Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-08-10
THE FORCE BILL.
The Purpose to pass it and the Motive
Therefor.

CORPORATE ONS AND OFFICE-HoLDERS
RELIEVED OF CAMPAIGN ASSESS
MENTS-THE VICTIMS HELP
TO PAY THE EXPENSES.
When the Force bill, which passed
the lower House of the Congress before
the present, was defeated by mere
chance, after desperate struggle, in
the Senate, many entertained and ex-
pressed the belief that it was dead and
would never be heard of again. We
did not concur with that view, and took
occasion, time and again, to express the
positive belief that it would be offered
again and would be passed as soon as
possible thereafter, should the Repub-
lican party get the power to do so.-
When the Democratic press and speak
ers said that it was such an outrageous
bill, and was SO unpopular with the
majority of the people that the Repub
licans would not dare to propose it
again, we warned them of their mis-
take, and maintained that the advo-
Gates of it had no respect for the wishes
of the majority in fact, striving
to stifie the voice of the majority, and
that they would avail themselves of
the very first opportunity to pass it
That such is their fixed purpose no
man can now doubt. 1t will be re-
man borod that II vac na1a tho cbiaf
topic of the speeches of both the tenn
porary and permanent chairmen-
Fascett and Mckinley, respectively
Of the National Republican Conven-
tion-that it was boastfully proclaimed
that the Republican party had sue
ceeded in fulfilling its promises and
redeeming all its pledges except that
of the passage of the Federal election
were resolved to redeem that pledge
also-that they made it a plank in
their platform, and the chief issue of
the canvass. In view of these facts,
who can doubt for one moment that
they will pass the Force bill as soon as
possible after they get the power to do
SO.
That party is conscious of the fact,
and has been SO for some years, that it
is in the minority, even though it has
the benefit of million of colored
voters, and is in a minority of more
than a million of the white voters, and
that it must adopt some other mode of
retaining power than the free vote of
the people, majority of whom are OPP
posed to it. The leaders concluded
that they would control the elections
in their behalf by the use of money
Then they looked to the ways and
means of raising the large amounts of
money necessary. Then they adopted
the policy of legislating for the benefit
of moneyed corporations, who, in con-
sideration of the benefits they received,
were expected to contribute large sums
to the Republican campaign fund to
be used ''where they would do the most
good.n This has been the policy here
tofore, and it has enabled them to FRY
the fatn out of manufacturing corpora
lions, and has been successful. But
these corporations are getting FESTIVE
under this system, and are beginning
to complain of such heavy assessments,
and are unwilling to have so much
STAT" fried out of them, and hence
that party has concluded that the best
mode to keep itself in power, in spite
of the wishes of the majority of the
people, is to pass Federal election
law, by which it may control the cleo
tions and decide the vote to suit itself.
Then there will be no necessity to levy
assessments for campaign purposes on
moneyed corporations or Federal office
holders, and all the expenses attending
this manipulation of the elections will
be paid out of the money in the Fed
eral Treasury, and the very people
thus robbed of their rights, and whose
voice will be suppressed, will be made
to pay proportionate part OF the ex-
penses incurred in controlling the cleo
lions. This was the ingenious scheme
agreed upon to retain and perpetuate
the power of the Republican party |
without cost to the manufacturers or
the office-holders. We can imagine |
their cry of Eureka when they first |
thought of it, and its simplicity, cheap
ness, and effectiveness were considered |
They now had the right idea. The
next thing was to get the astute and |
INSCRIPTIONS New York politician,
John l. Davenport, to draft a bill for
that purpose. This was done; Daven-
port prepared the bill, and it was given
to Caleb Lodge, of Massachusetts, to
present it to Congress. 1t passed the
bers having been denied their seats to
enable the Republicans to pass it-and |
then it was sent to the Senate, where |
by a mere chance it was defeated after |
a desperate and memorable struggle
and if Morton had been as rascally as
Reed, it would have been passed |
through the Senate, and been hastily !
signed by the President, and become
a law.
The Force bill will be passed as soon
as the Republicans shall get the power
to do it. This is as certain as anything
in the future can be, and how any mani
can doubt it, we cannot understand.