Feliciana sentinel., 1892-06-25
Tho Force Eii!.

Republican platform tl.at has beer
constructed ut Minneapolis cniy
two salient issues can be poictcd
to :,s being the mainstay and pnr-
pose of that structure.
The first IS tho maintenance of
the high protective tariff Mckin-
ley law, which is clear enough
and distinct enough.
The other is the purpose, at
tempted to be masked, to pass .
forcc bill, bnt which with all the
effort to conceal tho po:at within
deceit5Ally planned patriotic
words, is too pateot 10 deceive
the mos: casual reader.
It is not uncommon 10 hear the
remark that, ''should the force
bill become klw it would be IN
operative aad void for tao reason
thst its enforcement could not be
poeAbte. ;"
This IS an optimistic view to
take Of the matter, that is not
justified by tho facts or the ami
mus. Of tho party which will seek
10 carry j: out.
Suppose this view is correct
and that the. law would prove 10
be q dead letter, is 1t worth con-
sideration of the methods to be
adopted TO overcome its Infamous
provisions and render l. harmless
aad inefficient.
It could be done only by meth
ods that do not commend them
selves to wei! ordered commune
ties and which are not calculated
10 develop the highest standard
of po!itica! morality either among
the present or rising generation.
it is not timely to indicate to
what me mods the Southern peo-
pie would be compelled to resort
in order to protect themselves
against she d;c;ation Of an unscu-
puious party served by its minlons
WHO wou q loo'. for reward COM
mepsurate with the grade of their
service of Outrage, but il is clear
the South could net tamely sn;i-
nit without ~ effort to defeat
The purpose OF negro domination
4 nd the suppression of the voices
of white freemen.
To do this, to :fake the law 4
dead letter, we should he compeIl-
ed to witness ar lncntlinS asita-
ton, even worse than my here
tofore experienced. an agitation
demoraIizing and destructive to
every Scathern intcres:: AMI social
obligation.
Or rho other hand, VIC t;o not
believe the law would re inopera-
tive, but enforced: rigidly even by
the ss'p!,ort of tho bayonet, mas
much as Tho LIST fo- ,'ower has
taken so strnns ho,a upon IL.
Republican party. the party OF
centra!ization, the party ths1
would throttle s.ee det:;e ant
which declares t,aat the Ar4cr;ral
Congress sis not q deiibe. atlvt
body TIA! all the resources o
the government. would be :.sed /,
enforce the inIquIty.
1t is ,,nwise anu foolish to tr;,s
our hopes Ia the idea thar tn
force bill when passed; ,.:ould &
inoperative and dead letter; i
is foolish to hope for lndulgerc c
from a party that has been char
acter;zed by a sectlonalism tha
is q synonym for hatred, an
whose purpose has been marke
by s. desire to dominate the whit
intelligence Of the South by th
ignorance Of the black race.
It is conceded that Mr.. Hal
rison's nomination was secure
by the Southern vote. which wa
purely negro vote, hence il fol
lows that that narrow minded
cunning sectionalist is under re
newed obligations to the horde q
negro followers. who are expect
ing their reward III the fore
bill.
It viii not 60 10 pooh-pooh tn
threatenings of a force bill or t
underrate its design, for
stands out to-day as the mos
prominent purpose OF the Reput
ilcan party, and has been end0r,
cd by that party in the nomins
ton of Mr.. Harrison and the dt
feat of James G. Blaine.
81 M Democrat ho deIude