Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-07-01
THE CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION
BILL

Few measures ever introduced
have excited a feeling 50 strained
AMI intense as that which has been
awakened by the bill providing fol
Federal control Of Congressional
elections. The bill Is so framed Is
to give Federal appointees a super
visory control Of elections fcT mem
bers Of Congress, the certificate OF
the board constituted under the
proposed law 10 be taken as pr.1Io
.Gacie evidence Of title TO a seat in
the National Legislature. II is a
Republican measure, being in line
with the platform declaration Of the
Z party in 1857 in relation to tie pro
lection OF the right CT the colorel
people to the exercise Of the fran
chise in the Soath. As a matter Of
course. should the measure become
law, the Democratic solidity Of that
section Of the country would BE-
broken and the prestige Of the party
practically aunihilated.
The question with which this pro-
posed Ilw is associated is a serious
one. Il is pertinent to ask whether
it would improve the situation or
make il tenfold were than it is,
even granting that the law giving
the suffrage TO the colored people is
now rendered nugatory by trickery
and intimidation? VIII It prccipi-
tate the race war which statesmen
have been Tor years predicting, as
merely = matter OF time? Even
some Republicans from the South
take the gloomy view regarding the
probable effects. OF the measure.
should it become law. Mr.. Cole
man, member Of Congress from
Louisiana, and a Republican, Is
among the number, as indicated 10y
his remarks in the House yesterday
during the dictate. He said:
"He did no; wish to precipitato any
trouble, and he was as certain that
trouble and bloodshed would follow
the enactment Of this legislation, and
that the law would fail in its purpose,
Is nc was sure that he would vote
against il in the House. He wanted to
zee the solidi;y Of the South broken,
and there were signs Of disintegraiion
IN the Democratic party OF the South. (
Pass Federal election law and the
men nov ready to separate from the
Democratic party would 90 back into
what they were told was the white |
mans party rather than risk negro |
supremacy
In numbers Of sections Of the /
South tue colored population are in
the majority. II seems therefore |
that an alternative is involved Of q
very serious character-shall the
legal rights Of the colOred electors /
be denied and a bloody conflict OF /
he two races be postponed, or shall /
his proposed measure be passed and
enforced ami the horrible struggle
be precipitatgd.
The white race Is the superior and
or it TO De dominated 10y the inferior
5 an unnatural position and there
ore lis pcaceaJle existence is q
Ihilosophic impossibiliiy. The
-oice Of natural law would newt
IDLY seek 10 assert itself aud rectfy I
he ituation-heuce the dilemma
he question involves. And yet
ne law, asserts that tine black
nan shall be protected in the exer-
Use VI the suffrage il conGers. Thus
human enactments have in their
peratiOns come TO a point where
hey are confronted by a natural anu
insurmountable obstacle.
When Mr.. Coleman asserts that the
White men VIII not submit to the
ule Of their coiored brethren he l.
lot only supported by the determine
Jon Of the Caucasian population Of
he South, but by natural law that
; absolute and unyielding.