Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-12-20
INSIDE HOSTILITY.
Republican Assistance Against
the Election Bill.
SENATOR STEWART BREAKS RANKS.

He Holds 1t Impossible to Execute the
Law without Force and Says the Time
for That Has Not Arriyed--No Action
Rebnke to Russia offered IN the House
-Offieinl Items of Interest Aliens
slnr at the President.
WASHINGTON CITY, Dec. 20.-The feature
OF yesterdays debate in the senate on the
election bill was the speech of Stewart
of Nevada, a Republican, in opposition.
The base of his argument was that the
bill would be impossible of execution,
and that any attempt TO execute it would
be disastrous to both races. lie believed
that the safeguards thrown around the
elective franchise in the great cities of
the north had been on the whole beneficial.
but different problem was presented in
the south. He was friend of the colored
man and deeply sympathized with him,
but he could not ask him to put his life
IN jeopardy in order TO fight the political
battle for his (Stewart's) advantage He
was equally a friend to the white man,
and desired to refrain from any net
which might seem to justify him (the
white man in making war upon the de-
fenseiess race which congress had en-
franchised
A Question of determination.
Whatever was done in the matter of
protecting suffrage at the south, unless it
was done through the voluntary action of
the people of that section, would have a
result in one of two things II the negro
be protected by force the same force would
inevitably be driven TO the necessity of de-
stroyfng his enemy. That involved the
enslavement and final determination of
the white. There was nothing more GER
tain than that. The employment of force
would result ultimately in the extermina-
ton either OF the blacks or of the whites.
He reviewed the reconstruction legislation
and asked how, if President Grant had
been unable to protect colored men in
their right of suffrage, any other presi-
dent could do better. The bill ought not to
pass, because it never would be enforced;
because il would consolidate the southern
whites, and because it would bring
further misery on the southern blacks.
Hears Opposition In 1873.
Stewart recalled the speeches in oppose
ton to the force bill in 1915 made by Hoar
and Hawley, then representatives in the
house Referring To Hoar's speech OF last
session. in which he stated that no mill
tary force would be used in the execution
OF the bill under confederation, Stewart
said that if this view of the case be correct,
the pending bill should be defeated. If the
law was to be dead letter upon the stat
ute book, why enact it, In his Judgment
the solid south was maintained by reason
of its leaders use of the cry that it was in
tended on the part OF those who controlled
the general government to interfere with
their local affairs.
Has Hopes of Public Opinion.
The general opinion of the land was in
favor of giving all legal opportunities TO
the colored man. In the north that opin-
ion was becoming keener and more active.
Such public opinion would be more DO
tential as time went ON. If the senate
passed the bill it should be executed. If
the senate did not intend to enforce it, he
asked the senate, in the name of humani-
ty, not to pass it. He opposed the pend
ing bill because it proposed to do a thing
which could not be done without force.
If the time had come when the Repub-
lican party was willing to pass the bill
and to put the necessary force behind it.
and if that was the will of the Republican
party, he wonld go with it, but he did not
believe that the time had arrived.
Not That Kind of Bill.
At the close of the speech Hoar had
the provisions of the force bill of 1875
read for the purpose of justifying the CD
position made to it by himeelf and other
Republicans.