constitution, only upon the olemn
assurance that it was intended solely to
meet an emergency of the refusal of the
State to send representatives to congress.
The small army of federal officials at the
polls n with power Superior to
tors of the State, of the people
signaled and heraled the end of govern
ment by the people and for
the people Where then would
be that government. gone as the
leaves swept away by the blasts ofautumn,
gone forever, and the people of this repub-
lie would no longer govern themselves
the returning boards IF the south, the days |
of Il electoral commission. the days that
every patriotic man would forget if he |
could. The notes of warning had been |
sounded, they were still ringing and should |
be needed. If it were true as intelll- |
gent men predicted that the pas
sage of this bill would have |
a tendency to :eviue race prejudices in the |
South and restore Southern the States to the |
condition of recons ruction days. If this |
were true, Their it would turn back the |
hands upon the dial and retard the pro-
gress of those sections and of the whole re-
public. Race prejudice was practically ex
tinct Ia Gods name, as lovers of the
country, he besought the house not to seek
to- revive that prejudice. Now he begged
it to give assurance to the whole country
that the civil war was ended over quarter |
of centu ago. Applause.
MIR. Flower, democrat, of New York
denounced the bill as un-Republican, I'M
Democratic and un-Amercan, as a meas
ure constructed upon the idea that small
Republican majority i'll congress could bet
ter legislate for the people than the people
Any court that would lend
itself to the execution of its corrupt pur-
pose and become the inscriptions servants
ofa,political oii5archy would richly deserve
the censure 1t was sure to receive.
Mr.. Smyser, Republican, of Ohio said the
measure was conservative and not radical
The cry of the South was that it wanted to
be left alone to work out its own destiny.
That had been tried fifteen years and he
did not know that the South was airy
nearer the kingdom. The South wanted to
be let alone, he said, to appropriate negroes
rights and he protested against that.
Mr.. NauX, Democrat, of Pennsylvania
said the bill virtually overturned the
and destroyed our form
of government. The supervisors
might carry their authority to the election
of senators. They might 20 to the legisla-
tive assembly of his State and say to one
they met there, "are you member of the
legislature of the state of Pennsylvania"
Yes sir walk out thea; there was
not free and fair vote in your county,"
Democrats would always he picked out be-
cause 1t seemed To be fashionable idea
that Williams were Democrats. This bill.
made slaves of men to Fed
eral office holders. Our forefathers
had enough Of the revolutionary war and
had separated from Great Britain because
they did not believe in taxation without
He warned congress that
the time might come when the legislature
(nationaD depriving the people of represen-
tation would drive them to another revolt