Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-23
Small Attendance in the
Halls of Congress.
Senator Higgins Speaks in Fa-
vor of the Force Bill.
Voorhees, Makes a Strong Speech in
Opposition to 1t.
The Hypocrisy of President Harrison in
His Clamor for Ballot Reform
Graphically Set Forth.
Associated Press Dispatches.

tuc sludll VI oChdtCiC thlo
morning attracted tine attention of
the Democrats, and Harris demanded
call of the roll. AS twelve less than a
quorum responded to the call, the SER
geant-at-arms was directed to request
the presence of absent members.
In the course of half an hour quorum
appeared. The bill to establish record
and pension Office in the war depart
ment was passed.
The conference report on the Sioux
reservation bill was adopted.
Cullom, by request, introduced a bill
to incorporate the Pan-American Trans
portation companye Referred.
Higgins spoke on the elections
bill. Commenting on Stewards opposi-
tion to it, he said that the senator's OBJ
jections were not that it had faults, but
that it did not have faults. Not that it
was force bill, but that it was not
force bill. He discussed at great length
the management of elections in various
states, to show the necessity for the re-
As to the claim of the southern senators
nation, Higgins believed there never
was day when the southern white
leaders could not have had the hearty
support and following of the black men
of the south for the asking. He had al
ways considered that one great service
the Democratic party had rem
dered was it's corralling and bringing
into fold of all the people who were
least fitted for discharging the functions
of American citizens. And why, he
asked, had not the southern white Dem
ocrats done the same with the blacks?
Reagan replied that the reason was
that in the reconstruction period carpet
baggers made the blacks believe that
the whites were their enemies, and
arrayed the blacks in an oath-bourd
league to vote the Republican ticket.
Higgins denied that the problem of
manhood's suffrage ever had changed at
the south. The pending bill was moder-
ate, necessary and just. 1t would bring
no more violence than the present law
if it did the senators could not help it,
they could not take the responsibility
of refusing to do right because others
would do wrong.
Voorhees, opposed the bill. The open
ing part of his speech consisted of criti-
cism of President Harrison for that por-
tion of his message to congress urging
the passage of the elections bill.
If Mr.. Harrison, he said, should un-
dertake to put on the stage A School
Tor Hypocrisy, he could not do better
than dramatize that portion of his mes
sage that related to fair and
honest elections. The rank corruption
of the election of 1888, was resting folded
away in ''blocks of five," and was still
fresh and carefully preserved in the
minds OF the American people.
Voorhees, charged that within sixty
days after the incoming of the present
administration, an extensive, powerful
and corrupt conspiracy was formed to
import certain classes of voters from
distant parts of the country into Indi-
ana, West Virginia, and Connecticut, in
order to secure majorities in those states
for the Republican ticket in 1892. The
proof of it had been published in the
New York World on the 4th of October
last, including a letter from Mr.. Hous-
ton, treasurer of the United States, to
Mr. Lindsay, author of the plan, declar
ing himself heartily in favor of the
scheme, and saying he would speak to
the president about it.
LII Was l)ilIllul, fOOTut6S T6IudTk6u, 10
reflect that man who knew Benjamin
Harrison better than any other man in
public life, and had carried him and his
fortunes through the stormy and corrupt
campaign of 1888 in Indiana, felt him
self warranted in submitting for his con-
sideration and approval corrupt project
for the overthrow of honest resident ma
jorities, by shameless colonization of
black voters from the south. And yet
that man, Houston, retained his high
Office, and had met with no rebuke.
The names OF Dudley and Quay having
been introduced in connection with
the scheme. Voorhees, said he
took no pleasure in commenting
on the names of men connected with
that conspiracy. but he would not remain
silent when even the most exalted dig
nitaries of the government were found
conspiring, plotting and burrowing amid
filth and corruption to overthrow right
full majorities in Indiana, and to place
her people under the rule of the lowest
negro element that could be bought and
imported from the south.
Voorhees, went on to read letters from
Quay and from some Republican repre-
sentatives from Indiana, approving of
the colonization plan, as well as the cor
respondence between Lindsay and his
co-worker in the enterprise, Whitehead
of North Carolina, giving some of the
points of the plan, and suggesting that
some five thousand negroes from North
Carolina must be placed in Indi-
ana. In one of the earliest epis-
ties of Lindsay to his confederate,
said Voorhees,, the following rich and
historic morsel of advice and instruction
was given: 'Now, my dear friend, read
this letter, which hope will put you in
better spirits, and then, in the language
of ole of our greatest statesmen, burn
this letter. Do not tear it up, but burn
it,"
Voorhees, spoke at length against the
elections bill, appealed for fair play to
the south, and declared that in every
one of the southern states the negroes
had received more and higher political
honors than in all the northern states
put together.
At p. IN. it was moved that the sem
ate take a recess until s. The vote was:
yeas 20, nays s.; no quorum.
Hoar said he had noticed since the
motion that a number of Democratic
senators had left the chamber, and
others did not vote. AS it seemed i'm
possible to get quorum, he moved to
adjourn, and this was done.
House Proceedings.