Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1900-10-12
,arty upOn Ihese subioots. In the na.

It plundered the treasury OF every
Southern state; IL disfranchlsed the
Intelligent white man and conferred
the elective franchise upon the brutal
land ignorant freedman. Elections
were a farce. Offices were filled by
corrupt and ignorant, and the citizen
deprived of his elective franchise, held
life, liberty and property at the will OF
the political buccaneers, whom the Re-
publican party installed and kept in
power.
In 1876, when Mr.. Tilden was elect
ed to the presidency, 1t deliberately
stole this high office. The states Of
Louisiana, Florida and South Caro-
lima were robbed of their electoral
votes. The most infamous returning
boards were organized in these states
under the laws of the carpet-bagger,
and the steal thereby accomplished.
Great as was this wrong, no one was
assassinated. Year after year people
of the South elected Democratic mem
bers of congress, but contest inaugu
rated by a characterless carpet-bag
ser, or freedman, was all that was me-
cessary to accomplish the disfran-
chisement of that unhappy people.
This precedent has been closely fol-
lowed to the present time. In the last
three congresses a Republican majori-
ty has unseated the Democratic mem
bers elected in the Second Virginia
and Fourth Alabama districts, al
though the majority ranged from
three to five thousand.
The Force Bill.
Only few years ago the Republi-
can party in congress, made a party
measure of the infamous Lodge "force
BILL" and William Mckinley, then
member of the house of representa-
tives, with all Of his party associates,
oted for it. 1t failed by a single vote
in the senate. In view of the fact that
the Republican orators and press have
so much to say about election laws,
aud insist that the present law Is
violation of the principles of local
self-government, 1t is well to consider
this bill. which the New York Sun,
and other leading Republican papers
of the North and East, are insisting
should become a law at the next ses-
sion of congress.
BY this law the federal Judge is au-
thorized to appoint three supervisors
OF elections for each state. in which
the law is in force; these state super
visors,in turn, appoint three county SUI
pervisors, and they appoint supervis-
ors for each polling place. The feder-
al authorities appoint as many deputy
marshals to attend the polls as the su-
pervisors think necessary. II the
state officers fail to open the polls at
the proper time, the federal supervis-
crs are authorized to do so; they have
the right to challenge voters and re-
Quire them to be sworn. The county
supervisors certify the result to the
state supervisors, and the latter certi-
fy as to the election of members of
congress and presidential electors. If
there is a conflict between the certifi-
cate of the federal supervisors and the
state officials, the certificate of the
former controls. 1t will be observed
that the source of power, under this
law, is the federal judge, and that the
people have no vote in selecting any
of these officials. Twenty sections Of
this law are set apart to creating Of
against it. The federal court
alone is given jurisdiction to try these
offenses, of which there are at least
one hundred. Nearly all Of these Of
fenses are declared to be felonies, pun
ishable by confinement in the peniten-
tiary.
No Line Of Condemnation.
You have never read line in a Re-
publican platform, state or national,
which has condemned any of these
acts OF measures of this party. John
w. Yerkes stands today, as he stood
at all times, in full accord with his
party on these measures and policies.
The violation of the principles of local
by the Lodge bill re-
ceives his approval.
1t is possible that the party which,
through the most corrupt instrumen-
talities, deprived three sovereign
states of their electoral votes, is now
crying out for honest elections? Can
1t be that a party which has, at all
times in its history, when it had a ma
jority in the house of representatives,
lnseated Democrats whenever 1t de-
sired to increase It's majority, is now
lnveighing against the decision OF an
election contest?
Can 1t be that party which des-
poiled the Southern states, and well
nigh destroyed every vestige of civil
and political liberty there, is now the
honest advocate of civil liberty in
Can 1t be that the party |
which advocated the infamous force
bill, which violates every principle of
local self-government, state and coun-
ty, is now honestly and in good faith
opposed to the Goebel law, because 1t
takes from the local authorities the
power to appoint election officers? If
so, when was the change wrought?
Would it not be well for Mr.. Yerkes to
confess the sins Of his party before he
appears as the champion Of civil lib
erty and honest elections?
AS it has been In the nation, 30 has
It been with this party in the state,
1t enjoys the unenviable distinction of
being the only party which has used
the military for intimidation at the
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