The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1892-09-02
A MENACE 10 LIBERTY.
The Force Bill n Desperate AT.
tempt Of desperate Men to
Establish Life Positions
to Perpeiuate Minor
ity Rule.

can federal officers the control OF
all elections. IL takes from the
states the substance of the right,
reserved In the constitution, to de-
termine aud judge of the quali6ca-
tons of voters. The assertion that
il is TO secure full and free cleo
tons is mere pretense. The chief
supervisors are to be appointed for
life, and, as the electoral machinery
Is put toto their hands, it will be
for years under the control of re-
publican partisans, no matter what
may be the character of the admins.
tratlon.
The motive of the bill is bad. It
is intended to control at Washing
ton the return of congressman. The
business of choosing their repre-
sentatives is to be transferred
from the people to the partisans of
the republican administration. For
hundreds of years all elections to
English-speaking parliaments have
been conducted by the officers of
the locality where the voting has
taken place: In England the witt
for an election is received by the
sheriff of the county, and the pro-
ceedIngs are in charge of the re-
turning officers of the counties and
boroughs. The statutes regulating
the procedure date back TO the
reign of Henry VI.
So firmly fixed is the tradition
airy right of the people of the local.
ity to conduct their own elections,
that only three years ago Mr.. Ro-
well, the republican author of the
worst feature of the bill, complain
ed bitterly i'm the contested elec-
ton case of Smalls and Elliott,
that the election officers of South.
Carolina are appointed by the gov
ernor. Now it's intended by this
man and his party that the power
shall come from a much more re-
mote source-from Washington.
All congressional Legislation must
find Its warrant i'm the constitution.
There can be no difference of opin-
ION In the proposition that the states
alone have the right to declare who
shall be voters. The only limita-
ton upon this right is that suffrage
shall not be denied 10 any one on
the ground that he is a negro or
was q slave. No one has the right
to vote for a congressman unless he
ID voter of the state. The consti-
tuition says that the electors who
shall vote for representatives in con-
gress Gin each state shall have the
qualifications requisite tor electors
OF the most numerous branch of the
state legislature" This means
that every one who is permitted by
the laws of state to vote for men,
bers of the legislature may vote for
members of congress. AS the
voting is done under the laws OF
the state, state officers have in
variably conducted elections. 1t
is now proposed that the state laws
shall be administered by United
States officers.
The clause of the constitution on
which the makers of this new la
depend Is that which provides that
congress may make or alter the
regulations which the states are
directed to prescribe concerning
the "manner of holding elections. "
This provision was adopted as a
precautionary measure. and in order
to guard against a possible refusal
of a state to provide for election of
congressman. The resolution ad-
opted by the state of New York
concerning this clause on ratifying
the constitution shows what was
intended. New York's resolution
was as follows:
In full confidence that the congress will
not make or alter any regulations in this
state respecting the times, manner and
places of holding elections for senator's or
representatives., unless the legislature of
this state sh all neglect or refuse to make
laws or regulations for the purpose. or
from any circumstance be incapable of
making the same, and that in those cases
such power will duly be exercised until
the legislature of this state shall make
provisions i'm the premises.
1t may be added that If the
United State officers have the
power to take charge of elections
for representatives they may also
enter the state legislature and SUI
pervise and sHperintend the choice
of senator's, for the constitution also
gives to congress the right to make
or alter the regulations concerning
tine manner of holding elections
for senator's"
Congressional and PI0fariaI Con-