Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-10-14
The ELECTIONS REPEAL BILL
synopsis of the Debate In the National
House of Representatives.

On the 3D. Mr. Northway (rcp, y IN speak
ing against the repeal measure said it was a
popularity OF his to stand by the under dog in
q fight and realizing that the United States
was the under deg in this fight he took some
pleasure in defending that under dog. He then
entered upon an argument to prove that the
laws were perfectly constitutional.
Mr.. Kyle dem, Mss.) spoke in opposition to
the laws, criticsing the statutes OF the states
from which the members who signed the minor
ity report came and indulgng in colloquies
with Messrs. Ray rep, N W, Murray rep
S. O. and Boutelle rep. Me.) The federal
election laws, he said should be repealed be.
cause they were unnecessary, because they
were not in the genius OF our government be-
cause they were inconsistent with our repub-
lican institutions, and because they were n tax
upon the people.
Mr. Bowers (rep CALI in speaking against
the repeal bill denominated (sarcustically) the
election laws as "frightful spectCr;'' and then |
went on TO rdcule the house for the slim at
tendance at the debates. He undorsto TODD. how |
ever, that the giants were in training for the |
last great struggle. When they SHE'D their |
hats into the ring the attendance might be |
larger,
On the 4th Mr.. Compton dem, Md.) udvo
Gated the pending measure. He denied the |
statements made by republicans that the mi |
norty of voters in the south controlled the
action Of the majority He quoted from statis-
tics TO show Ton the other hand) that in the
New England states there was n majority OF
democratic voters, but there were few demo-
cratic members in congress from that section
Mr. Boutelo rep, Mel denied this statement
and got into an angry colloquy with Mr. Comp
ton in regard to the matter.
Mr.. Sweet rep, Idaho) opposed the passage
of the bill and then entered upon q criticism of
President Cleveland. The refusal Of that
of1icer TO enforce the Sherman silver law and
the Geary Chinese exclusion law was without
parallel in the history of the United States.
No public offcer had ever been impenched
for more reckless violation OF law.
He rdiculed the letter of the president to
Gov Northen-nominally to the governor but
really to congress-and declared that 1t merely
said: II want" II WISH" ~ ordr.," II de-
mand," ~ am Sir Oracle, and when I open my
mouth let no dog bark" He then went on to
| speak upon the silver question, opposed uncon-
ditional repeal OF the Sherman law and eulo
| glzed the silver senators for their fight against
| the money power and admins tration patron
age.
Mr.. Lane dem, Ill in advocating the pend
| ing bill declared that the federal election laws
| should never have been placed upon the stat
ute books, Every deputy marshal appointed
| under them according to his belieD had been
either hired assassin, a hired spy or hired
voter.
Mr. Murray, the republican colored man from
South Carolina, spoke against the bill In his
| state, he said, before any man could vote in
| democratic primaries he must declare that he
| had been democrat since 1876. The repeal of
| the teueral election laws WOulu, ne balGi open
| the floodgates of fraud and violence.
| On the 9th Mr.. Murray rep, s. c. concluded
his speech against repeal of elections law. He
appealed TO republicans everywhere, standing
true to the principles OF Sumner Seward, Lin
| coin and Grant, the great saints of the grand
old party, to resist this nefarious measure with
| all their power and resources. He requested
| his people everywhere to take the roll when 1t
shall have been called on the passage of this BILL
mark the name OF every man casting an affirm
atiye vote and regard him as their perpetual
enemy.
Mr.. Russell dem, Ga.) favored repeal Re-
ferring 10 Mr.. Murray's speech he said it was
proper and fitting that the requiem gun of the
republican party should be fired by son OF
Ham.
Mr.. Money dem, Miss) resented the reflec-
tion made upon his stat in the minority report,
denominating those reflections as infamous
and iniquitous- There was no ground for the
accusations made against it, and he declared
its elections were fairly conducted. He argued
in favor of an educa tional qualification.
On the 9th Mr.. Hainer rep, Neb) concluded
an argunent in opposition to repeal of the fed
| eral elections law He criticised the state
election laws in vogue in some OF the southern
states, and asserted that in North Carolina q
negro had been disfranchised because his wife
had eloped with white man.
Mr.. Hicks rep, Pa) also opposed the pend
ing bill BY the repeal OF the federal election
laws the democratic party would abridge the
rights of citizens to vote without regard to pre-
, viou3 condition OF servitude. He then referred
to the silver question; said the senate by IT.
delay had become the laughing stock of thu
country, and asserted that the repeal of thu
1 election laws was of more Importance to tht
democratic party than was the relief of the peo
pie
> Mr.. Brookshire dem, Ind) argued in tavo
of repeal
Mr.. Ray (rep., N. " said the people wer
being nauseated by the amount OF talk in III,
} senate. He denounced Tammany Hall as
E most corrupt political organization. twas tn
, | snapper element which was endeavoring L
blot the United States laws from the statut
L books. 1t might be that the last safeguard O
: the ballot box was to be removed, but he raise
: his voice in earnest protest
Mr.. Cummings dem, n. W said he did nc
=, | speak on behalf of the south, mildewed by thes
j laws nor for the city of New York, which ha
\ suffered long from federal ulcer. The fore
+ bill had been the legitimate child of the federi
= | election laws. In their convention the demo
= Gratis had pledged themselves TO repeal thes
u infamous election laws not in part but in the
- entirety and il was the duty of the democrat
. party TO fulhll its pledge. Under those law
Z many hundreds OF naturalzed citizens had bee
robbed in New York city OF their naturalzato
Z papers
u On the 1th Mr. Cannon rep, Ill) said h
S wished to declare that the necessity and pr
priety of the federal election laws had bee
n miSrepresented by gentlemen on the olher sld
Z He defended the constitutonality of the Law
Q and said that citizens having the right to vol
@ should be allowed to exercise that right, an
" neither corruption nor intimidation should d.
, prive them of that right.
- Mr.. Hunter dem, Ill.) declared the electiC
), laws had been enacted in order to perpetua
l. the republican party in power
d Mr.. Everett dem, Mass) said he did n
a deny the constitutional power of congress
pass the laws, but he did not believe that it hi
n the moral right 10 do so He wanted to vii
" from the statute books the last relic OF sectio
Lr al spirit. He would remove every law tn
, grew outot the war.
IN Mr.. Grosvenor (rep o. said that Mass
u chusetts would not consent that the fourteen
u amendment should be wiped out Nor did
r believe that Massachusetts believed that L
fifteenth amendment should be repudiated al
repealed. And that was the position taken
the gentleman from Massachusetts. He riC
IS culed the Chicago platform and thought that
I should be referred TO u master in chancery
- And Out what IL did mean ANYHOW III The