The Washington bee., 1891-02-21
EVARTs ON THE UNITED STATES
ELECTIONS BILL

We present to our readers in the sup
plement to this weeks issue of our paper.
the great speech of the Hon. William NJ.
Evarts, in the senate, upon the United
States election bill, otherwise called the
force bill.
This speech is Justly regarded as the
most powerful and scholarly made in con-
gress upon this measure of supreme i'm
portance to the colored people of the en-
tire country.
The arguments which the speech adj
vance in support of honest elections and
the plain irrefutable statement and expo
sition of the decay and destruction of the
suffrage in the southern states are simply
unanswerable.
The inevitable evil consequences of this
open and continued course of violence and
fraud against the suffrage, and the law of
the whole country is depicted with such
force and eloquence as cannot fail to
arrest the serious attention and careful
consideration of patriotic and thoughtful
persons everywhere.
The elections bill is of transcendent
Importance to the colored people of the
country, because its purpose and effect
will be to secure to each one of us, in
fact, what We have all been entitled 20 as
a matter of right since the adoption of the
fifteenth amendment to the constitution.
The speech should be read carefully by
every colored voter in the United States,
and to this end every one that can read
ought to have it and read it to those about
him who cannot read it for themselves.
Especially is it important for those of
our people who, in one way and another,
act as leaders, whether as teachers, editors,
orators or ministers, to make themselves
familiar with thiSa..el peech and spread
its doctrines as widely as possible.
The elections bill is not defeated but
simply postponed by the attitude of eight
individual senators who deemed the con-
sideration of financial measure of more
% =, Al al,
of the suffrage and the repression of vio-
lence and fraud.
The issue on this great question has been
joined by the republican party on one side
and the democratic party on the other, and
the side of justice and law will eventually
triumph if colored voters as a unit all
over the country will do their duty.
The retirement of Senator Evarts from
the Senate at this juncture of political
affairs is nothing less than calamity.
His genius and statesmansh' has often
sxtrieated the country from dangerous
situation and carried the party of progress
and freedom through crises that threat
ened it's existence.
He belongs to that small class of states
men whose only passion is patriotism;
who place the welfare of the entire
country above all other considerations,
and that having been secured, insist
upon the complete enjoyment by every
citizen of his constitutional rights with
out fear or molestation.
His long, brilliant and successful public
career has given him a position among
American statesmen, and in the regard of
the American people, second to none
other.
A history of his life for forty years
would be largely the history of his
country during this stirring and eventful
period in which be has led those who
took up the work of Webster, of Clay and
of Seward, as each of these was gathered
to his fathers, and have conducted the
country to its exalted position of credit
and respect abroad and of peace and
prosperity at home.
He speaks to the largest and most
powerful audience in the country, because
all know that his motives are purely
patriotic and his fine Judgment almost
infallible upon great public matters.
The speech is significant, therefore, as
indicating that at last stage has been
reached where the powerful and con-
servative loyal element of the north Will