Omaha daily bee., 1890-12-23
CONGRESSIONAL PaOCEEDINGs.
Debate Resumed in the Senate on the
Ecncrnl ElcrI ION Bill

Debate Resumed in the Senate on the
Federal Election Bill.
WASHINGTON, Dec 22--rbirty-two senators
responded to the roll call, twelve less than q
quorum. The sergcantat-arms was directed
to request the presence of the absent senator's
In the course of half an hour quorum ap
peared The senate passed the bilrto cstaO
lished record and pension Office OF the war
department.
The con ference report on the Sioux reser
walton bill was adopted.
Mr.. Cullom, by request, introdC ced n bill
to incorporate the Pun-Amerlcan transporto
tation company. Referred.
Mr.. Hoar gave notice tnat he would at ) 80
this afternoon ask the senate to take recess
until o'clock.
Mr.. Spooner submitted various conference
reports on public building measures. Agreed
to.
The house amendment to tho senate amend
ment to the urgent deficiency bill (strllIing
out the appropriation for the pay of clerks TO
senators) was non -concurred in.
Discussion on tho election bill was re-
sumed, Mr. Higgins taking the floor. Com
menting on Mr.. Stewards opposition to it, he
said that senator's objections were not that 1t
had faults, but that it did not have faults
not that 1t was force bill, but that 1t was
not force bill. He discussed at great length
the management of elections in various states
to show the necessity for the reform
proposed in the pending measure. AS to the
claim Of the southern senators that they could
not endure negro domination, Mr.. Higgins
believed there never was day when south
ern 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 rendered was its cor
railing and bringing into its fold all of the
people who were the least fitted to discharge
the functions of American citizens. And
why, he asked, had not the southern white
democrats done the same with the blacks
Mr.. Reagan replied that the reason was
that in the reconstruction period the carpet
baggers made the blacks believe that the
whites Were their enemies and arraycd the
blacks in an oath-bound league to vote the
republican ticket.
manhood suffrage ever had "A chance at the
south. The pending bill was moderate nee
essary and just. 1t would bring no more
violence than the present law. If 1T did the
senator's could not help it. They could not
take the responsibility of refusing to do right
because others would do wrong
Mr. Voorhees, opposed the bill The open
ing part of his speech consisted of criticism
of President Harrison for that portion of his
message to congress urging the passage of
the election bill If Mr.. Harrison, he said,
should undertake TO put on the stage "a
school for hypocrisy" he could not do better
than dramatize that portion of his message
that related to fair and honest elections. The
rank corruption of the election of 1888 was
resting, folded awav in ''blocks OF fvc," and
was fresh and still carefully preserved in the
minds of the American people Mr.. Voor-
hees charged that within sixty days after
the incoming of the present administration
an extensive, powerful and corrupt conspir-
acy was formed to import IL certain class of
voters from distant parts Of the country into
Indiana, West Virginia and Connecticut in
order to secure majorities in those states for
the republican ttcketin 1892. Proof of it had
been published in the New York World on
October last, including letter from Hus-
ton, @feasurer OF the United States, to Mr..
Lindsay, author of the plan, declaring him
self heartily in favor of the scheme, " and
saying that he would speak to the president
about it. 1t was painful, Mr.. Voorhees, re-
marked, to reflect that n man who knew Ben
jamin Harrison better than any other man in
public life and had carried him and his for
tunes through the stormy and corrupt cam
paign of 1888 in Indiana, felt himself war
ranted in submitting for his consideration
and approval corrupt project for the over
throw of honest resident majorities by
shameless colonization of black voters from
the south, and yet that man (Huston) re-
tained the high Office; had met with no re-
buke. The names of Dudley and Quay hav-
ing been introduced in connection with this
scheme, Mr.. voorhees, sad he took no pleas
ure in commenting on the names of men con-
uected with that conspiracy, but he would
not remain silent when even the most exalted
dignitares of the government We're found
cOnSDlrlng, plotting ana DurrOWlng amid
filth and corruption to overthrow rightful
majorties in indiana and to place her people
| under the rule of the lowest negro element
| that could be bought and imported from the
| south. Mr.. Voorhees, went on to read letters
| from Quay and from other reDu blican repre-
| sentatives from Indiana, approving of the
| colonization plan, as well as correspondence
| 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 5000 negroes from
| North Carolina must be placed in Indiana
| In one of the earliest eplstles of Lindsey to
| his confederate said Voorhees,, the following
rich and historic morsel of advice and in
| struction was given: Nov, my dear friend
| read this letter, which, hope, will put you
| in better spirits, and, in the language of
| one of our greatest statesmen, burn this
| letter. Do not tear it up, but burn it," Mr.
| Voorhees, spoke at length against the election
| bill, appealed for fair play for the south and
| declared that in every ore of the southern
| states the negroes had received more and
| higher political honors than in all the north
| ern states put together
| Mr.. Hoar at D, m. moved that the senate
| take a recess until O'Clock. The vote was
| yeas 20; nays, 5-no qnorum. MIR. Hoar
| said he had noticed since the motion was
| made that number of democratic senator's
| had left the chamber and Others did not vote.
| AS 1t seemed impossible to get a quorum, ne
| moved TO adjourn, and this was done.
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