Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-20
Opening Skirmish in the Senate or
Mr.. Quay's Resolution.
MR.. HOAR MOVES TO AMEND IT
He Urges Consideration Of the
Election Bill at This Session.
TAKING IT EASY IN THE HOUSE.
SENATE.

| count OF his health.
''THE CONGRESSIONAL PETITION BOX"
| Mr.. voorhees,. by request of the Wage Work
| ers Political Alliance, introduced bill for the
publication Of periodical to be known as 1.-The
Congressional Petition Box" Referred to the
| committee on printing.
| MR.. QuAY's oRDER-oF-BUsINEss RESOLUTION.
Mr.. Quay's resolution fixing the time for
voting on the tariff bill and designating the
other legislative business to be taken up a,
| this session was laid before the Senate.
MR.. HoAR's AMENDMENT.
Mr.. Hoar demanded the yeas and nays on
agreeing to the resolution, and then offered as
substitute for Mr.. Quay's resolution his own
proposition making it in order when any
! bill or resolution shall have been under con-
! sideration for a reasonable time" for any Sem
| ator to demand that debate thereon be closed.
He also moved to amend Mr.. Quays resolution
\ by adding to 1t a provision to include in the
business to be taken up the federal election bill,
and TO have the vote on it taken on the 4th of
September.
Mr.. Quay gave notice that at the proper time
he would demand division Of the question
| meaning that he would ask separate votes on
his own resolution and on Mr.. Hoar's amend
| ment.
MR.. HoAR DEFENDS HIS AMENDMENT.
| Mr. Hoar said: Il suppose that ordinarily ii
would not be necessary to discuss at all the
merits of a measure proposed to be inserted in
| an order of business, but the motion which l
| have offered, to include one of the most i'm
portant subjects before the Senate and before
| the country among those to be dealt with at
the present session, requires Gas it seems to me)
| compact statement OF the purpose, the mech
anism and the necessity of the bill which l
| have proposed to place on the list of subjects
| to be disposed Of.
| MIsREPREsENTED AND MISUNDERSTOOD MEAS
URE.
"There never was a measure so much mis-
| represented or SO much misunderstood as that
which has been sent to us by the House of
| Representatives. 1t has been carefully con-
| sidered by a committee of the Senate, and has
been demanded by certainly a very large and
| respectable proportion Of our fellow citizens.
| think that nothing has been heard of it here
except a threat, from one highly honored Sem
| ator, OF bloodshed il its provisions should be
| adopted and should be attempted to be put in
force. l think it proper, therefore. to call the
attention of the Senate for few moments to a
proposition which is nothing more nor less
| than
PROPOSITION TO REMOVE FORCE AND FRAUD
| from the election of members of our great
| representative chamber and to substitute for
! the election processes with which We are all,
unhappily, too familiar the peaceful arbitra-
ment of the courts of the United States
Mr. Pugh--I desire to inquire Of the Sen
| ator If he alluded to what said at the time he
reported the bill from the committee on privi-
leges and elections in relation to the effect of
| an attempt to execute it.
Mr. Hoar-I did
| Mr.. PUdH DENIES MAKING A THREAT OF BLOOD
SHED.
Mr.. Pugh--L desire to say that made no
threat What l said was mere prediction
| mere expression of opinion that has been
repeated in the House and in the press-that
| the effect Of an attempt to execute that law
| would lead to boodshed. I made no threat
1t Is an utter perverson--I am bound to say
a wiifful perversion-of the language l used
ut the time that this bill was reported from the
committee on privileges and elections to saw
| that ! made any threat that that should be. or
would be- the consequence of the execution of
] the law 1t was a mere predicti0n-a mere ex-
| preston of opinion. 1t was the expression of
! a fear and not q desire or intent that that
would be, or should be, the consequence OF an
| effort to execute that law.
| DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PREDICTION AND A
| THREAT.
| Mr.. Hoar-The difference between a predic-
| ton and a threat coming from the leaders of
| the gentlemen who have managed elections in
| some parts of the country, has, unhappily.
been found in experience pretty thin and mar
row one. But II the Senator does not like that
phrase will withdraw it, and will read from
! the Record what the Senator did soy and on
| that we will both stand.
PULLING THE RECORD ON Mr.. puaH.
| Mr.. Hoar read from the Record Of April
| 25 the following report Of what Mr.. Pugh
| said: 'If this bill becomes a law its execution
will insure the shedding of blood. and the de-
| struction of the peace and good order of this
country. Its passage will be resisted by every
parliamentary method and every method al
lowed by the Constitution OF the United
States"
The Senator from Alabama (Mr Hoar sup
posed) would not question the accuracy Of the
| report. The country would determine whether
that was threat.
SENATOR'S oATHs OF OFFICE.
Proceeding to discussion of the federal
| election bill Mr.. Hoar said that every Senator
! before he entered on his office took an oath to
| support the Constitution, and the obligation of
that oath attended him through his whole serv-
ice. 1t was the supreme law of his great Office
the chief purpose for which Legislative power
was placed in his hands He (Mr. Hoar) sought
| to impose no law upon the conscience and nn-
derstanding of other men; but he had to keep
that oath himself, as he understood ii. The
national election bill undertook to defend the
Constitution of the United States against an at
tempt to overthrow it by depriving the major
ity of the people of their right honestly and
freely to elect Representatives in the other
house OF Congress and by substituting for such
election processes OF
FRAUD, INTIMIDATION AND BRIBERY.
1t related to a matter of nstional concern.
Its main object was to provide for obtaining
| the evidence upon which the House Of Repre-
] sentatives could safely proceed in rendering
| Judgment as to the election Of its members. It
| eeemed to him that it was the most important
single object of legislation that that spring of
liberty should be kept pure. The House had
| sent to the Senate measure which it deeme
| essential to its own preservation. The pro-
visions Of that bill were the result Of q most
| satisfactory experience in the United States and
in England. There was nothing in it that was
new. 1t was simply blending the provisions of
| a law which had been in operation in England
FOR twenty-five years with general public
satisfaction) with the provisions OF a law that
had been in operation in the United States for
nineteen years with equal satisfaction.) 1t
| struck at evil e
| IN ALL PARTS OF THE COUNTRY ALIKE.
1t only applied to the whole country, with
| special prec autions and safeguards, what the
north had applied to itself for nearly twenty
years The national power had again and
again, even at the present session, been in
voked by the Representatives of the south TO
protect their people against money making
combinations burdening the necessares Of life
and which combinations the states found
| themselves unable to control.
| coNsffrUrIoNALlTY OF TIE MEASURE.
In proposing this measure Congress was do
I ing exactly what the trainers OF the Constitu-