The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-27

saw Mt he called for an explanation Of
sne provision. Now suppose a United
states inspector were corrupted, and from
the amount OF corruption reported by the
gentleman from Massachusetts, it might
safely be inferred that one-half of the
people were unworthy of trust; that
they were to be watched as
criminals OF ticket-of-leave-men; sup
pose that a supervisor were to turn demo-
crat. He had life tenure and could not be
removed. That hadn't occurred to the gen.
tleman from Massachusetts,.
A ROBBERY SCHEME.
This was measure to rob the people Of
their dearest rights. He had marched be-
fore the glittering bayonets of United
States soldiers TO cast his ballot. Troops of
soldiers had been sent to his town, and
every soldier had cast ballot for Greeley.
The result was that the party had a bigger
majority than it had ever had in any pre-
ceding election.
BAD STATE OF AFFAIRS.
1t needed no eloquence to depict the horror
OF having thousands of men watching voters
for So day and owing their appointment
to man who did not owe his appointment
to the House or the people, but to a man
appointed by United States Judge, who
could not be got at under any circum-
stances. There was no more iniquitious pro-
vision in the bill than this one providing
for the appointment of an unnum-
bered number of men absolutely under
the direction Of the supervisor. More
over, it was proposed to change
the present law by authorizing the selection
OF these inspectors not from the town but
from any part Of the congressional district
They might never have seen the voters they
were to watch, and might have no interest
whatever in their welfare. He examined in
detail the provisions relating to supervisors,
and said the whole law is framed against
the voters and in favor Of the supervisors.
He added that the whole bill seemed
framed against the voters and in favor of
the supervisor, who was supposed to be an
angel from heaven, because he was ap-
pointed by United States judge, who had
his place for life. II the purpose Of the bill
was to secure an honest election 1t would
certainly not show these defects.
JURY FIXING.
Another very peculiar provision was Sec
tion 38, for which he knew no better name
than that of the Jury fxer" feature.
There could be no more iniquitous PROPOSE
tion than that the statute law should be
changed so as to do away with the require,
ment Of an inspection by both parties of the
juries of the country, and to have the juries
drawn by one man, and that free from even
UAhuCoooo VI OiO OppOSALc Bt1Tl1s 11o Tedu
from a letter from a gentleman of
prominence in Florida, charging the
United States judge there with partisanship
and stating that orders had been given by
the marshal to see that republicans were
selected for jurors. 1t was not the elections
that were troubling the people of the south,
but those oftice-holders sent to trouble them.
There was not q man on that side of the
House who, il he had been down south, some
1nf ntn Aha
re-establishmenu of the iniquity of recon-
struction days.
A HUMILIATING Confession.
1t seemed to him that it must be very
humiliating thing upon the part of the re-
publicaus in congress that although this
country had been honest and pure for
seventy-five years, and no supervisor OF
elections had been needed during twenty
five years Of republican rule, the people
had become SO corrupted, their honor
SO blunted and their integrity SO weakened,
that they could not be trusted to make an
honest return of their votes here unless the
people are guarded, supervised and scruti-
nized as If they were criminals. Was not
that a fine showing for the party that
claims to be the party of great moral ideas9
Now, one Of the chief reasons advanced
here is that, whether true or not,
the public at large thinks there is
general corruption at elections. He had
never heard a more humiliating confession
on this floor. Itwas the duty Of the repre-
sentatives to tell the people what they knew
in their souls, that this was not true, and he
advised them not to go to work to trim
their sails and get in the way of this breeze.
THE NEW NORTH.
A good deal had been said about the new
south, but what this country really needed
IL Il
take the view suggested by the facts and
not by their preconceived notions; that
does not believe it has all the virtue, and
the rest of the country none; that would
not waste all of its time in remedy
ing supposed abuses of distant places
that would not think an Anglo-Saxon in
the south always in the wrong when he has
any trouble with one of the African race.
A free ballot and fair count had got to be
the shibboIeth of the republican party. He
said unhesitatingly that they were neces-
sary for the performance of our institutions.
But what did this phrase mean? Machinery
was a mere means; the end was
that the voters should have
their sentiments fairly represented
upon the floor of the House and in the gov
ernment The right to cast a vote aud
have it counted was mere delusion and
fraud unless the laws of the country were
so framed that the vote should amount to
something.
A SNARE.
This cry of free ballot and a fair count
and abuse of the south was the chief politi-
cal capital of some men who wanted to be
returned here. and to keep the voter from
watching affairs at home. What was the
use of talking about free ballot in Kansas
when the state had been so gerrymandered
that lat 900 democrats of Kansas had never
been represented on the floor?
MIR. Kelly of Kansas-How do you expect
to get democrat here, when there are not
four democratic counties in the state!
Mr.. Hemphill-It does not matter about
how many democrats have never been rep
resented here. II there were fair repre-
sentation on this floor the proportion would
be 1853 democrats, 154 republicans, five
prohIbitionists and two labor men.
In California it took $1,000 more
votes to put democrat here than repub-
lican. In Illinois the average number of
votes necessary to send democrat here was
49, 1000; to send a republican, $4,000. The
average in fourteen northern states was
democratic, 65, 900; republican, $1,000. If
voting meant expressing the will OF the
people, the republicans were in majority
here wrongfully.
Mr.. springer-They are usurpers.
Continuing, Mr.. Hemphill said Messrs.
Hiscock and Evarts were on the floor OF
the Senate misrepresenting the state OF New
York. and the same was true of Connecti-
cut. which had been democratic for years.
Whan tha ranuhlioans of the north had