The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-21
SPOONER TO THE RESCUE.
HE MAKES A LONG sP ECH FOR
THE FORCE BILL

rs a Scheme TO Disfranchise-A Turn
on the Domiciliary Clause.
WASHINGTON. Dec 20-In the Senate
this morning Mr.. Sawyer asked unani-
nous consent for fixing an early day in
January for consideration of the postal
telegraph bill. Mr.. Wolcott objected.
Mr.. ingalls,, at his oyn request, was
granted two weeks leave of absence.
Mr.. Platt introduced joint re solution
aDpropriating 100000 to enable the Presi-
dent to take acton to obtain from the Ger
man government a supply of the remedy
discovered by DR.. Koch and the formula
for its manufacture The resolution was
laid over
The morning hour having expired the
presiding officer LAID before the Senate the
election bill. Mr.. Paddock gave notice that
after consideration of the pending bill, aud
before II should be concluded, if its debate
was to be protracted to any great extent.
he would ask the Senate to take up the
pure food bill. which was demanded by
farmers from one end of the country to the
other.
REPUBLICAN LOVE OF LIBERTY.
Mr.. Edmunds demanded the regular or
der. and the noor was taken by Mr.. Spooner
Al u bpt0Cu Al tQFOCACJ OF Tue Dill. A
stranger in the gallery, he said, listening to
this debate, without kno Wedge of tile his
tory of the country, would bs impressed
with the idea that all the love of liberty
and devotion to the constitution and free
dom from partiSanshlp was to be fou nd
on the other side of the am
Der. He hoped that the gentlemen an
the other side would not assume that the
republican senators were not, equally with
them, lover of liberty. He took pride in
belonging to a party whose history had
been love Of liberty and defen sc of liberty.
The senator's on the other side constantly
asserted that they spoke for tae Anglo
Saxon race. The republican senator's were
also Anglo-Saxous, and they would be as
unwilling as the democratic senators to dis
parage or degrade the race. The gentlemen
opposing his bill denounced it as clearly
unconstitutional and spokeof their de votion
to the constitution. He begged them to re-
member that devotion to the constitution \ was
net confined to the democratic side The re-
publcans we're de lounced as partisans. He
begged to suggest that possibly some per-
sons might imagine that the fierceness of
the opposition to this bill was attributable
10 part g. parGisanship
DENUNCIATIoN NOT ARGUMENT.
The senator's ought to be willing to con-
ceae that in the Consideration of a measure
honest difference of opinion, and should not
forgeS that deuunc.aion was not argument,
and that epithetS never convinced any
intelligent mind. This debate had been
characterized By something of rudeness The
committee on privileges and elections had
been referred t. in language of discourtesy.
Almost every senator on the other side had
made harsh and bitter reference to the
senator from Massachusetts (Mr II ,ar),
That senator needed no defense, and, if this
were otherwise, ne was abundantly able to
take care OF himself BIT he hoped that
the senator would not think him otficlous in
saying that he had heard the attacks with
regret aud indig nation. When Massa-
chusettS counted her jewels none would
be found richer and brighter than the name
and tame of the senator in charge of he
OIL. he was the peer Of any man who had
ever spoken for Massachusetts, in this cham
Der.
sPOoNER DEFENDS DAVENPORT
Mr. Spooner then proceeded to defend
John 1. Davenport from the attacks made
upon HIM, and commended, fortifying mis-
contention with documentary evidence, that
the federal election law, instead of being
offensive TO the democrats of the north. bad
oeen put into operation at their request
IN many instances. Mr.. Spooner
then proceeded to discuss and de-
lend the details of tho pc ding measure,
ana to repy TO the structures upon them
made by Messrs. Gray and Daniel. A good
deal has been said, Mr. Spooner remars rsed,
III connection with what was called ''dorni-
clhary visits" but nothing had been said
ot the domicliiary visits of the night riders
dC Che south, or of the shooting of men and
whipping of women. All the Indignation
OF the democratic senators had been directed
az domlclllary visits, involving only q
polite inquiry by federal official as to who
20 bIa II
Juoge whether persons voting from that
house were legal voters.
COST OF THE BILL.
Ihe committee on privileges and elections
mao been critctved because 1T could not esti-
mate the cost Of the enforcement If this bill.
IL was impossible to make such an estimate,
oecauss the committee could not know the
eXtent to which the bill would have to bs
enforced. But, whatever it's Jst, the people
would not hagEle over any cost that
would secure fair elections 1t had
oten said on tie other side that the bill was
aimed at the south. 1t was, in part. 1t
was aimed at every spot in the United
SCaCes where, by fraud or force, men who
haa right To vote for members of congress
we're cheated out of that right. The south,
ne thought. was where the bill was specially
needed. In proof of this he read
extracts from Il speech male by Mr.
Ioh OF Misslssi 1pi, declaring that since 1875
there had not been fair election in that
Seate; that in plain words they (the white
psople) had been stuffing ballot boxes, con-
mt ing perjury, and carrying the elections
ny fraud and violence, until the whole
Iuacninery Of the elections was about to rot
THE QUALIFICATION CLAUSE.
ne so cad the q Qualifications for voters,
Sontalned III the new constitution of Missis-
siDpl, among others being the
ISn ISdI y Of voters (after January,
Ioo~J to read or to give Il
aeasonable explanation of the meaning of
@Siy cause Of he constitution of the state.
tr. Spooner had his doubts Of the ability
"a some aenators on the OTHER side to un-
,uTerstand some clauses Of the constitution.
tLaugnter.l The constitution OF Mississippi
Hat st'pped at the educational test, and
Acuued from the right of suffrage every
,hn' white or black, who could not read
'I At instrument. Nobody would COM
Ian OK T.; but now an igno-
oqa s.ht white vo er might have tie simp est
e.ause read % him aud be asked II lie unde.-
l ~ aud angwering yes" might be
tm't.ei 10 vo e, While an abstruse clause
io ~ the right II eminent domain or stmo
,,Ssel and technical question: might be read
80. uol ired voter, wno would he asked 70
h'fS reasonable expisnRtlon Of II.