The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-06-30
SATURDAYS SESSION.
The Debate In Which the Gentleman
iTSsa.-o North Carolina Figured.

SatO FFS4IS0a
WASHINGTON, June 29-The House went
into committee of the whole on the federal
election bill.
Mr.. McComas of Maryland reviewed the
various election contests during the present
Congress, to show the necessity for the
passage of such law. He supported the bill
at some length.
sas.sS ..ss.s @ ss 81 "a
been since the revolutionary war. The
Republicans now proposed to put the people
down by the blue coats and the bayonet.
Mr.. McComas declared that there was not
a bluecoat feature in the bill. 1t appealed
simply to the courts.
power from the people and put it in the
hands of one man. Do not take to yourselves
any fiattering JUNCTION that local quarrel
among Democrats in South Carolina means
revolt against the Democratic party"
Mr.. McComas-"I have no doubt that the
strong, centralized power in that state will
put down the uprising in the end. do not
take any flattering junction that the black
man will get his rights In South Carolina if
the state be left alone"
Mr.. Tillman (warmly)-"Eye decent
white man in South Carolina is a Democrat"
Loud applause.
Continuing, Mr. McComas went on to say
that the result of the suppression of the
black man in the South had been the demor-
alization OF state governments, as was
shown in the large number of defaulters.
Voters had to cast their ballots for bad men,
because they wanted to keep the blacks
down. The triumph of the white mans par
ty in the South meant the control, not only
OF the state but of the national legislature.
Against tissue ballots, against false count
ing, against night raiders, against the shot
gun policy, against intimidation, the Repub-
licans array the dignity of the courts. the
majesty of the law, the powers of the con-
stitution, to assure justice to all men, white
or black, in this country. Loud applausel
Mr.. Bland of Missouri twitted Mr.. Nc
ComaS for having taken away from the black
men of the District of Columbus the power
of local government and of suffrage, and
never giving it to them again. This soon re-
suited In an uproar on the floor. Mr. Bland
and Mr.. McComas shouted at the tops of
their voices amid the applause of their col
leagues and of the galleries.
Mr.. McComas declared that, when the gen.
tleman from Missouri stood on this floor and
affected an interest in giving suffrage to 5000
or 10000 black voters of the district, and
when he recalled the fact that the gentleman.
during his long service here, had never raised
his voice in behalf of the 5000 900 or 10 000 900
try, he felt like saying, in the language of the
scriptures, "rhoI hypocrite, first cast the
beam out of thine own eye."
Mr. Bland denounced Mr.. McComas as un-
WOILUY Ol anu fCnOilCubly ut
clared that it was he and his colleagues who
were the hypocrtes in pretending for party
purposes an unfelt interest in the negro.
at this point the uproar became so great
that nothing could be heard save the COM
mingled shouts of the debaterS and the rap
ping of the speakers gavel.
Mr.. McComas's time in theimeanwhile had
expired, but, amid cries of regular order, he
managed to make the statement that the
black men in his district were treated like
e.vGf nd ho m nnIA 0F
the South to treat the blacks and whites
alike.
Mr.. Breckenridge of Kentucky, when qui-
ct was finally restored, requested the Speaker
to see that quiet was observed in the galle-
ries
Mr. Milliken of Maine suggested that
those on the floor should set the galleries the
example
Mr. Peters Gn the chair admonished the
occupants of the galleries that they were
there by courtesy, and must preserve order;
and also Informed the members of the
House that it would facilitate business if
permission were requested before interrupt
ing those having the floor.
Mr.. Cummings of New York spoke against
the bill
Mr., Ewart of North Carolina tRepublcan)
opposed the passage of the bill. He was
aware of the penalty he should pay. Unfor-
tunatelY politics had come to such pass
that under the rule of King Caucus men
would vote for measures that deep down in
their hearts they did not believe in. They
knew that this was as damnable and vicious
piece of legislation as ever was put ON the
statute books. AS to the negro's political
rights, speaking for his own state, he un-
hesitatingly asserted that no Republican in
the state, white or black. was prevented
from casting his vote The elections there
were absolutely fair. There were men In
the South who hated the negro and abused
them. Sometimes they were punished and
sometimes not. But the entire people of the
South should not be blamed for the acts of a
few lawless men. he was sick and tired of
the sentimental talk of the negro problem.
There was no such problem. 1t was delu-
sion to suppose the negro was voting the
Republican ticket solidly. he was doing
nothing of the kind. Many of them were
voting the Democratic ticket; and it was
getting more and more difficult every year
for the Republican party to control the
negro. He made a strong plea for the Blair
educational bill, and attacked the Republi-
can party for its failure to carry
out its pledge to the southern
Republicans. That bill was the one the
negroes took vital interest in; and
| he had no hesitation in saying that not
three-tenths of the negroes of the South
would vote for the Republican party if an
election were held tomorrow. He appealed
| to the Republicans to leave the South alone,
| If they would not educate it, The appoint
| ment of supervisors and marshals In the
| Overwhelmingly black districts would result
in riot, rapine and disorder. 1t was said