The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-02-06
Southern Representation.

w ooutUSlOU, CO. - AOA0 10 Nv
reasonable doubt that . fierce fight
will be made in the Bext Congress in
favor of the cutting down of South
ern representation The subject
was allowed TO go over as this session
because the time wss considered to
be altogether too limited even to
transact absolutely necessary busl-
ness, without throwing into the arena
such irebrand as this will assured
" be But there are plenty of NUT.
terings which show how shings are
going This is true not only OF the
House, which has been popularity
supposed to be the moss interested,
but also Of the Senate.
In the latter body, the credentials
of Senator Simmons, of North Caro-.
Ina. have been objected to and they
have been filed merely for reference.
with strong hints that they will be
seriously fought in the next Con-
gress Similar attacks will, it is
rumored, be made on Senators Till
man, of South Caroline, McLaurin, Of
Mississippi, and Foster of Loaisisns,
representing the three other States
where negroes are disfranchiaed
Senator McComas, Of Maryland, is
taking prominent part 10 this, be
cause there is talk of adopting
similar restricting law in Maryland,
which would throw the State to the
Democracy and elect Democrat to
the Senate Two yesrs from now.
The House Committee on Census
has called on Director Merriam for
statement as to the extent to which
suffrage is abridged, and he has just
informed the committee that be can
not possibly submit it before April /.
Consequently. the subject hes been
allowed to go over with the promise
that it will be taken np then
In the Senate, it would seem, The
fight can come to nothing beyond the
stirring up of sectional feeling, the
Republicans being bound by their
precedent in the Hayes electoral
commission that Congress has no
rigat to go behind the returns There
is much doubt, however as to what
Republicans will not do They have
,b-ovo n-ecedent 10 the winds SO
often that anything is possible.
Along this liae Senator Foraker ez.
pressed himself recently to the effect
that the credentials of any Senator
elected by q Legislature "uncon
s.itusionally" chosen would be SUBJ
ject to close scrutiny GAS long as
this matter is confined within
boupds," be said, "as long as only
those States are affected which have
predominant negro population and
the real as well as the ostens!ble
object of a disfrancbisement law is
to prevent the possibility Of negro
domination, as has been the case 90
the present time, there 10 great ois
inclination on the part Of the North
ern States to take any step autborlz
ed by the Fourteen and Fifteenth
Amendments to the Constitution,
But there is limit to everything,
aud the Democrats should not strain
it in this case
"Already the advisabllity of Con
gressional actioo in that direction
has been largely discussed. aud every
additional case casts flesh fuel on
the fire and States passing such laws
NAV awake to find themselves short
q number Of Electoral votes and
number of members of Congress
The stumbling block in the way OF
all attempts to reduce the representa-
sion is found 10 the foreign vote OF
the North Unnsturallzed foreigners
are counted in the Census and repre-
eentation is based on them, but they
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