The morning call., 1892-07-05
A NEW ISSUE.

Alr. Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic
nominee fer Vice-President. has discovered
an issue which he considers more important
than the tariff issue and the silver issue
combined. The issue which he has DIS
covered lies in the proposition made IN Inc
last Congress 10 provide for Federal super
vision of elections in States in which
certain percentage OF the voters should
declare such supervision necessary 10 Sc
cure n fair vote and true count. The fact
is undenable that in several States portion
of the vote is suppressed. There are in the
present Congress a number of Representa-
tives who were elected by vote ridculously
small in comparison with the population.
These members, who represent but small
minority Of the voters in the district to
which they are attached, help to pass or
to defeat bills of importance TO all the States.
1t is now probable that free silver coinage
bin will be passed by the aid of their votes.
The so-called force bill provided that when
the local authorities failed to protect voters
the Federal authorities should co so The
bill covered the entire Union. Ii was only
sectional in case any section should make
the disfranchisement of a portion or its
citizens feature Of its political methods.
But Mr.. Stevenson sees in this proposition
an issue of greater importance than the
tariff, which affects the wages OF every
laborer in the North and many of them in
the South, and of greater Importance than
the free coinage Of silver, which viii unsettIe
values all over the country. This Illinois
statesman considers the exercise of the
power Of a Dumber of Congressional districts
10 return members who received perhaps
less than oDe-ffth OF the entire vote OF their
respective district of more importance than
the maintenance of the American standard
OF wages and OF a currency OF equal value
In every State in the Union. a Demo-
cratic newspaper which supports Steven
sen with fervOr that contrasts
with its lukewarmness toward Cleve-
land catches at the Stevenson idea.
1t pTetends to see in the Federal
election bill a purpose TO subject the States
in which the negro population predomi-
mates to negro rule-negro governor. negro
legislature aud negro judges. There are
three States in the Union in which the col
ored population is in excess of the whites.
They are Louisiana, Mississippi and South
Carolina. In each one Of the three the
whites own the soil, control the industries
and possess the advantages of education
and the experience in public Office. In DO
one of the three States Is the excess of
negroes IN point OF number considerable.
The whites possess all the elements of p0lit-
ical power except one and are only slightly
deficient in that one. To assume that the
cOlored voters in three States with their small
numerical majority could wrest power from
the whites is 10 pay the whites poor COM
pliment. In all the Southern States but the
three named the whites have a working
majority. The whites are also increasing in
number more rapidly than the negroes.
All the immigration is white except as the
eOlored people move from ole State to an
other. a reasonable conclusion is that Mr..
Stevenson has attempted to create an issue.
There is no danger in the so-called force bill
for any State which protects its voters in the
exercise OF the franchise Other Demo
Gratis than Mr.. Stevenson have tried to dis
tract the attention of the people from the tar
III issue and with the more reason since the
Democratic platform declares the protection
of American labor to be unconstitutional.
Sagaei0us Democrats see nothing but de-
feat on that issue. They have no faith in
the power Of any party discipline to enforce
voters to vote against their own inter-
ests. American labor has been protected
since the government was established and
more especially in the period Of our most
rapid advancement since 1868.