The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-23
CARLISLE ON THE BILLS.
EE ATTACKS LODGES BILL FOR
CONTROLLING ELECTIONS.

The Democrats OF the House a Unit
in Their Opposition to the First
Clause-Expensiven of Carrying
Cut the Provisions of the BilI-The
Objections to the McComas Bill
WASHINGTON, March 22.-The Sunday
Gazette OF this city will tomorrow publish
an interview with ex-Speaker Carlisle upon
the attitude of the democratic representa-
tiyes toward several important measures
pending before congress. In the interview
Alr. Carlisle first attacked the Lodge hill
providing for federal regulation Of elections
for representatives. He said: democrats
in the House are unit in their opposition
to the first clause, which in
practice would make the bill
operate only in certain sections of the coun-
try. If We are to have suca a law it should
operate everywhere alike, and not be left,
as the Lodge bill leaves it, 10 operate here
and there, as may be requested by given
number OF voters in this or that congress
sional district. The intention is, in other
words, to control the machinery of cleo
tlols for representatives in congress from
the southern congressional districts and
from few northern districts only. This
we shall oppose.
COSTLY EXPERIMENT.
Continuing, Mr.. Carlisle next estimates
that to carry out the PROVISIONS of the bill
would require the employment of $4,000
| officers OF elections at an expense of from
| 100000 to SIS 900, 600 every two years,
which would have to be met by the United
| States treasury. This estimate is based
| upon the present number Of polling places,
but he holds that the system (the Australian)
| proposed would prove So slow and cum
| brous as to necessitate a vast increase in the
number of polls. Then, too, he argues, the
! bill is SO complex that It's requirements
could not be made clear to illiterats voters
or to ignorant republican election officers
in the south, and legal eledtion would be
| impossible.
| FULL OF HARD REQUIREMENTS. ,
Said he: 1.-THE bill is full of requirements
difficult of execution by officials, and not
easily to be understood by voters. 1t would
| be a prolific source of innunerable contests,
and" continued Mr.. Carlisle, speaking with
great emphasis, that is Just what they
want. The could take advantage of
every irregularity that might and
would arise under this multifarious
law. And the additional machinery of the
law provides how this may be done" He
cOnl6nu6O UDdC Gn0 Dill ulQ nOJ come WlU0ln
the meaning of the clause of the constitu-
ton comforting upon congress the right
to prescribe the manner of elections. 1t
| deprived the governors Of the right to issue
certificates of election; in fact, took all con-
troll of elections.
THE N'CoMAs BILL.
MIR. Carlisle further said that the
McComas bill, providing that elections for
| representatives in the next congress shall
be held in the districts as they were consti-
tuted at the last elec ion, was open to the
same objection. Said he: ''If the bill be
not unconstitutional, at least it is certainly
| unwise. 1t puts too much power in the
hands of the canvassiug boards ia connec-
tion with the clerk of the House-always
partisan-and would provoke contests and
lead to innumerable frauds"
In conclusion, Mr.. Carlisle said that while
the extravagant expenditures of the party
in power and its proposed partisan laws
were important questions, they would not
be the overtopping issues Of the fall cam
paign, but that the great question would
continue to be the relief Of the people from
unnecessary taxation by the tariff laws.