Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-12-22
NATIONS CAPITAL.
Senator Spooner Makes I Long
and Ringing Speech
In PaYoF Of Tho Elections BM-- Eloquent
and EntctiIa
Argument for the Now Celebrated
Bnl-othsr Matters.

Bnl-othsE Matters.
WASHINGTON. ID. c., Dec. 20.-The
morning hour ia the Senate was occupied
with private pension bills, aud then the
elections bill was taken up.
Spooner advocatsd the measure. He
said the committee on privileges and cleo
tions had been referred 10 10 language of
discourtesy. Almost every Senator on the
other side had made harsh and bitter refer
ences TO the Senator from Massachusetts
(Hoar). That Senator needed no defense !;
and if this were otherwise, be was abun-
dsntly able to take care of himself. But
he hoped that the senator would not think
him otticious in saying he had heard the
attacks with regret and indignation. When
Massachusetts, counted her jewels, none
would be found richer ard brighter than
the name and fame Of the Senator 10 charge
of this bill. He was the peer of any man
who had ever spoken for Mssss schusetts in
this chamber.
Sponer then attempted to defend John l.
Davenport from the attacks made upon
him. He con,ended (fortif, iog bis conten-
ton with documentary evidence) that the
federal election Law, instead of being Of
fensivs 10 the democrats of the North, had
been put into operation at their request in
many instances. He quoted largely from
from the decision Of Judge Blatchford, in
the Hendricks case against Mr.. Daven-
port, and said that that ought to be enough
to protect Davenport asainst demunciation
connected with that cale.
Spooner then proceeded to discuss and
defend the details of the pending measure,
and to reply to the structures upon them
made by Senators Gray and Daniel. A
good deal has been said (Spooner re-
marked) in connection with what was called
"domiciliary visits but nothing has been
said of The domiciliary visits of night riders
at the South, or of the shooting of men and
the whipping of women. All the indigna-
ton of democratic Senators had been d.
rected at domiciliary Visits, involving only
polite inquiry by federal official as to
who lived in the house, so as TO enable him
to judge whether persons registered from
that house were legal voters.
The committee on privileges and cleo
tons, Spooner said, had been criticised be-
cause it was not able to give an estimate as
to the cost of the enforcement of the bill
1t was impossible TO form an estimate, be-
cause the committee could not know to
what extent
1t Might Have to be Eaiorced.
But the people of the United States
would not haggle at any cost that would
bring free ard fair and honest elections.
They could afford cost what it might, if the
means only proved efiicacious to protect
the foundations on which the splendid
superstructure of the republic rested from
being undermined and destroyed and they
would not stop to count penny by penny
and dollar by dollar the cost, if it would
only insure honesty and security at the bal
lot box.
Was there, he asked, any necessity for q
federal law of elections? He wished there
was not but who would have the effront-
cry to say that there was not? As TO the
North, the necessity for it and its efiiciercy
bad been t. sted ami established by twenty
years of adminisraiion. The people of
the North had not complained of it, nor
found ii offensive. How about the South ?
1t had been said on the other tide that the
bill was aimed at the South. 1t was. in
part. 1t was aimed at every spot in the
United States, where, by fraud or force,
men who bad right TO vote for members
Congress were cheated GU. of that right.
The South he thought, was where the
bill was spe cially needed. In proof of this
he read extracts from q speech made by
Mr.. Chrisman in the late constitutional
convention of Mississippi, declaring that
since 1875 there bad not been a fair elec-
ton in that State; that, in plain words,
tbo, n x.rhi yaorraN had hopn atpff ~
bailo. boxes, committing perjury, and car
rying the elect oDs by fraud and violence
until the whole machinery Of elections was
about to rot down.
He also read the qualifications for voters
contained in the new constitution of Miss
issippi, among others being the ability of
the voter (sfter January, 1892 to read, or
to give reasonable explanation of the mean
ing of any clause CT the constitution of the
State. Spooner had his doubts of the abil-
iiy of soma Senators on the other side to
understand
Some Clauses OF tho Cor s.i:ution
of the United States. rLaughter. If the
constitution Of Mi..issippi had STOPPED at
the educational test and excluded from the
right of suffrage every man. white or black,
who could OF read that instrument. nobody
would complain of II; but now the Ignorant
white voter might have the simplest clause
read to him, and be asked if he understood
it; and, answering yes" might be per-
mittsd TO vote; while an abstruss clause
(ss TO the right of eminent domain, or some
legal and technical question: might be read
to the colored voter, who would be asked to
give reasonable explanation of 1t.
The scheme was pIaioly devised to let the
ignorant white man vote, il he voted the
Demo cratic ticket, and to keep the ignorant
black man from voting, unless be voted the
Democratic iicket. And yet Democratic
Senators rallied against the pending bill as
giving to the chief supervisor lordly powers.
What would they say if such charge as
that we're put 10 it? This constitution of
Mississippi had been adopted, too, not by
q vote OF the people, but by the convention
itself
What he undertook to say was that there
was wrong in the supervision of the vote.
of the South by force and fraud and vio.
lence and con. titutions. 1t was awropg On
the Ncrtb, of which the North had right
to complain; and Southern men should no!
turn deaf ears to that complaint 1t was
not simply lacal question. The results oi
Southern policy were not simply local re-
suits. They reached up to the North, and
they constituted wrong on the entire
people Of the North.
Were Southern Senators willing to say
thyt there was only one tide to the ques
ton: Wss it fair for them to shu. theil
eyes to everything but their own environ
ments and to say that those from the Nortt
who complained sgainst the inequality
which the Southern policy gave to ths
South in the House of Re presepta,ives ant
in the ELECTORAL college were mere psrti
san purposes? Is the negro population in
creased and as the negro vote was sup
pressed. that
wrcpg upon the North
became intensified.
Southern me1 ought not to fold thei
arms and ssy that they would keep thei
increased representation, while they woult
suppress the negro vote. II they did no
wish to be ruled by ignorance, there IA
nothing to prevent them adopting tn,
strietest kind of an educational test, If i
were an honest one.
Why should they rot do anything thA
honorable men could DO to restore equalit,
ard justice among the States in that matte
of representation 1t had never been sai'
on the other side that the negro shoul'
never have had the right to vste. But
was too late now to argue that question
The right had been given him, whether i
wisdom or unwisdom, and could not b
taken frcm him.
Spooner pronounced an eloquent an
elowirg eulogy on the black race for II
\ fidelity to the whites Of the South through
out the var. and irqaired whether it va
| asking TOGO much to ask that such rae
as that. such a people - that, should hav
justice. II was said ihst the negro rae
/ vas an inferior one. Perhaps it vas. bt
there was no room for doubt whether th
negro, who while iznorantl was willing