Middletown transcript., 1892-10-13
Tht Grattstrtpt,
The FORCE BILL.

admirably set forth In an address TO til
people signed by the Democratic repre-
sentatiyes from the Northern States, is
sued June %, while the bill was unde
discussion in Congress. Among othe
things the address said:
This bill is purely partisan meas
ure intended primarily to control tn
elections for Congress and Presidential
Electors in all the States and to intimi
date, hound, obstruct and harass b.
political prosecution in unfriendl.
hands the adverse maiorities in the cit
les of North. The minority mem
befs of the Committee regard the bill
as revolutionary in its character. It sub
stantially wipes ont the regulation o
Congressional Elections by States tha
has existed for century, without on.
demand from the people for chang
and without any public necessity fo
the change. 1t appoints Republican
Supervisors to oversee State officer.
thereby insulting and degrading thest
State officers. It prostitutes the iu
dietary Of the United States to politica
and partisan uses.
INDEPENDENT REPUBLICAN OPINIONS.
But we do not need to depend alone
upon Democratic opinion for charac
terization of the bill. There were O
few Republican Senators and Represen.
tatives who had the courage to stand
out against and denounce the bill.
Senator Stewart of Nevada, in the
Senate, December 10, 1890: The
pending bill proposes doing thing
that can not be done without force.
Representative Nathan Frank, Of
Missouri, in the House, june 80, 1890:
.Under this bill the people will do the
voting and the canvassing boards will
do the electing."
Representative Ewart, Of North Caro-
lima, in the House, June %, 1890, said:
This is as damnable and vicious piece
of legislation as ever was put on the Sta
tute Books.
In the Senate in December, Senator
Walcott, of Colorado, said: "The pend
ing bill involves Federal interference
and espionage at other than National
elections and such interference is con-
trary to American inst itutions.
SAMPLE PARTISAN REPUBLICAN OPINIONS.
Representative Lodge, in an inter-
view published March 1S. 1890, said:
The bill provides that the United
States shall take complete charge of the
election of its Congressman. The use
Of the pronoun its" is significant as en-.
phasizing the theory that the Congress-
men are servants not of the States that
elect them but of the Federal Govern
!nent.
Senator Frye, in the Senate, Decem-
Der II, 1890: "If in order to secure
the right of the American citizen freely
to cast his ballot and have it counted
as cast, it was necessary to put bayo-
net behind erery ballot would put q
bayonet behind it.
Senator Cullom, in the Senate, De-
cember 18, 1890: II accept the bill as
the best that could be framed to meet
the evils complained Of.
Senator Hiscock, in the Senate. De-
cember 20, 1890: 1T has been said
that the pending measure is partisan in
its provisions. As far as possible that
feature has been eliminated, but in those
large cities where the chief magistrate
is usually Democratic, and the State
officials Democratic, and the police
Democratic, Republican electors are
entitled both to law and officers that
would guard their interests"
wHTTELAw REDS POSITION.
When the New York Tribune speaks
Mr.. Whitelaw Reid, editor and princi-
pal owner of that newspaper and the
Republican candidate for Vice-President
speaks. That Candidate Reid can be
counted upon at all times as an enthu.
siastic supporter of the Force Bill is
clearly shown by extracts from the edi-
torial columns Of the Tribune. During
the discussion Of the measure in Com
gress. Mr.. Reid's newspaper bristled all
over with bayonets.
While waiting for the bill to be re.
ported from the committee, the Tribune
said, April 10. 1890:
To remove the suppression Of the
suffrage now practiced in open defiance
of the Fifteenth Amendment of the Con-
stitution in the Southern States, the
Republican party is sacredly pledged.
A broader election law will be
gladly received by the suppressed
voters o narrower one will not be sat-
isfactory to the Republicans of the coun.
try, and Congress, which seems to have
delsyed too long. should at once pro.
ceed to the performance Of paramount
and sacred duty"
The Tribune in an editorial of Aug.
Is, said /:
The election bill carries within itself
the assurance of future tariff bills by
the hundred"
When the Force Bill was finally taken
up for consideration, June 9, 1890, the
Tribune said /:
mo other measure proposed at the
present session of Congress is Of greater
or more far-reaching importance than
this"
After the bill had been laid on the
shelf until December, the Tribune
threatened that if the coming Congress
sional elections should go against the
the Force Bill would lie
put through in the next session in more
stringent form even than had been be-
fore proposed.
The attempted force bill legislation
Of 1890 was in response to many
demands from previous Republican
Conventions. President Harrison and
bis party interpreted the oft-repeated
expression of solicitude for an honest
ballot to mean q call for the setting up
Of Federal machine to control elsc.
lions. They undoubtedly understand
themselves. The Republican National
Platform of 1892 demands Force bill
in 1894 just as the Republican
Platform of 1888 demanded
and got Force bill measure in 1890.
THE PARTY RECORD.
A volume might be filed with ex.
tracts from Republican platforms and |
Republican speeches showing that the |
party has eagerly and firmly CON- |
nitted itself to the Force bill, aad |
hat its lines are without break.
Republican conventions, N..,i.nla! and |
tate, have constantly demanded a Fed |
n m