The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1890-12-20
Senator Kenna on the Force Bill.

Senator Kenna, OF West virginia, Inaue al auie
speech against the Force bill in the Senate on Tues
day. The country was about to witness, he SAID
the final act in the great political drama in which
the Republican party had been playing the role OF
star for a quarter of century. The play had been
long. 1t had paid well. Its receipts had been
enormous The last preceding scene had closed in
mutterings of universal disgust Whether the per-
formance should end in comedy or tragedy remain
ed to be SEEN Awaiting patiently the final culmi-
nation of the play the interval might be devoted,
he said, not without profit TO somewhat casual
review of the general plot and the general perfor-
nance.
Mr. Kenna proceeded TO sketch the history OF the
Republican party. beginning with the reconstruc-
ton period. Those, he said, were the days OF the
bayonet and the ballot, Ito use the phrase OF Mr.
Frye last week. when the fields of the South were
surrendered to the bramble under the practice of
carpetbag and negro domination. 1t was through
the Democracy that the hand of the destroyer had
been stayed. There was voice which had said to
the South as to the patriarch of DID, Take up thy
bed and go into thine house."
THE OLD SOUTH OF THE FATHERS.
The South was not dead. And there was no new
South" The old South was there, thank God-the
old South of the fathers the old South of the colo
MES the old South of the days of &c, the old south
of the constitution, the old South of yesterday Today
and forever. 1t was the same South which had
given to the country her Madison her Jefferson and
her Washington. 1t was not the new South, not the
young sister in her Sunday attire not the bride be-
ing led to the altar but rather the venerable mother
robed in the garments of purity, veneration and
honor. He wished it to be understood, now and
always, that there could be concession made that
would deprive the future generations of the gran
deur of that heritage which belonged, not to the
ht,t nj M the limited States.
REPUBLICAN POLICY DENOUNCED.
Mr.. Kenna went on TO denounce the policy of the
Republican party in regard to the Mormons, the
public lands the tariff the navy and the Indians,
Under the latter head he spoke of the reported kill
ing yesterday of Sitting Bull and other Indians, and
referred all the Indian wars for the last quarter OF
century to the maltreatment OF the Indians On the
subject of the tariff he quoted Mr.. Morrill, as declar
ing in 1867 that the tariff bill which he then report
ed was war measure; that the manufactures did
not need higher duties. but that the government
needed revenue; and he said that since then taxes
had been repealed on banks and corporations and
incomes while taxes on wearing apparel on
farming implements and ON all things that entered
into the cultivation ofthe soil were maintained and
increased. The accumulated legislative iniquities
of quarter of century had been piled up under
the shadow and within the folds of the bloody
shirt"
A BAYoNET BEHIND EVERY BALLOT.
For hundred years, except in New York. Gin
einnati and three or four other cities within recent
years the full control of elect ions had been left to
the people of the several States and 1t had proved
to be sufficient and satisfactory. 1t was only now,
under exigencies which confronted, not the MAORI
ty of the people of the country, but the minority,
that the States were to be distrusted and that the
control of elections to be placed in the federal
power. 1t had not been found necessary until now
to put bayonet behind every ballot. That sug-
gestion involved q comparison to which he would
direct the attention of the Senator from Maine,
(Mr. Frye) No Democrat. of course, could have
u bayonet He was a thing of evil. No man
who Joined the Democratic party could be, accord
ing to the Senator from Maine, trusted in elections.
But the returns of the last election day showed that
there would be GOOOOO 100000 ballots in the hands
of Democrats behind which there would be no
bayonet.
Mr. Frye-The colored people will carry them.
Mr. Kenna.-Even with the addition of colored
people there will be still scarcity of bayonets for
the ballots.
A CUNNING CONTINUANCE.
After quoting a sentence from the Presidents
message the effect that election laws and methods
are sometimes cunnngly contrived to secure to the
minority control, while violence completes the
shortcomings of fraud, Mr.. Kenna said that there
was no mistake about what the pending bill meant
There was no mistake that it was cunning cOntri-
vance to place in the hands of minority the con-
troll of the institutions of the people with bayonei
for every ballot. The Senator from Massachusetts
(Mr. Hoar) had told the Senate that no time should
be wasted in the debate, as ones judgment would
be affected by it, lie (Mr. Hoar) had desired to
have the bill passed without discussion. And there
that at desire
CURED in by the other side of the chamber. AL
that had a tendency to impress on his mind, al
least the idea that for some good reason it was con
sidered wise for party reasons to smugge the bill
through Congress-wise to have it invade the statute
book silently as the tread of the thief by night
1T SOUNDS LIKE DAVENPORT.
Was the bill, he asked, the product of felon or Of
lunatic, of n Solomon or of fool? Its terms and
provisions were before the Senate. Its objects and
its purpose were carried on its face. 1t under
stood that Mr. John l. Davenport was its author. II
sounded like him, it looked like him, it read like
him; every section, ever clause every line and
ever letter of it from end to the other showed
Davenport Its chief promoter in the Senate was
the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts, (Mr
Hoar1 and the second in command seemed to be
the equally distinguished Senator from New York
(Mr Evarts.) 1t seemed to be meet and proper that
lnOsG Two ulsllA6ulShSu bSheiSaASh SiASN'N ~
selected either by others or by themselves to take
charge of the bill One of them had made part o.
the electoral commission and the other had been
the chief Republican counsel before that tribunal.
ELECTORAL COMMISSION SCENE DESCRIBED.
Mr.. Kenna gave highly graphic description ofthe
scenes before the electoral commission and in the
House ofRepresentatiyes, and referred to Mrs Fas-
sets painting in which Mr.. Evarts was the central
figure addressing the tribunal, and in which Mr.
Hoar appears as member of the commission.
That picture he said ought not to go down TO pos
terity solitary and alone. There should be COM
panion picture painted for it, showing the extemp-
orized bastie in which some of the $500 American
citizens for whom Mr.. Davenport had issued war
rants were packed crowding each other to look out
through the bars, and showing John l. Davenport as
the GENITAL figure Ifan honest man las Mr.. Daven
port was represented the other side to be- could
snatch the liberties of ten thousand American citi
zens by stroke ofhis pen, what was to be the fate
of the voters when there was to be bayonet be
hind every ballot and Davenport behind every
bayonet ? Applause in the galleries. If the scan
ming of the BILL from the title page to the conclu
sion afforded no objection on which TO cast vote
against it, its authorship aud its source would con-
denim and damn its every line and letter forever
1t had never been intended to promote honesty OF
elections 1t had never had associated with it any
design to promote the honesty or the purely or the
freedom of the ballot.
A Florida Man Taps an Underground
River.
JACKSONVILLE, Dec. 14.-While boring a
well on his vineyard and orangery, situated
on the outskirts of Econfna, Henry Hard
castle recently struck what must be an i'm
mense underground river, and which poured
its water forth at such Il tremendous rate that
the men who were doing the boring narrowly