Huntsville gazette., 1893-10-28
SHOWING THE cLovEN HOOP.
Policy OF the Democrats In the Federal
Elections Matter.

PoitcY or the Democrats In the Federal
Elections Matter.
The avowed purpose of the democrats
to sweep from the statute books every
provision of law for the prevention of
frauds and violence at elections for
congressmeA is one of the most brazen,
impudent and, indeed, infamous prop
ositions ever suggested in congress.
For more than a quarter of a century
these laws for the supervision of feder-
al elections have been in existence and
have been enforced, and always in the
interest of peace, order and honesty.
The authority of congress to pass the
laws cannot be questioned. There is
an express provision of the constitution
empowering congress in this regard.
And the statutes, as they have been en-
forced, have been sustained by the su-
preme court to the fullest extent. Nor
is there any serious reason for suppos-
ing that the southern leaders who con-
troll the democratic party desire the
laws repealed because they infringe
upon state rights. Many of the most
ardent nationalists are now to be
found among the southern democrats.
This is shown by the fact that such
men as Reagan have warmly supported
the interstate commerce law and from
the unanimity with which every south
ern representative and senator favor
congressional aid for internal improve
ments. In the good old democratic
days before the war this was rank
heresy. But now every brigadier is in
favor of the old flag and an approprla-
ton. Not that we object. The con-
troll of commerce between the states,
internal improvements under national
auspices and at the expense of the gen.
eral government is all good repub-
lican policy and doctrine. We only
mention the attitude of the other party
as to these questions for the purpose of
saying that if they now claim that the
election laws should be repealed be-
cause they violate the rights of the
states-the argument which they will
doubtless urge-we will know that
they are insincere.
But what then are the motives which
have induced the democratic leaders to
make the repeal of the election laws
strictly party measure? The answer is
simple These laws stand in the way,
not to any great extent, perhaps, but
still in the way, of democratic frauds
in the great cities, and of fraud and
violence in the south. Though they
have been overridden, have not been
effectively enforced, still they are a
standing menace to democratic ascend
ancy.
But there is one thing very certain.
The majority will not be allowed to
pass their repeal measure without its
being subjected to a critical examina-
tion by the republican members of both
houses. And the discussion which is to
take place will be made the occasion
for the presentation of some whole
some truths. There is no darker page
in the history of popular government
than the story of the suppression of
the republican vote in the south and
the gigantic frauds in New York city
evils which the election laws were de-
signed to prevent. The republican
leaders will not fail to point out to the
country that the sole purpose of the
democracy in repeating those laws is to
render it possible to repeat such frauds
and to continue such violence with inn
punity.-San Francesca Chronicle.