The western sentinel., 1890-06-26
ELECTION tAW
IT Is AN OUTRAGE ON THE PEOPLE
OF THE SOUTH.
More than Five Millions of Voters are to
be Made Veiceless, if it Passes.
From the Philadelphia Iin,ss.1

J q
The Federal election bill forced
through the patty caucus Of the House
on Monday evening Of last week is so
monstrous in its revolutionary features
that Speaker Reed and his fellow con-
spirators in the attempt to maintain
political power by violence, feared to
allow the Republican Congressman T.,
see its provisions until the caucus was
ready to ply the lash.
The bill is modified only in its least
offensive features, while all the revo
lutionary provisions of both the bills
presented are retained. 1t is, in brief,
bill to enable ar irresponsible par
tisan board of federal canvassers, not
answerable to the people of State or
their laws, to declare who is elected to
Congress in each district of the State
and the clerk of the House is required
to place only the names of persons so
certified on the roll of the House for
the organization of the body. under
penalty of fine or Imprisonment.
The House once organized untier
this revolutionary method, there ,caufd
be nor redress. no matter how ping
the violence of the fraud; and the fact
that the authors of this bill have seat
ed contestants who were beaten four to
one at their home elections, proves the
purpose of Speaker Reed and his fe!-
low revolutionists to, steal the next
House from the people. They know
that they will lose it; they mean to
steal the power that the people refuse
them.
This bill is preceded by a judicial
bill<authorizing the appointment of
many new federal judges. SO that the
source. of the election super visors shall
be surely partisan; and every Congress
ional district of each State is to be reg
istered, practically counted and certi-
fed by partisan federal board whose
decision shall be absolutely final in
compelling the clerk of the House to
accept the return.
More than five millions of voters
will be voiceless in either making these
election returns or in .convicting or
furnishing the burglary Of the ballot.
In the South it is to be a return to the
carpet bag Returning Board of 1875,
which brought consuming shame upon
the Republic and ended Republican
power in every Southern State, and in
the North it is to hand over to the
Dudleys and Davenports the absolute
manufacture of certificates of election
for Congressman. It is simply bald,
reckless, wicked revolution, and none
can mistake its meaning.
The principal features of the meas
ures, compendiously stated. are as fol-
lows: Chief supervisors of election in
judicial districts are charged with the
execution of the law, which is to apply
to federal elections in cities of 10000
inhabitants and upwards, and eptire
congressional districts, exclusive of
such cities. upon application to the su-
pervisor of100 voters or in counties
and parishes forming part of Con
gressional district. upon application
from fifty voters. The supervisors are
to guard, scrufinize and supervise reg
istratjon and every act or incident con-
nected with registration and plans for
ascertaining who are legal voters. Up
on notice from the chief supervisors
the United States Circuit Courts are
required to open for 1.-THE purpose of
transscting registration and election
matters. The. supervisors are to be ap-
pointed by the circuit codrts, three in
each election district or voting pre-
cinct, but two of whom are to be of the
same political party. These supervi
sors are to attend all registrations in
their districts, challenge persons, per-
sonally inspect and copy the original
registration books and papers, attend
elections and detect and expose the i'm
proper or wrongful manipulation OF
the lists. In case Of failure of local
election officers to put the statutory
oath to a challenged voter and to pass
at once upon his qualifications, then
the supervisors are to apply the test
and receive and deposit the vote, max
ing a list of all such challenges. They
are also to personally inspecv ballot.
boxes before elections, keep independ-
ent poll lists and enclose rejected votes
Endorsed with the name of voter) in
envelopes. In addition to these duties
the supervisors are required to make
in towns of 20,00O people sad Iupwprds
a through house:to' house anssss Be-
fore election to Inform vsterssuS fn
quiry where and in what box 10 ldepvs
it their ballots, and to scrqtinize nat
publications. 'sss's = :
In canyassing the votes the State
laws are "a govern. except all ballots