The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-02-12
TnE FArE oF rHE ELEorIoNs BmL.

The Southern brigadiers and their
Northern allies are shouting loudly over
tie death of the elections bill-and IL
cannot be denied that they have reason
for their rejoicing. There is vet bare
possihility-and only that-that the bill
may he put on its passage in the Senate
under rule which shall take from n
factiOus minority the right of supreme
control. But the chances are that moth
ing more can be done either with the
closure rule or the elections bill.
| The failure of the latter, If it fails, will
he the failure for manga day and year, if
not the iinal failure, OF the effort to Sc
cure a Republican form of government
for the whole of this country. The
J foundation stones of such form of gov
! eminent are the right of every voter to
cast one free vote and to have ithonestly
counted, and the right of the majority to
rule. These rights are VIGOROUSLY, un-
blushingly, multitudinously denied and
outraged, in nine or ten States of this
Union. The Republican party has been
strongly pledged by its National and
state platforms to try to right this
wrong, IL had the opportunity to ac-
complish this, during the present Con-
gress, If it tails-as is nov probable-to
improve 1t, the opportunity will not be
likely to come again in hurry.
That the Democrats should fight the
elections bill was to be expected. They
know well, none better, to what an ex.
tent their resent and prospective power
in the nation depends on chicanery,
fraud and intimidation of voters. That
they should have succeeded in arraying
against it, not only the mugwumps, al
ways their thick and thin allies, but the
. great mass of honest Independents. the
religious press, the Farmers alliance,
the silver men, the mercenaries of all
parties, aud many honest-minded citi
, zens who do not like ballot stufling, OF
, shotguns, or false counting of votes, as
regular parts of the political machinery
of the cOnntry-is truly surprising. The
latter class have been deceived by the
gross, untiring and Outrageously false
denunciatiOns of the measure on the
part of its opponents. No bill was evei
worse bclied. 1t is no more force bill
/ than any other law; but force bill'' is
= the best term applied to it by its oppon
, ents. 1t is described as an arrangement
: for driving Democratic voters from thu
u polls by United States bayOnets; as
: plan for carrying elections in the South
/, ern States, not by votes but by dishon
= est, partisan returning boards. TIT
!, very wrongs it is designed to correc
Z have been ascribed to it and it would b,
= hard to imagine anything bad that coulC
I be said about public measure that ha
I not been said about this. FalsehooC
u u and prejudice appear to have carried tn,
y day against it. OF course the long della,
u in bringing the matter to a decisive is
. sue in the Senate, has told against tn
:. bill. Ii it had been pressed to a vot,
y during the first session of this Congress
+ under clOture rule-such as the Senat,
!, will yet have to adopt or else abandon
Z all pretense of majority rule in tina
y body-it would be now law and woul,
u enable the Republicans to 60 into tn
!; next National campaign with fair pros
Il poet of breaking into the solid South
II and with much greater chances of Ma
u tiOnal success than now Geems to be pos
/ sible. That very grave possibilities o
-, disaster to the republic may be involve,
among the future consequences of til
:, failure of the effort to secure Rcpubli
y can government in large section of til
J., Union can hardly be denied; but it i
% not necessary to recite them to-day
! Free Press,