The news & observer., 1904-12-11
MILK IN THE CoCOANUT.

MILK IN THE COCOANUT.
Representative BrownlOw, of Tea
nessee, whose long service in Congress
as a Republican bellies his talk about
unfair election methods in Tennessee,
lets "the cat out of the bag" in all
Republican talk about better election
laws and reduction of representation
by his argument in favor of the pass
age of a far-reaching Force Bill
for the South He is quoted as saying:
Something has to be done with the
South. I have plan which 1 snail
urge, and it meets with the approval
of numerous Republicans in high Cir
1cles No one cares whether the negro
gets to vote or not. I know the negro,
and I am sure I do not care for MS
vote and do not want him to vote, but
do want the white men OF the South
ern States to vote. know they nave
not been doing 1t in Tennessee. Ken
lucky and other Southern States. All
I shall contend for is that every white
man shall get to vote and that his
vote shall be counted as cast. In or
der to guarantee this propose to in
troduce a bill giving the Federal
courts jurisdiction of election frauds
in all Acknowledged, State, coun-
ty and municipal. When this bill is
passed, as I believe it will be, then
the South will get relief"
Mr.. Brownlow has been seeking to
get the Presidents 80. k on his new
Force bill. In his message to Congress
prefacing wise recommendation for
the publication of all campaign ex-
penses and all contributions received,
Mr.. Roosevelt used these words:
1.-The power of the government to
protect the integrity of the election
of it's own officials is inherent and has
been recognized and affirmed by re-
peated declarations of the supreme
Court There is no enemy of free
government more dangerous and none
so insidious as the corruption of the
electorate No one defends or eX-
cuses corruption and it would seem to
follow that none would oppose vigor-
Gus measures to eradicate it. l recon-
mend the enactment of law directed
against briberies and corruption in
Federal elections.
The Washington Post quotes Rep
resentative Swanson, of Virginia, as
believing that the above paragraph is
an endorsement of a new Force bill.
Mr.. John Sharp Williams, asked as to
his Interpretation of the paragraph,
said if the President favored Force
bill he had carefully concealed it in
the language he employs.
The declaration of Mr.. Brownlow
that mo one cares whether the ne
gro gets to vote or not" is made for
mountain consumption, for mountain
Republicans are not overfond of the
negroes, but everybody knows that if
such a law as Mr.. Brownlow favors
is adopted the Republican National
administration will find or make way
to let every negro in the South vote
as it did in 1868, and the law will not
be considered unless it has in it a
provision that will virtually undo all
laws limiting suffrage. 1t may be ne
cessary for the Republicans to annul
the educational requirement in Mass
achusetts and Rhode Island, but if
that is the price to pay for negroiz-
ing the South again, they will not hes
itate to pay the price.
The South needs to be on guard
for the day of a re-opening of the ills
which have afflicted it is near at
unless counsel wiser than that offered
by Platt and Brownlow prevails.
The milk in the cocoanut' in the
Platt and Brownlow bills is to give
advantage to the Republicans. Platts
bill takes away eighteen Democratic
members of the House and eighteen
electors from the South at one fell
swoop. Brownlow would put the town.
county, State and Federal elections
all under Federal control. Everybody
in the South knows that such control
would be equivalent to abolishing al
suffrage regulations limiting suffrage
and to giving the South over 20
another reign of Reconstruction gov
ernment for the same reason that gave
it bad government from 1858 to 1875.