The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-29
REEDS ONE PARTY RULE
THE ELECTION LAW OUTLINED IN
his PITTSBURG SPEECH.


1t Will Be More Like the Scheme
of Chairman Rowen Than Like
Those of Lodge or Eoar-Every In
clinetion of the Party Toward Cen
tralization.
WASHINGTON, April 2s.-Speaker Reed
outlined in his Pittsburg speech the pro-
posed election law, which the republican
caucus committee will report to the next
House republican caucus. 1t will be the
scheme of Chairman Rowell of the elections
committee. rather than that of Chairman
Lodge Of the committee on the election of
President. There will be no provision of
the Australian ballot system, which was the
redeeming feature of Mr.. Lodges bill. 1t is
doubtful whether even the mildly permis-
sive clause of Senator Hoars' bill will be
included, by way of recognition to the Aus
tralian system.
THE REPUBLICAN OPPOSITION.
The fact is the rank and file of the repub-
cans in congress are opposed to this system,
most of them because President Cleveland
favors it, and they will have none of it.
MIR. Lodge has once more had to realize
that is uncomfortable to get too far ahead
of your party. The bill which will be re-
ported to the caucus will go further than
Mr.. Lodges or Mr.. Hoar's and will pro-
vide for the appointment of all federal
election officers by the federal government.
1t will be put through the House under the
Reed rules by whip and spur in spite of
democratic opposition. In the Senate it
will be talked to death unless the Reed rev.
olution is repeated there and as arbitrary
power TO cut off debate and amendments
assumed by the presiding officer. This is
quite within the republican plan for per-
petuating its hold on the government
REPRESENTATIVE HEMPHILL's VIEWS.
Representative Hemphill of South Caro-
lima, the leading democrat on the committee
which has charge of the new election law,
says of Speaker Reeds Pittsburg speech
ut is certainly very unbecoming in a man
who is speaker of the House of Representa-
tives to go to a social gathering and accuse
the southern people of lying as Mr.. Reed
did. The truth seems to be that the repub-
lican managers know that they bulldoze
and bribe their people and they are trying
to divert the public mind from their own
iniquity by keeping up constant fuss
about the south. The objection of the south
has been to the sending Of men there to
override and bulldoze the people.
IMPORTED OFFICE HOLDERS.
"Our experiencesin South Carolina has
been that they do not confne themselves to
men for federal officers who actually re-
side in the precinct or in the county. They
pretend to reside there, but they are roughs
and buliies sent there TO lead the negroes
and get up a row, or to override the white
people. If the republicans have the right
under the constitution to regulate the cleo
tion Of members of congress, they have an
al - I1r~ II
| senators, because they are both referred to
in the same section of the constitution.
A STEP TO GENERALIZATION.
''It is only one step in the general process
| by which the Republican party proposes to
take away from the states every right they
have and center everything in Washington,
as if the peoble who came here to represent
their CONSTITUENCIES were any more honest or
virtuous than the people who represent
them in the legislatures of the several states
Their is no more virtue and a deal more
politics and partisanship in congress, than
in the legislatures Of tho several states If
Mr.. Reed and his people are so anxious to
have the negroes In congress, why do they
not set the south the example by electing
at least one from a northern state.
HOLD THE BALANCE OF POWER.
"The negroes have been allowed to vote and
hold Office for more than twenty years, and
they are an absolutely essential part of the
Republican party in many of the northern
states. The republicans seem to want to
make the south do what they will not do
themselves 1t will not do to say that sim
ply because the negroes are not in the
majority they ought to be excluded, for if
they are American citizens and as good as
the whites they certainly ought not to be ex-
cluded, because there are not enough in one
district to elect one of their own number
without assistance from the white repubIi-
cans"
CONGRESSMAN WILSON'S VIEWS.
Congressman w. L. Wilson of West Vir-
ginia said to-day: MIR. Reeds speech is
very significant. He told briefly what the
Republican party expects to do in the
matter of federal election law. That law,
under the House rules, could be passed with
ease in the lower body, and its only chance
Of stoppage is in she Senate. 1 can't believe
that Mr.. Chandler's resolution will be
adopted. Years ago Henry Clay attempted
to have the Senate adopt such rule as it
had been adopted by the House, but despite
the fact that he had had the entire Senate
at his back there was a tremendous storm
of protest, and Mr.. Clay abandoned the
idea as impracticable and unjust. The fed
eral election law it is proposed to pass is a
usurpation of the rights of state. There
is only one step farther that can be taken
and that is 10 abolish the right
to vote. The trainers of the con-
stitution had no ida that at any further
time any party would have the audacity to
propose such law. The republican idea is
to take from the hands of the states the
machinery of election.
CONTRARY TO THE CONSTITUTION.
"This is opposed to the spirit OF the con-
stitution. The states have not only the
right to conduct the election of their rep
resentstives in congress. but have the right
to decide whether these congressman are
elected. The general government has, in
my opinion, no right to interfere in such
matters. 1t means a Capitalization of
power and would, in my opinion, cause
great disturbance all over the country.
AS Senator Pugh said, it would tend to
create violent political demonstrations, and
would probably result in bloodshed. The
do not help the enactment Of
laws as the result of discussion,
but on the contrary, the laws that are being
passed by the House are caucus measures
that are hatched in secret conference,
brought into the House and passed with no
discussion regarding the merits of the law
in question. The judiciary bill that was
passed the other day, one of the most i'm
portant that congress has considered this
session, and involving complete change In
the judiciary system, was passed after an
hours discussion. For that reason think
<~.f