Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-12-24
The Fight on the Force Bill.

me view We nave unlIOImiy ueiO
and maintained, that the leaders of the Re-
publican party have no regard fer public
opinion, and would use every effort and device
to pass the Force Bill Notwithstanding it's
emphatic condemnation by the people as ex-
pressed at the polls last November, has been
proved to be correct by the course they have
pursued since the first day of the present
session of Congress. They have clearly
demonstrated that their real sentiment is
"The public be id; We will rule in spite
and in defiance of public condemnation
The action Of the Republican caucus on
"Wednesday night of last week, says the
Lynchburg Vrginion, removes all doubt, if
any really existed, as to the purpose of the
majority in the Senate to force the Force
bill to a vote. The cabal of revolutionists
in shat body has either sienced or overrid-
den the objections of the more conservative
element, and the fiat has gone forth that
the bill must be brought to a final test as
speedily as possible. Ia order to do this,
and to exhaust the endurance of the Demo-
cratic opposition as we'll, the caucus decd
ed to dispense with the usual Christmas re
cess and proceed without interruption to
the contamination of this desperate scheme
of electoral fraud and coercion.
The opposition in the caucus to tie plan
of giving the Force bill precedence over all
other leg islation was sufficiently strong, it
seems, to bring about a compromise by
which the bill may be temporarily laid aside
for che consideration of financial scheme
formulated by the committee appointed
for that purpose, the idea evidently being
that this measure can be rushed through
in short order and gotten out of the way Of
the Federal election law, which can then be
pushed to its passage.
The Democratic Senators know, there.
fore, what is before them and will shape
their plan Of action accordingly. Their
duty is plain, aud they will not hesitate to
act up to it to the best of their ability. The
allimportant question now is whether their
physical strength is equal to the arduous
and exactng task that devolves upon them,
for it is clear that the fight will resolve it
self into mere question of endurance.
The Republican programme will be first
to adopt an amendment to the existing rules
providing for shutting off debate by the
''previous question" procedure which Reed
has esta blished in the House of Represen-
tatives The success or failure of this prop
osition to change the rules will decide the
fate of the Election bill, and hence the con-
test will be practically fought to a finish
over this radical innovation upon the parlia-
mentary methods of the Senate.
Are the Democratic Senators equal to the
demands of the trying ordeal? Can they,
outnumbersd as they are and with the whole
burden of the debate thrown upon them,
wage this unequal contest for weeks togeth.
er, it may be, or until the Republican mar.
plots despair of the success of their scheme
of revolution? We hope that they may ;good
people in the South pray that they may; for
solely upon their en- deavor the peace, well
fare and prosperity of this section for years
to come depend. If they weaken or go
down in the fight, then goodbye to poiti-
cal liberty, to home rule, to fair and free |
elections, to true representative govern
ment, to the rule of right and intelligence,
until the people once more rise in their
might and reassert their sovereignty in the
Government.
Federal control of elections once legalized,
and it will only be question of time, and
very short time, when Frye's fanatical
theory of ''a bayonet behind every ballot"
will be fully realized.