Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-02-07
THE FEDERAL ELECTION LAWS

In the U. S. Senate yesterday during
the debate on the federal election laws
Senator Daniel, referring to Mr.. Per-
kins's remark that he had heard no rea-
son given why the election laws should
be repealed, asked him where he had
been living during the last two years.
Had he been out of the country, that
he had not read in the newspapers or
read in congressional debates that those
laws were to be repealed "by the kings
command?"-meaning by king the
sovereign people of the United States.
They had put up candidates and given
them their instructions. Those candi-
dates had gone before the great jury of
the national Commonwealth and had
received its orders to repeal those
laws.
Senator Allison Republican, of Iowa.
asked Mr.. Daniel to read the section in
the democratic platform which called
for repeal of the federal election laws.
Senator Daniel said that he did not
carry that platform about with him:
Senator Allison said that he had
failed to find any such section in it.
Senator Daniel supposed that the
Senator from Iowa had not failed to
hear the discussion of the question in
the presidential campaign and had not
failed to hear the result of the election,
in which the repeal of these laws was
an avowed and open issue. If he had
done so, he would regard Senator ALI
sons. case as incurable and he would
not venture to suggest remedy. He
Senator DanieD favored the repeal of
the federal election laws because they
were useless, were very expensive, and
had tendency to sectional friction, sec
tional irritation and sectional antagon-
ism. These laws had been the out
growth OF an old sectional antagonism,
and as that antagonism had now ceased,
as parties everywhere attempted TO
amelorate it, this relic of the old an
tagonism should be laid aside and
new era welcomed-an era of peace
and harmony, compromise, comfy and
fraternal consideration.
Senator Frye opposed the bill and
quoted from Richmond papers the
headlines to reports of election frauds
in recent election in that State. He
was asked by Mr.. Daniel whether the
federal election laws had anything to do
with those frauds. They had, Mr.
Frye declared. The claim had been
made that the federal election laws
ought to be repealed because the States
the whole of them-could be trusted
to nravant election frauds
lie was asked by Mr.. Daniel if there
never had been election frauds in
Maine, and he denied That there had
been, although there had been ali at
tempt by a democratic Governor to
steal q Legislature. He had taken the
floor he said, not to make any attack
on the State of Virginia, but to defend
the character of John |. Davenport,
who had been the subject of charges
and calumnies in the two houses of
Congress for the last sixteen or eighteen
years. He knew Mr.. Davenport we'll
and had profound respect for him.
His courage was admirable. He was
utterly fearless. He had shown tidel'
itv in office such as had been seldom
seen in any MAIL He had been true
and honest. The election laws were
to be repealed to-day at four O'Clock.
He understood that Mr.. Davenport was
to disappear from office, and to disap-
pear at the same time from democratic
abuse. Mr.. Davenport had been made
a scapegoat, just as Mr.. Stevens had re-
Gently been made the scapegoat for
President Cleveland's blunders as to
Hawaii.
Mr.. Frye sent to the clerks desk and
had read letter to himself from Mr..
Davenport, dated Tuesday, exposing
the falsehood of charge frequently
made against him In connection with
the appointment of deputy supervisors
at the polls in New York. He also
read extracts from the printed reports
of congressional committees favorable
to Mr.. Davenport, both as to his con-
duct and his accounts.
At 2:30 o'clock Mr.. Frye yielded in
order to allow q proposition to be made
for an extension of the time for debate,
several Senators having intimated a
desire to speak.
After many obstacles proposition
was agreed TO that the general debate
on the bill shall close at 3 p. m. to-day.
and that the vote on the passage shall
be taken before adjournment.
Senator Daniel again took the floor
and criticised Senator Frye for picking
up newspaper scraps and reading them
for partisan purposes. Whenever that
Senator, he said, would rise and rebuke
persons of his own party whom others
thought worthy of criticism, he Senator
Daniel) would realize that the Senator
was on o plane with the democrats OF
Virginia. The people of Virginia were
not Pharisees, aud if they committed
wrong they did not do it in the name
| of God and Christianity and civiliza
ton. The Senator from Maine, when
he chose to steal some islands
and their people, dropped al! his
uualms and scruples and was ready to
welcome that spurious and muddy
transaction. That was the biggest
piece of counting out" The Senator
from Maine, in the person of Min
lister Stevens, and with the milf
tary at the polls, had counted in 1000
Americans and counted out the
rest of the people of those islands,
changed the government and was now
ready to offer for sale a government
which had been acquired by the aid
of that commissioner of election.
The Senate. Senator Daniel continued,
would be better employed if it was
solving some of those problems i'll
finance and currency and taxation
L :L,l.