The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-29
BTLLDOZERS At THE POLLS.
The Fight Against the Election Laws
Still in Progress.

Black of Illinois Opens the Days De-
bate in Opposition to the Laws-He
Declares They Are no Longer
Needed-The Fastest Talker in the
House Gets the Floor Next-Brecken-
ridge Praying for the Disintegration
of the Republican Party.
Washington, Sept. 28.-There were less
than 100 mem bers present at noon to-day
in the House, and the majority of those
in attendance were on the republican
side of the main aisle.
At the opening of the session Mr.
Morse of Massach usetts, stirred up
another row between himself and Mr.,
Fithian of Illinois, in which the lie was
passed from both sides.
Mr.. Hopkins of Illinois stopped the
scene by demanding the regular order.
The federal election repeal bill was
then taken up and the House was ad-
dressed by Mr. Black, dem, of Illinois
He exposed his qualification that there
seemed to be disposition on both sides
of the House to argue this question
calmly and quietly. He would not dis
cuss this constitutional question.
NO NEED FOR THE LAWS.
Even if it were true. which he denied,
that there was a constitutional power in
the government to enact the system of
laws which it was now sought to repeal,
il was none the less true that for three
quarters of century after the adoption
of the federal constitution there had
been no trace of such laws, and there had
been no instance of the exercise of such
power by the federal government. If
there had been time when these laws
were of use, the time for that use had
gone What was the right
and wise thing to do now?
The country was not confronted
with period of violence. What the
patriot dreaded was the corruption of the
individual voter. What was needed was
not the proven tion of violence in far away
places, but the prevention of corruption
in places near by. What was needed was
the protection of the ballot box against
political ignorance. the laws had been
designed to intensity the race issue
They appealed to force and not to reason.
They were an obstruction to progress and
should be repealed.
THE FASTEST TALKER IN THE EoUsE.
Mr. Johnson, rep, of Indiana, is the
maintained his reputation when he took
the floor in opposition to the bill He
hesitated not at the outset to stigmatiZe
the measure as the climax of all that was
atrOCiouS and vicious in legislation 1t
repealed all that was near and dear to
the American heart 1t was the unfortu-
nate child of a wretched conspiracy that
was conceived in total ignorance of the
fundamental principles upon which this
DN- ont CT
eminent was neither a despotism, a mon
archy, nor an aristocracy. 1t was a
mighty republic-a republic in which
the people were sovereign, a republic
it which the people governed
themselves under the provisions of
a written constitution which was the
product of their own hands. The pend
ing measure was nothing, more or less,
than a cold bloOded proposition to repeal
the laws which made the violation of
election methods crime. 1t was a cow
ardly hosting of the white flag. 1t was
a shameful capitulation to the demands
of men who wished to invade the rights
of the people. 1t said that so far as the
national government was concerned
there should be no one to prevent their
frauds. 1t was confession that this ma
ton had no disposition nor power to
guarantee its citizens in the exercise of
their highest rights.
DOWN ON THE REPUBLICANS.
Mr.. Breckenridge of Kentucky made a
constitutional argument against the fed
eral election laws He then criticised
the actions of the Republican party. He
hoped to see its disintegration, which
was absolutely necessary for the pros
perity of the country. He was not
speaking as a partisan. He was speak
ing as citizen. 1t was not possible to
put power INTO the hands OF any party
without that party using that power
for party advantage. The laws
could not fail to be, and they
would always be offensive, no matter
what party was in power. BY
its protective tariff, the general govern
ment puts its hands upon every American
industry. He believed in shaking off the
hand of the government from all the in
dustries of the country. The govern
ment has become the banker of the whole
country. He believed in the Democratic
party taking up the financial question
and making the treasury the means of
collecting revenue, and using that reve-
nue. In an economical manner.
OPPOSED TO INTERFERENCE.
He wanted to prevent the general gov
ernmen from interfering with the cleo
tons of the people. Congress- had been
assembled under unusual and perplexing
circumstances. The Democratic party
mad found an empty tt asury; it had
found unWise tariff legislation; it had
found unwise money legislation 1t had
found in the statutes laws which
allowed federal interference with cleo
lions. 1t was the duty of the Democratic
party to act on these questions. 1t h d
peen said by the opponents of the pending
Dill that it was conspiracy. 1t was a
conspiracy, but it was a conspiracy of a
majority of the people against the cleo
ton laws
"A, AI the conclusion of Mr.. Breckinridge's
remarks, the House at 5 O'Clock ad-
lourned.
a FIGHT OVER SCHOOL BOOKS.