Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-12-17
NATIONS CAPITAL.
Senators are Still Labor,Dg Over
the Election Bill.
Towns Hot Under Thru Thousand Nay
Hope of Free Postal DeliYeiy.
Favorable Report for Life Saving Sta
ton ct Cutters Harbor, Me.

WAsHIseroS. Dee. ls.-In the course
of the mornings business in the Senate,
Senator Hoar read q letter from John l.
Davenport, making q vigorous denial of
the charges preferred against his eonduc'
IS chief supervisor Of elections, and pro-
Tossing willingness to appear before the
Senate committee TO answer the charges.
The pending business was stated to be the
consideration of the Dolph resolution, pro-
viding for investigation as to whether the
right to vote was denied or abridged in any
State, with Vests amendment, extending
the Investigation to An inquiry as to whether
by State legislation any man 10 denied the
right to work on public works by reason of
his color.
Morgan spoke againat the resolution,
until expiration Of the morning hour, when
the Senate proceeded to further consid
GRAFTON OF the election bill. Morgan
took the floor in continuation of his
speech against the measure. He conten-
ded under the language of the provision
that the position of the Chief Supervisor
WAS life position. If the courts had no
power to remove them, If the House of
Representatives had no power to impeach
them, if the President had not the power to
discharge them, then Congress would have
walked right into the temptation. Men
would be legisla.ed into life Offices, whom
the Senate in secret session would never
approve if nominated by the President.
Pugh gave notice of an amendment re-
curing that applicants for positions of dep
uiy mafshals, ETC., be able to read and
write and Of good moral character. The
discussion was temporarily suspended and
Blair preseuted petitions from labor organ.
izations praying Congress to set aside the
consideration of the election bill in order
TO have labor legislation acted on, and
asked for their reading.
Hoar obj
Kenna addres ssed the Senate in opposition
to the elections bill. He sketched the his
tory Of the republican party, beginning
with the reconstruction period. Those. he
said, were the days of bayouet and ballot
TO use the phrase of Frye last week. when
the fields of the south had been surren
dered to the bramble under practice of
carpet bag and negro domination. Ii was
through the Democracy that the hand of
the destroyer had been stayed The South
was not dead, and there was no New
South The old South was there; the old
South of their fathers the old South of the
colonies: the old South of the days of rs;
the old South Of the constitution; the old
old South of yesterday, today and forever
Kenna denounced the policy of the re-
publican party in regard 10 Mormons, pub
lie lands, tariff, navy and Indians. He
sroke of the reported killing yesterday of
Sitting Bull and other Indians, and at
tributrd all the Indian wars for the last
quarter of century to the maltre atmen of
the Indians. For hundred years except
in New York. Cincinnati, and three or
four ether cities wi hin recent years, full
control of the elections was left to the
people of the several states and proved to be
sufficient and satisfactory. 1t was not found
necessary till now to put the bsyonet behind
every ballot, That suggestion involved a
comparison to which be would direct the
attention of the Senator from Maine,
Frye. No democrat, Of course, could
have the bayonet. He was thing of evil.
No man who joined the democratic party
could be, according to the Senator from
Msiue, trusted i'll elections. But the re-
turns of last election day showed there
would be six or seven hundred thousand
ballots in the hands Of the democrats, be.
hind which there would be no bayonet.
Frye-Colored people will carry them.
Kenna-"Even with the addition of the
colored people there will still be scarcity
of bayonets for the ballots" Kenna said
there was no mistake that the pending bill
was cunning conirivsnce to place in the
hands of minority control of the institu-
tons of the people, with bayonets for every
ballot. The Senator from Massachusetts
(Iloar) had desired the bill passed without
discussion, and there vas perhaps evidence
that the desire was concurred in by the
other side of the chamber. All tina. had
tendency to impress upon his mind the idea
that for some good reason it was
considered wise. for party reasons, to
smuggle the bill through Congress
1t was understood that John |. Daven-
port was the author of the bill. II sounded
Ike him, looked like him and read like
him. II an honest man (as Davenport wa.
represented on the other side,) he could
snatch the liberties of 10000 American
CITIZEN, by the stroke of his pen. What
was to be the fate of voters when there
was to be bsyonet behind every ballot
and Davenport behind every bayonet
The bill had never been intended to pro-
mote the honesty of elections. There was
never associated with it and design to pro
mote the honesty or purity or freedom OF
the ballot.
Kenna. ia view Of his health, said he
would prefer to finish his speech tomorrow.
Srooner. who in the absence of Hoar
had charge of the bill, expressed his con-
sent to the suggestion.
Dolph addressed the Senate in supper. OF
the bill. Without concluding his argument
Dolph yielded for the motion to adjourn.
The Senate at 5 40 adjourned