The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-07-18
Illd LODGE BILL.
Not Force N%lll...lf II were, the Other Side
Should Dunb.

Should Dumb.
NeU FORK Tribune.
Not since the days when it battled
nightly ag,irst the honest payment Of
honest debts has the Democracy fought
as it is nov fighting to defeat the Lodge
bill. Its newspapers, particularly in the
South, but elsewhere too, are clamorine
wildly that it is a "iorce bill" that !.
foreshadows the imam on horseback
| whatever that may mean, aud that it in
wolves an overturning Of tho American
doctrine Of home rule. This ia all bun.
combe, froth and nonsense, aud when
nothing better than hysterical rhetoric
can be provided as an argument against
fair elections, then certainly the Demo
cratic confession OF weaknessis complete.
We can only congratulate the Demo.
cratic leaders, however, upon their dis.
cretion. They started out on another
tack. So soon us the Lodge bill made
its appearance in the House Mr.. Carlisle
had himselfreported at great length with
tho palpable purpose OF sounding the
keynote" He said the bill vas clearly
unconstitutional, and that Congress had
no such power Us the Lodge bill proposed
to exercise.
1t was plain TO the Tribune that Mr..
Carlisle needed to be educated as to the
contents of the Constitution and the
decisions OF the Supreme Court concern
ing Federal authority over Congressional
elections. We proceeded to supply him
with many pertinent and valuable ex.
tracts from these controlling documents.
He was certainly sitenced and, We dare.
say, convinced. The trainers Of the
American Constitution intended to
create q Nation. In National affairs
they did not intend to take note OF geo.
graphical lines other than those by
which the entire country was bounded.
Their perception was equal to the task
OF seeing that the fraudulent election OF
a Representative in Georgia was an in
vasion OF the rights OF Massachusetts.
To hold that these elections are not a
National affair is to hold that an honest
electorate, which chooses its Congress.
men fairly, is not preIudiced by the
presence in Congress OF a man unfairly
sent there, but able to nullify the vote Of
their Representative when he pleases.
Such n proposition is manifestly false.
II 4 maa is in Congress who has no right
there it is perfectly clear that he wrongs
every constituency in America not less
than his own.
The question which is now before the
Senate is therefore one Of expediency-
Is the situation such as to call for q Ma.
tioual law, or is it not? No testimony
could be more significant than that
which comes from the South. Southern
Democrats no longer even pretend that
the Federal elections south of Mason
and Dixon's line are lawfully conducted.
On the contrasy,they frankly admit that
colored citizens are not permitted to vote,
and they rush into argument upon the
virtue Of their course! They pass over
the question rs the law obeyed? 2" with
n has:y, impatient aud generally defiant
"No!" and then they launch into their
old h~arangue about tho negroes being
ignorant and corrupt. a score OF men
sit every term in Congress who are kept
there by hemp.cords and s%hotguns, and
the instant they hear the suggestion that
Southern elections should be honestly
conducted they howl irantically about
federal baponets" and "men on horse
back!" We are notin favor OF bayonets
or other weapons around a polling
place, nor does any reasonable person
believe that bayonets have any place in
the Lodge bill. But We are free to con.
TESS that ii such tools must be at hand
We prefer that they should work for law
and not for lawlessness. It i'll becomes
the party which sneaked into admins.
tration in the wake Of bands Of masked
ruilians whose torches and triggers dealt
death and desolation TO hundreds OF
negro homes in the South, whose whip
lashes are still cracking In the ears Of
every colored man who dares to speak
Of exercising his electoral rights, whose
hand is upon aud beneath and within
almost every ballot box in the Black
Belt-it i'll becomes that sort of party to
talk about a "iorce bill' and "Federal
guns" E9. O. .e