New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-17
MR.. TUCKEH'S HURRY.


Mr.. Tucker of Virginia, seems to be in a
hurry. lie is the gentleman who has assumed
charge of the bill repeating the Federal Lice
ton laws The bill is Democratic measure,
and probably the only one on which the party
in Congress is perfectly agreed. The Federal
Election laws were enacted with the sole view
of securing to every American citizen endowed
with the elective franchise the right TO cast his
vote once. and only once, and have IT counted.
This is contrary TO the fundamental doctrine
of the Democratic party. which is that who
ever votes the Democratic ticket should vote
as often as he peascs and whoever doesn't
shouldn't vote at all. In the Southern States
where the party is SO strong that in only few
districts is there an organized Republican OPP
position, the Democrats are nervously apprc-
hensve lest the enforcement IF the election
laws might result in the election to Congress of
persons who were not born statesmen and have
not the "genuS for government" In this
city. where they have absolute control of every
municipal department and on their own count
inc 70 900 majority of the votes. they are also
in a chronic state Of alarm lest the enforce
ment of the laws might depopulate entire Dem
ocratic wards and send the majority OF the
party TO the penitentiary. According to our
risky contemporary, "The New-Yorli Sun"
the last Presidential election turned largely on
this issue and il was determined by the result
that the election laws should be repealed, the
last defence of the purity of the ballot removed
and the Democratic party left free in It's strong
holds in the Southern States and the large
cities of the North to dsfrancbise whom il
liz, of IL. n
sweet will and make itself solid in the pos
session Of permanent power.
Mr. Tucker is in hurry to have this done
at once and TO use the extraordinary session
Of Congress, called by the President for an en-
tircly different purpose II that end. This, not
withStanding the fact that there Will he no
election for more than year at which the
election laws will be operative, and the further
fact that the possession of full power by the
Democratic party practically annuls them. But
Mr.. Tucker says: 1.-The Democratic party has
been ont Of power for over thirty years. and
in that time many vicious law, have been writ
ten on thc statute books which it will take
years 10 erase" and that 10 time is 10 be lest.
1t has been charged that it is not the party OF
action and progress and he believes that in
answer thereto "the shibbocth Of the Demo
cratic party in this Congress should be action
that the lromptncss with which the House
acted upon the silver repeal "should be an in
spiraton" and 1.-THE united party should 20
forward in the work of eliminating all vicious
legislation from the statute books" That is TO
say. the purpose Of Mr.. fuckers party is to
eliminate the legislation Of the last thirty years
as rapidly rs possible. All that has been done
since the Republicans took a divided, dis
credited and almost bankrupt country ont Of
the hands of the party that had nearly ship
wrecked it is to be wiped out eliminated"
1t was vicious legislation that put down the
rebellion. abolished slavery, restored credit.
established justice, put in operation a banking
system under which no billholdcr ever lost a
dollar, bound the continent together with bands
of iron. opened new territories pcOpcd the
waste places, encouraged enterprise, rewarded
labor t. an extent never known before, and
lifted up the country to the highest plane Of
prosperity. Blot it ont. Let us get back as
soon as possible to the condition in which the
Democratic party left it under James buchanan
in 1861.
But first make sure Of continuance in power
until the whole process Of elimination is com
pletcd. mat is MT. fuckers idea, andk MS
raty doubtless agrees with him. The first
step is to repeal the election laws and break
down all the safeguards Of an honest ballot
That accomplished the rest seems easy. The
process Of elimination can be carried on with
ont risk and with absolute mpunty. solid
Democratic South is then sure for a long time
to come, and that with Democratic voting and
counting in the large Northern cities without
hindrance or interference, will be sufficient to
keep the party in control. 1t strikes us that
Mr. Tucker is in altogether too great a hurry
The voters whose will found expression in the
legislation of the last thirty years, and who
still believe it was wise and bcnchccnt are not
ready to see it swept away. Their represent
atives will not consent to the preliminary step
in that direction now urged by Mr. Tucker
except at the end Of long fighting and the
exhaustion Of all the methods of parliamentary
procedure in opposition, preccdens for which
can be found in Democratic practice without
looking far back. And we do not hesitate TO
say that if the Tucker programme for elm
mating the legislation of the last thirty years
is to follow the repeal Of the Silver act. Re
publican Senators who consent to delay the
initial step will not be severely criticised