Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-07-02

CONGRESS-.

CUN6kESS.
The United States Senate Tuesday, June
Oath, passed the postoffice and diplomatic
appropriation bills.
The House engaged in debate on the
silver bill, with Senate amendments, which
was reported from the coinage committee
with the recommendation that the House
in all the Senate amendments,
and requesting conference on the same
The previous question on the report will be
ordered at o'clock Wednesday, June 25th.
In the United States Senate Wednesday,
there was sharp passage of words be-
tween Senators ingalls, and Call growing
out of a publication by the latter in the
Congressional Record. The bill for the ad-
mission of Wyoming as State was taken
up. Mr.. Vest spoke against admission and
Mr.. Platt in favor.
The House agreed to the conference re-
port on the naval appropriation bill. The
silver bill was then taken up and the House
refused-yeas 1876, nays 152-to agree to
the free coinage amendment. A confer.
ence on the bill was ordered. The House
then took up the Federal election bill and
arranged to devote six days to its debate,
the previous question to be called at
O'Clock, July 2. During this debate the
House will meet at II A. NJ.
In the United States Senate, Thursday.
Senators Jones, of Arkansas, and Reagan
spoke against the bill for the admission of
Wyoming as State and Senator Stewart in
favor.
The House spent the session in debate on
the national election bill. Messrs. Lodge
and Rowell favored the passage of the bill
aud Messrs. Hemphill, Tucker and Lehl-
back, (the latter republican, opposed it,
= Mr.. Tucker demurred to the bill gener-
ally and specifically. He did not agree with
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rowel)
that it was waste of time to discuss the
cons titutlonality of the bill. On the con-
trary he proposed to discuss that question,
and proceeded to say that under the terms
of the bill the supervisors were to exercise
the right to determine the qualifications of
voters; right reserved to the States. Then,
1t was not to be doubted that the State had
a right to establish an educational qualifi-
cation. Yet this bill provided that the
supervisor should point ont the box to the
ignorant voter; it OVERRIDE the State quail
fication, and allowed the ignorant man,
whom the State sought to exclude, to vote.
1t would be evident, from a careful con-
sideration of the several clauses of the con-
stitution, taken not singly, but in connec-
ton, that it was never intended that Con-
gress should exercise the power reposed in
it OF regulating elections, unless the State
neglected to prescribe regulations. Ger
tainly it might make or alter such regula.
tions, but it could not mix up in Bruns-
wick stew, as it were, federal and State
functions. He felt that every people
should regulate their own affairs. He liked
an open ballot, where a man stood in the
sunlight before God and man and shouted
out the name of the man he voted for. He
did not like snake, a spy; was it proper
that member should be sent here, not by
his State, but by the officers of the govern
ment. There should be no MIXTURE
Either Congress should take charge of
elections absolutely or leave them entirely
to the States. Mr.. Tucker read from
Speaker Reeds magazine article on the
subject OF national election law, and de-
clared that he had virtually admitted that
it would be proper for the white people of
the South to suppress the negro vote if
necessary to the preservation Of civiliza-
ton. All he asked for the State of Virginia
was to be let alone to work out her own
| salvation. The bill, hideous as it was,
would fail OF its purpose. The only way to
| correct fraud was by an enlightened public
sentiment, when it would be frowned
down.
The United States Senate Friday passed
the bill for the admission of Wyoming as a
State by vote of 80 to IS, strict party
vote.
The House was engaged on the national
election bill, Mr.. Vaux, Of Pennsylvania,
making the principal speech against it.
| He is the successor of the late Hon.
Samuel J. Randall. The following are ex-
tracts Of his remarks -
| The article of the constitution on which
the bill was based was that with reference
to the time. place and manner of holding
elections. Mr.. Vaux dwelt particularly
upon this word ''manner," and time and
again paused to remark that he only had a
word more to say, and that was as to this
word manner" He argued that the con.
stitutional meaning of this phrase was that
the power of Congress was limited to pre-
scribing the form of choosing representa-
tives, aud that when the election itself
began Its authority ceased. The word
''manner" must be construed strictly aud
not by implication. It was a pregnant
word, and meant the "habitual and &C.
customed mode" There were three modes
of voting which could be comprised under
| this woodworking by ballot, viva voce, or
| by show of hands. Congress could pre-
| scribe which Of these methods should be
| adopted; but the bill was unconstitutional
and vicious the moment it touched the SUBJ
ject of the election itself. The ''manner of
holdiog" and :he "holding'' the election
was entirely distinct and separate, and the
power of Congress ceased with the former.
If there could be injected into the word
''manner" the power claimed by the friends
of the bill, then there was no word of limi-
tation in the English language that could
be used to put IA end to their devices
which (sotto voce) Trey seemed to have in
such plenty.
Shaking his fiuger at the members
clustered around him, hs said he wanted to
tell them that by this bill the power to
chose their Representatives was no longer
vested in the people, but in federal cleo
ton officer bought to do the bidding of him
who appointed him. And in order to give
a further responsibility to his appointment
the act provided that the circuit court
judges were to do the appointing, and the
judges were to be brought into the dirt and
filth of partisan politics.
There was somewhere committee on
rules who were as effective agents as these
proposed supervisors. Laughter. That
committee has brought in report on the
''manner" Of holding this debate. 1t did
not presume to regulate the debate itself =
This bill made slaves of men to federal
office holders. Our forefathers had brought
on the revolutionary war, and had separated
from Great Britain because they did not
believe in taxation without representation.
He warned Congress that the time might
come when legislation depriving the pso-