The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-10
Z Federal Election Law.

House will decide in favor Of either the
Lodge or Roweil federal election bill in the
caucus which has been called to meet to-
night. Neither of these bills is satisfactory
to a majority Of the republican members,
and it is probable that tie caucus will
Authorize a number of changes to be made
in the one 1t decides the party shall support.
There is no longer any doubt that it is the
purpose Of the republican leaders to pass a
federal election bill. Speaker Reed
has intimated that no efforts would
be spared to pass one. He i'm
proves every opportunity to urge the
necessity, from party standpoint, for such
bill. In the June number of the North
american ReUiet0 he has an article in which
he advances all the arguments at his COM
mand in favor Of taxing from the states
the control OF congressional elections and
giving it to the national government. They
are about the same arguments which he
presented a few weeks ago in his speech at
the banquet Of the Allegheny Club in Pitts
burg.
His main argument is that elections in
the south are not free and fair, and that
therefore the Republican party does not
get as many members Of congress in the
southern states as it is entitled to. He does
not present any facts to show that the
elections are not free and fair, except that
the blacks are all republicans and that their
votes do not get into the ballot-boxes, or, if
they do, they are not counted. He asserts
that the black vote is suppressed, and he
bases his assertion upon what the southern
republican politicians tell him and other
northern republican leaders. He does not
seem to desire any other testimony than
that which these politicians furnish.
1t is clear that the republican leaders do
not care anything for the blacks-for their
moral, material and intellectual advance
ment. They care only for the power which
they believe the blacks can give them
They have reason to think that the next
House will be democratic unless they can get
quite large number of republican congress
men from the south, and they believe they
can frame federal election law which will
enable them to get as many southern repub-
hcan congressman as they may need. They
know from experience what can be done by
means of returning boards, and upon boards
of this kind they depend to retain control
of congress.
They know very well that the blacks
don't take the interest in elections they did
when they had control of nearly all the
southern states. and were upheld by federal
bayonets in robbing these states, and that
they remain away from the polls because of
their indifference to the results of the cleo
tons, and not because they are bulldozed
and intimidated. 1t is the purpose of the
republican leaders, however, to overcome
this Indifference. They propose TO bring
the blacks to the polls and to have them
vote the republican ticket They intend to
send among the blacks agents who will work
upon their fears and cupidity. 1t is expected
that enough black votes win be got into the
ballot-boxes &c enable the returning boards
to return as elected republican in each
congressional district in which there is a
large black population.
1t is understood that many of the south
ern republican members of the House are
opposed to passing federal election bill,
but that if the republican caucus makes
such bill a party measure they will vote
for it. They would like to oppose it, but
they would not dare to do so. They know
that federal election law would be the
cause of disturbances in the south because
of the efforts the republicans would make
to get the black vote into the ballot-boxes for |
their party, and to count the vote, through |
the agency of returning boards, whether |
cast or not.
There is a chance that the democrats in |
the Senate may be able to prevent the |
passage of a federal election bill The rules |
In that body permit of unlimited debate. |
There is not much probability, however,
that the passage of such bill in the House |
can be prevented. 1t has been several times
demonstrated recently that the minority |
has no power there. Speaker Reed, backed
by the majority, shuts off amendments, dis
cussion and dilatory motions with startling
suddenness, and the chances are that he will
put through a federal election bill as
promptly as he did the Mckinley tariff bill.