The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-05
FOR AN HONEST BALLOT
The Republican Rallying Cry for 1896
Will BE Fair Elections.
EX-SPEAKER REEDS POLICY
lie win Advocate n Conservative Course
and Win Endeavor TO Avoid Agita.
tions Of Any Kind-The South
Able to Care for Itself.
By the United Press.

Washington, Dec. 4.-Among the Re-
publican leaders there is much anxiety
with regard to the course to be pursued
by the party during the coming two
years. Without exception they are i'm
pressed with the great responsibility
which the tremendous victory of
November has placed upon them, and
the wisest of them express themselves
as frightened at its magnitude rather
than jublant over the fact of success.
They are unanimous in declaring that
the future of the party depends uopn
the conservatism and wisdom OF the
new Republican house, and on the
skill with which the unwieldy majority,
composed of inexperienced and un-
known men, is handled by Speaker
Reed
There is unanimous party approval Of
the policy of conservatism outlined by
Mr.. Reed, and the utmost confidence
Is expressed in the programme which
he wishes to carry out. 1t is recognized,
however that all his energies and all
hisskill in management will be required
TO control the disproportionate major
ity.
The next speaker not only will use
his influence to prevent tariff agitation
but viii frown upon any attempt to
resurrect the force bill or revive the
system of federal supervision which
was discarded by the present congress.
The ex-speaker believes that the time
for that sort of thing is past, and that
with the new evidences in the south of
disposition to divide on something
else than the color line it will be more
wise to approach a rectification of the
evils in the conduct of elections there
by other and less stringent methods.
rms, however. does not mean that
the question of fraud in elections will
be subject tabooed. The exact oppo-
site is the truth, and it is the intention
OF the Republican leaders to have such
complete airing of election methods
IN the south and elsewhere that a
public sentiment will be created which
will demand a thorough overhauling of
defective statutes in evey state.
The possibility of this will make the
elections committee perhaps the most
conspicuous of any of the committees
in the next house. There will be twenty
six contests before this committee,
most of them from the south. and while
there will be no attempt to unseat
Democrats by the wholesale and seat
Republican contestants, an opportun-
ity viii be afforded in the consideration
of these cases to 80 agitate the whole
question of election methods as TO
rouse the country to the peril which
lies in continuance of the present
order of things.
An endeavor will be made to have
this Investigation as free from partisan
vindlcuveness as possible. The chair
man of the elections committee will,
in all probability, be either Judge
Daniels. of New York, or Representa-
tive Mccall, of Massachusetts,, both of
whom are experienced lawyers and
neither Of whom is a bitter partisan.
Whichever of these is placed at the
head of the committee will accept the
position with the understanding that
conservatism is to be a rule of the
committee, but that such n representa-
tion of TIE suffrage question is to be
made to the country that it will be a
live issue until every state in the Union
has pGrged its statutes of unjust cleo
ton laws and guaranteed the sanctlty
of the ballot.