The Russellville Democrat., 1891-03-05
Afternoon session---Fsbruars ss-
 SENATE.

Afternoon session---Februafs Nt
 SENATE.
 The order being the corsiderA'ion '. the election bill, Senator Bell JOCK 'ne aoor aoa,nst fl. The bill is 8 central ization of power. It puts all me eieo ton machinery of the state in the nanus of three | emocrats governor, 'h0 secretary of state and the audltof--'iey ha,no the state board of election com missioners. They are partisans, anu, s Da course. will appoint majority gl .no county boards Democrats. Two Den- ocrats will be on every board oI couhsy election commissioners, and only one vx any other political party. n this were to be true III on,y Democratic counties, 1t would pc tolerable. but to make the maloiHy Democrats in Republican counties is wrong. These county boards are lno boards of final appeal. Their declsions ,ls are final, and they, being controileu Dy
 Democrats, will be partisan in snen "
 cisions. regardless of the pollIicai vUn .
 plexion of the majority. The pu, .,.an
 more partisan and hign-hanosu ' psni the Lodge force bill. me Louso ha,l ,rovides that every election board snail he of different political parties. ms one nroyjdes that the election judges III inc precincts shall be of different poiiu- cal parties, if, in the judgment oi Ine county boards, competent persons can be found. The majority oi .nc county board being Democrats VIII re- ouire A very eminent qualincation v make Republican eligible to serve.
 The bill infringes on the rignis oI men to run for office. He must pc tne nominee of an organized party or nis name shall not be printed on the ilckeIs. } Again. it Is not exactly right DoI ocrats should have the po ro
 who are good Republicans ana wnas Republican should serve on the county boards and as election judge m lno voting precincts. They VIII not sciccs the men the Republicans want. They will select wishy -washy Republicans who will sell out. It is true that the present state officers are, from all that l know. upright and honest men. But, sir. you may not always have an Eagle to soar high above fraud, deceit ana partisanism. We may behold Tn uay not far distant some despot who VIII desire to perpetuate himself Tn once. Then what is in this bill to prevent him from so doing? 1 am satisfied that this bill emanated from the most astute ana fertile minds of the Democrats on fnis floor. And experience-(in (interIupted by Senator Williams)-
 Does the senator from Desha say that this has been his experience in fraud!
 Senator Bcll--No, sir; I mean experi- ence gained by observation, from sucn crimes committed in different parts of this state such as was perpetrated Tn one of the counties of this state called 1 am not very well acquainted with geography. but I believe the Democratic papers informed me that it was Pulaski county. That in it eight or nine poll books and ballot boxes were stolen rlgnt here under the governors nose; rlgat here under the sacred temple of justice. This, sir, is what has creeped into my experience and observation. So, MT. President, believe by this centraiiza- ton of power into one political party without giving the minority proper representation is a heinous political crime. Sir, there are so many hidden mysteries and crimes wrapped II: this infamous old bill that shall std upon her palitical brow as she eros the dark and bitter river of Dem0cri this parting apostrophe.
 Oh, Bill, thou cometh to us dress and galvanized and as a free-will off ing for the many crimes that art q tined to be committed in the name justice. Though thy outward appeaf ance Is like tombstone, inwardly thou art filled with dead mems bones. With in thy so-called sacred precincts the cloven hoof of contemplated fraud can be plainly S en. Thou seeketh to en- twine within thy deadly folds the liberties and privileges of free and in dependent people. 1 can see within thee 8 fraudulent canvassing board, whose seered consciences are blind to justice. I see within thee the stealthy hands of ballot box thieves, partisan deputy sheriffs and county election commits sioners for subverting the liberties and destroying the rights of the majority.
 Oh, thou monster, if the voice of de- parted heroes, whose pictures grace the walls of this chamber, could but arise from their silent resting places, and look upon thee as see tn e, stripped of thy plumage, they would hide their [ faces with grief and shame at thy hyp-I ocritical and naked deformity1 How long, oh, Bill! how long will these things continue How long do you intend to suppress thdsN negro vote within the negro belt? Loaded as thou art with deceit, hypoc- risy, robbery and the destruction of the rights and privileges of the minority, al d clothed as thou art, in the para phernalia of scheming inoyations, de- nominate thee, the goddess of the Ar kansas Democracy. The subverter of our liberties, the twin sister of he'll And yet you come to us, as a friendl Let me say, MT. President, that if had such friend as his, I would swap it away for bowling cur, and l would swop the cur away for the most venomous serpent that creeps upon Gods green earth and place 1t upon the watch towers of liber- iy 10 better guard and protect the in- terest of my people. But, Oh, Bill. if thou must pass, mark my prediction, hat black and bitter day of reckoning wsll su ely come.s and whenever that day comes we hope to be able to sum- mon you before the bar of righteous , letrbution and there, before the alter of our county's tribunal or before the sa- cred courts of high Heaven, to pour out upon your despolic head the punish ment you so justly deserve.
 Senator Brickell spoke in favor of the bill.
 Senator Clement spoke against the bill. Said he: l am trying to occupy the position that as representative of my constituents l should occupy. I am a Democrat by birth. by education and by principle, and Democratic principles are so deeply rootel in me that they have grown to be part of myself, and no. ta... fft