Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-09-21
The FORCE BILL ANALYzeD.
Brief Explanation Of the Operations OF
the tniquity.
rEnr tho nisnatch.l

First. The passage OF tnls OH W0ulu 80
add TO the strength OF the General GOV
stroy the power 1T the States. The ten
dency Of the less twenty-five years has
been 20 add enormously TO the power OF the
Federal Government. The work COM
menced by the late Chiet-Justice. John
Marshall has been Immensely added 10 by
his successors in Office. The legal-tender
act. the annual appropriations. and the
present pension laws are striking IN;
stances of the growth OF concentrated
power. Add TO these the force bill, and
the DAYS of the American republic are
numbered. and another will be added to
the long list Of the failures OF republican
governments 10 the world. This is no idle
5, atement. but the careful result of Just
and proper consideration of bill, the
most audacious and the most infamous OF
which history gives any record.
2. Would neoessltate q standing army in
the South in the time of profound peace,
the result Of which would be an immense
expense and the most grievous taxation:
The presence of such an s;my-for itwould
amount TO this-wes ID always be serious
menace TO the very existence OF the re-
public.
8. That provision of the law requiring
domlclliary visits would be of the most
aggravatng and insulting character, and
would soon create q host of spies and in
formers who would bring about disturb
ance of the public peace in every. town
and hamlet IN the South. The DUTIES OF
the domiciliary visitors would be OF the
most disgraceful and revolving character,
and would never be quietly submitted TO
by any free people.
STRIDE TOWARDS MONARCHY.
4. The appointment of the chief SUI
peryisors for life is not only wrong and
uprepnblican in principle but IL IL long
stride towards monarchy and insures the
supremacyof the Republican party, which
is beyond all question bitterly sectional
party. absolutely incapable of carrying on
the government with justice to the people
of the South. IL is one OF the worst Tea
lures of the bill.
g. Only persons who con vote for
members of the different State legislatures
can vote for members of Congress Now,
under tho I" force billn officers OF the Fed
eral Government will decide who shall
vote, and thus they will invade the pre-
vince OF State authority and practically
they will control all State eiections. This
puts an end TO State sovereignty and event.
ually will operate as badly in the North
and West as IL the South, because it 10
subyersive of the plainest principles of the
Constitution.
{. Supervisors may be appointed on the
reouest OF any one hundred persons in o
city of twenty thousand inhabitants, OF of
ffty persons in any county. This is de-
vice by which a ring Will be put in the
nose of!every respectable man, to be pulled
at the pleasure OF btty negroes or hfty
ment is unnecessary upon so infamous
proposition.
q The supervisors have the right 70
make a State officer strike off any name on
the register they choose, and they have
also the right to refuse TO register any
name they choose, and they have unre-
stricted access to all books Of registration.
| apprehend that IL would be hard 20
strike more grievous blow at States rights
than this section.
ARMED oKpUTY MABsHALs.
3. In their house-to-house canvass
| tney have the right TO carry with them
ar med deputy marshals and as many as
| they deem proper. This provision alone
converts free elections into travesty and
| a farce, and strikes at the very basis of
| free institutions.
3. The Circuit Court of the United
States of America can force State officers
TO rectity and change what IT declares to
| be error in the official count. thus making
il the election of the court, and not the
people.
10. Under this bill State officers can be
punished for violation of State laws by
| the Federal Government. This is tyranny
| and an infamous usurpation of the rights
! of the States in its worst possible form.
IL. II State 'ofticer, in what he con-
| siders the proper exercise of his duty, re-
fuses to receive ballot the feaeral onicer
| can receive and deposit il after he has
ordered Ii 10 be done and the State officer
has declined. This is a Citing climax TO
1 snch bill
Such in brief are the chief provisions OF
f"the force bull" IL was and is earnestly
advocated by Benjamin Harrison, aud 1t
has received the outright and unqualified
sanction of the recent Republican Ma.
tional Convention. Ii the Republicans
almost inevitably become law. The
\ gravity of the situation. so far as the
South is concerned, cannot well be over
estimated.
However desirable it may seem TO be to
many people to turn the Federal Treasury
into a ioau-offiee for the purpose OF
| making adyancements 10 farmers on their
crops. the effort is fraught with grave
! danger at the present time for every vote
ensuing election is half q vote for the Re-
! publicans, ! do not mean to beisttle or
abuse OF nnderrate the Peoples party, for
| IL embraces In rs ranks many good and
true but misguided men.
TaKY MEAN WE'LL. =
They have grievances and they mean
we'll. / sympathize with them in many Of
their aims and objects. notably the free
coinage of silver, but they have taken a
most dangerous method to accomplish
| their purposes
Economical questions, important as they
undoubtedly are, are always secondary To
the preservation OF our liberties and the
maintenance OF our local self-govcrnment.
No good citizen Of any party ought ever
10 east vote which imperils the liberty Of
his country, And yet that is what many
OF the Peoples party are going 70 do. A
! calm and thoughtful consideration of the
force oil ought TO make them recoil With
horror at the very idea OF voting against
the Democratic party, IN the coming cleo
ton.
There is but one party in the United
States OF Amersca which 10 the true expo
nent OF the principles OF constitutional
law and constitutional liberty. and that is
the Democratic party. andnpon its success
rests the salvation OF she liberties of the
A 4.