Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-27
THE ELECTION BILL DEBATE.
Mr.. Hemphill's Reply to Mr.. Lodge
The Suppressed Black Vote, Etc.

Mr.. HemphilPs Reply to Mr.. Lodge
The SUPPRESSED Black Vote, Etc
After The Stars report closed yesterday Mr..
Hemphill made the opening argument for the
democrats in the House on the federal election
BILL replying to Mr. Lodge. He declared that
this was not national bill; it was sectional.
Under the provisions Of the first section some
portions Of the United States would be under
the supervision Of from two to five supervisors,
according to the respective size Of congress
sional and judicial districts. He could con-
ceive Of no honest purpose for such q provision.
1t could have no effect but to place the people
of some districts between the upper and neither
millstonea As to the terms under which the
Law was to 60 into effect petition Of limited
number Of persons) why was it SO limited? II
| it was good thing the law should be OF uni
versal application. Why was it that this very
complicated and unsatisfactory provision was
put in unless there was intention to make
| the law bear down upon some portion Of the
people of this country and Allo.
He said there was no moro iniquitous pro-
vision in the bill than this one providing for
the appointment OF an unnumbered number
of men absolutely under the direction of the
| supervisor Moreover. it was proposed to
change the present law by authorizing the
election of those inspectors not from the town,
| but from any part OF the congressional district.
! They might never have seon the voters they
were 10 watch, and they might have no interest
whatever in their welfare. He examined in
| detail the provisions relating to supervisors.
and said the whole bill seemed framed against
the voters and IN favor Of the supervisor, who
was supposed to be an angel from heaven. be-
cause he was appointed by United States
Judge. who had his place for life. 1t was not
the elections that were troubling the people of
the south, but those Office holders sent to
trouble them. There was not man that
side of the House who. if he had been south
some years ago. would not vote against the re-es-
Enlistment of the iniquity of reconstruction
days.
THE WHITES MUST RULE THE SOUTH.
Mr.. Hemphill continued: I'VE know we
must either rule the south or leave it. Now,
for myself, before the people Of the United
States and before God in all reverence l swear
we will not leave it. [Applause.] 1t is the
home of our fathers. There their bones lie
buried They bought it with their blood when
Concord and Lexington were the battle fields
OF this country. They have handed it down to
us unimpaired. and, gentleman, are we now
our fathers SONS? Shall the blood first turn
back In our veins? Shall we transmit to coming
generations great and a noble state which
has been overruled and downtrodden by a race
whom God never intended should rule over US?
do not hesitate to say the colored man has as
many rights as | have, but he cannot have his
rights and mine too And this law is intended
TO put HIM again In control Of the southern
stotes; intended to awaken that race prejudice
which is fast dying out; intended to bring
about again that constant irritation and clash
between the two colors in the south which will
retard its growth and which will be destructive
OF the very principles OF human government"
THE RIeHr WILL TRIUMPH.
Mr.. Hemphill then read from a recent ad-
dress by ex-Gov. Chamberlain of South Caro-
lima, republican. in Boston, to show what a
former governor and republican thought of the
negro situation in the south. He knew it was
useless to reason with certain men in the north.
They did not want and would not believe any
thing the south might say. But there were
many people i'll the country who believed in
honesty. and he had doubt that when We
pass back of the politicians and get to the great
body of the American people and have stated
to them honestly and fairly the truth with ref
erence to the southern country and the black
men IN IL, when they have understood the
whole facts and come to a conclusion. have
no doubt they will render an honest and right
eous verdict. and whatever that verdict may be,
as common citizens Of a common country
pledge the people of the south to accept it as
the final arbitrsment of this great problem.
and relying upon Him who is tine God of JUS
tlce We will 90 forward in the great work of
life before US and endeavor to perform our
wnOle duty to this country honestly, patriot
ically and faithfully"
Mr.. HOWELL OK THE SUPPRESSED VOTE IN THE
SOUTH.
Mr.. Hemphill was followed by Mr.. Rowell,
who made statements which provoked many
denials- He affirmed that the belief that the
black vote was suppressed in the south was
well founded And. moreover, it was the ex-
pressed intention of the men who controlled
that section OF the country that the suppress
sion should continue IN spite of law The man
O m get 81 nv hut fhs
common citizen, who knew that at the polls he
was the equal of any man, never willingly
stayed away on important occasions. When
ever you found great body of men absent
from the polls on election day you might set it
down as a truth that they were not away by
their own consent that something improper
had been done them or at some preceding
time. to keep them away.
Mr.. Oates OF Alabama-"I deny your state
ment and know of my own knowledge that it is
not true"
MIR. Rowell replied that he did not care to
handy words to the gentleman's knowledge,
but he undertook TO say that it the uni
versal experience and observation of unprr iu-
diced men. He said that had the black men
voted in South Carolina at the last presidential
election a majority of $4,000 votes would have
been cast for the republican electors, and
there would have been a solid republican dele
CATION In this Congress. Yet the total vote
was but 1856. less than II, 900 to a con-
gressional district and the total republican
and scattering vote was only TO- AGO, 1905 OF
which was cast in district. Mr.. RowelI
proceeded to refer in a similar strain to other
southern states, which elected replies from
Messrs. Peel of Arkansas Lewis of Mississippi
Wheeler OF Alabama and Crisp of Georgia, all
of whom declared that elections in these states
were conducted fairly.
BULLDoZING BLACK VOTERS.
Mr.. Rowell declared that in some districts of
the south armed bodies Of men went from
poll to poll and destroyed the ballot boxes; in
others ballot boxes were stuffed aud true bal
lots were thrown away; in others military COM
panies were organized to fire cannon morning
and night 80 let the darkies know that there
Is going to be fair election the cabins OF the
negroes were fired into, aud if they were not
successful and the negroes turned out, the
military officers made the polls a target for
their target practice.
Many retorts and contradictions by demo-
Gratis were provoked by these statements.
REPUBLICAN AGAINST THE BILL.
Mr.. Lehlbach (rep., NJ. }, said ne could not
favor this legislation. He admitted the con-
ditIon Of elections in many parts Of the coun-
try would seem to justify the passage of such a
measure. He had no doubt frauds were per-
petrated to a certain extent both north and
south. Ii would however, in his opinion be
wiser 10 let the people OF the several states
regulate their own elections. loud demo-
cratic applause. The advancement of tie
moral sentiment of the country and education
would bring about the same results and the
belief would then be permanent. The belief
was not general and uniform. He questioned
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