Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1894-01-02
Communicates.

despoiI our bonny land. NO one can
forget ere how Mr.. Harrison reigned
at Washington, bright prosperity
glowed throughout our section with
tokens of future southern greatness.
Towns springins up, railroads pro-
jectcd. cities enlarged, was the story
of day. We seemed to have en-
tered upon an era of regained as
cendancy. Nor can we forget the
darkening cloud that almost in a
twinkIing dissipated our foud hopes
the moment the force hill was thrust
forward we cannot forget our alb
ject hopelessness when for a time
there seemed no escape from the pas
sage of that bill. Nor yet can we
forget the desperate measures the
fanatical and unreasoning element
that then dominated the Republican
party resorted to in order TO force
that bill upon our pleading and re-
monstrating people. We cannot for
get how the leaders stove to pass
that bill in the Senate after the peo-
pie, North, South, East and West,
had spoken in laundering tones
against the impious measure and
the reckless leaders. The election
of 1890, held Immediately after Mr..
Reed had enforced the hill through
the House and while it was pending
in the Senate. declared the voice of
tue people in no uncertain sound.
AND yet, undeterred, indeed made
only bolder by that forecast of the
| inevitable downfall of their party,
Mr.. Harrison, Mr.. Reed, Mr.. Hoar,
and the other leaders clamored
louder than ever for the measure by
which to seize the election machinery
of the country, and by that foul
means perpetuate themselves in
power. This is no idle statement.
1t will be remembered how Mr..
Hoar and the others openly declared
in interviews and dinner speeches
shortly after that election of 1890, as
threat and warning to their more
scrupulOus colleagues, that unless
the bill was forced through, and i'm
mediately. "tIle Republican party
could now hardly hope to retain
power - The writer begs to recall
how breathlessly we then awaited
the daily bulletins of the proceedings
in the Senate, while Mr.. Harrison
used every party means to whip into
desperate action the members of his
party who had a vcstige of con-
science left.
Three times, since the late war
impoverished our land, has the South
at least partially recouped her for
tunes, and three times has her bright
eniDg hopes been stricken down by
the terror of an imminent force bill.
This is q known fact that needs not
be particularized 10 be recalled. Not
long since the Baltimore Sun, the
most conservative of papers, had n
ringing editorial in its columns, de-
clarlng in substance that it 'seemed
from past actions of men like Mr..
Hoar and Mr.. Reed, to be the inten-
ton of northern enterprises to nip in
the bud all southern attractions to
northern capital and northern immi-
grafton by means of the force bills,
in order to retain in the North her
capital and her sons" Our past
political history would certainly in
dictate such calculations. But wheth-
err such calculations are the motive of
force bills or not; the fact re-
mains that each time we seem to be
forging ahead, the terror of federal
interference with our elections has
crippled our industries, retarded our
immigration, and thwarted generally
our advancement, and under our
present constitution we have no
guarantee that like troubles will not
befall us in the near future.
For the first time since the war,
we have remedy for the ever re-
viving evil. The Democratic par ty
has possession of both Houses of
Congress, and Mr.. Cleveland is our
president. A constitutional amend
ment can now be passed by Congress
and then submitted to the States, in
substance declaring that ''no future
Congres s shall tamper with the cleo
ton machinery of the States. " Such
an amendment will forever lay aside
the menace to southern prosperity,
and can hardly meet with the oppo-
sition of single State, even in the
North. 1t is needless TO discuss
here the reasons that Induced Alex
ander Hamilton, and his co-framers
of the United States Constitution, to
incorporate the section relating to
Congressional control of elections.
Suffice it say, these reasons do not
exist to-day, and have not since the
war Then why not forever free
ourselves from menaces of whose
demoraIizing effects we have had
sucE bitter taste?
beg to recall Senator Sherman's
recent speech in Ohio: -
The great issue of the future between
the two parties must inevitably he
the corrupt suffrage of the South. ="
Surely, there can be no hope that
force bills are dead until some radi-
cal, organic law is passed. With
such n constitutional amendment as
is humbly suggested by the writer,
we need never again tremble lest a
few desperate leaders, when the pco-
pie have spcwed them out, force
through an impious partisan measure
in remaining hour of power.
The recent elections seem 10 indi-