The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-02-15
A BAD LAW REPEALED.
NO MORE FEDERAL SUPERVISION OF
ELECTIONS.

Tho Senate settle tho Question at Last
by Decisive Msjori,y--An tho Demo-
orsts. Ono Republican ard Three Pap
ul,sts voto forIs.
WASHINGTON, Feb. I'm the Senate
today at IL 80, the House bill to repeal
the Federal election laws was taken up
and Hoar addressed the Senate In oppo-
sition to 1t.
In reply to the charge made on the
Democratic side that the law of 1870
was sectional, he said that that law
population, that when it was passed
there were fifty seven such cities in the
North and but five In the south, and
that OF the fifty-seVen Northern COM
munities, eleven were In the common
wealth OF Massachusetts. How idle,
therefore was 1t, he said, to keep up
the claim that the question was a sec
tional one, as If the brave and gallant
men who presented the cause OF the
Southern Confederacy had fought and
bled and died for the privilege of
cheating at elections. Another objec.
tion made to the Federal election law
people OF the locality, but the same
had been done in several Democratic
States within the last ten or fifteen
years--in Virginia, Maryland. Dele.
ware, Louisiana and other States. The
right Of managing and ordering cleo
t10ns had been taken from the people
who gather at the polls and had been
put In the hands Of the central power
Of the States, managed and welded by
the Democratic party leaders.
After some colloquy on this point
with Hunton (Dem) of Virginia, Hoar
exclaimed: The records in the archives
elections In this country since 1866 the
blacklist and worst history Of crimes
since the world was created. We can
only deal with that subjection in 81
lence. When these reports are read,
blackening the fair fame Of this land,
we must walk backward with averted
gaze and bide our heads In shame.
THE Ia question Of fraud or no fraud,
and there is nothing else to it. 1t Is a
question whether the supreme pearl
and gem In the crown Of the American
manhood shall not have the strongest
force on the face of the earth for its
protection and defense.
Gray OF Delaware replied to Hoar,
who he said had mistaken or misrepre.
| sented the gravamen of Democratic
opposition to the election laws. They
wanted to wipe them out, not because
they protected the weak from the
strong, but because Democrats believ-
ed from bitter experience that those
laws were not only at war with every
tradition OF local self-government, not
only did Ithey degrade the States Of
which they. were citizens, but they butt
were professedIy intended to DESTROY
From the Inherit vice In their struct-
ure, they had been, necessarily, an aux.
ll1ary to che party machine Of the par
ty In power in the Federal govern
ment. In every city Of 10000 lnhabi-
tantg they had been the ready means
by which during the last twenty years
the Republican party had put its hand
into the Treasury Of the United States,
IN order to defray the election charges
and expenses Of the party. There could
not pc successful denial of that state
ment.
Allison (Rep. )of Iowa argued against
Che Dill, stating that's far as he knew,
there was no public opinion demand
ing the repeal Of the Federal election
laws.
Daniel of Virginia was the next
speaker. He admitted that he was mis-
taken yesterday in his impression that
Che Democratic platform called for the
repeal Of the Federal election laws. 1t
old not DO 80 eocnomine, but 1t did 80
lnferentialIy, In paragraph which he
read. The wiping out Of that legisla-
tion which was an aftermath of the
CIVIL war, but which had proved itself
an trrttant anda fomenter of strife,
was one of the great measures for
which the Democratic party came into
power and she should rejoice when
| ri
OF the party missions had been per.
formed.
Bate (Dem.) Of Tennessee closed the
debate. He made an argument in sup
port OF the bill. 1t was susceptible Of
demonstration, he said, that the chief
| object OF the reconstruction laws Cot
which the Federal election laws formed
q part) had been to capture the electo-
raj vote of the Southern States, and to
secure Republican Senators and Rep
resentatives. But the scheme had gone
aWry and all the plots had failed The
"new allies" had deserted the Republl-
can standards and the Republican par
ty had ceased to have local habita.
| t1on In those States from which four
years after the war it had had all their
Senators and all but one Of their Repre-
sentativea.
Whether these Federal election laws
were or were not constitutional, they
were certainly In the year Of grace 1894
unWtse and unnecessary. They en-
bodied the same ideas that had dictated
reconstruction, and they should now be
repealed. They had inspired more
fraud In elections than they had sup
pressed. They should he all repealed
and the States should be left to regu-
late all elections within their borders,
thus giving emphasis to the doctrine Of
nome rule, the only safety of repub-
lie.
AT the close Of Mr.. Bates speech,
Chandler withdrew the amendment
heretofore offered by him and moved
another, the purport of which was to
make the proposed repeal effective only
to the extent Of prohibiting the employ
ment Of deputy marshals at election.
This amendment was rejected-yeas
~; nays 40. The three Populists, Allen
Kyle, and PETER, and one Republican,
StayUArt MnUndl