Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-22
TO OPPOSE IT
Democrats Vote Against Cam
paign Publicity Bill.
CAN'T STAND AMENDMENT
Provision for Ascertaining Southern
Disfranchisement.
MAY REDUCE REPRESENTATION
Minority Leader Williams Bitterly
Denounces Action of the Majority
and Utters a Warning.

The republicans in the House again
| played it low down on the democrats this
| afternoon. BY strict party vote of 1GO
| to 12J the republicans voting for the bill
| and the democrats against it, the pub
liciety bill was passed. Ever since the
time when the currency bill was up and
the democrats were forced to vote against
| the currency proposition of their own
leader they have been fearing another
| cold deal from the republicans. Their
| fears were realized today.
| A motion was made by Mr.. Crumpacker
this afternoon to pass under suspension
Of the rules a bill which the democrats
have been demanding for some time. the
bill to provide publicity for campaign
funds But the motion was to suspend
the rules and pass the bill with an amend
ment The motion did not make it pos
sible to separate the amendment from
the bill and the democrats were faced up
| against the proposition to vote for
bill which they profess to desire but
| which contains provision which is gan
| and wormwood to them.
! Reduced Representation.
The amendment in effect looks to the
requirement of information which might
| lead to reduction of apportionment of the
representation Of the southern states IN
| Congress. This is a bugabOo which has
affrighted the southern democrats for a
great many years. If the amendment
proposed today should be carried through
Congress it might be the first step in the
direction of carrying out the policies
which the southern democrats fear so
much.
The amendment provides that for the
purpose of enabling Congress to apport1on
representatives among the southern states
in accordance with the plan provided In
the Constitution. the director of the CEN
sus shall submit to Congress a report of
e,fn III f01n ct,al aICn
show the number of male citizens, white
and colored, respectively, in each state.
twenty-One years of age and over, the
number of male citizens in each state
found to be illiterate, the number of votes
cast by male citizens in each congression-
al district at the last pr. ceding election,
the number of male citizens in each state
that have not complied with the election
laws therein requiring the payment of
poll or other tax as a condition precedent
to the right to register or vote, and the
number of male citizens to whom the
right to vote .or the choice of electors
of President and Vice President of the
United States and representatives in Con-
gress, the executive and judicial officers
or members of the legislatures thereof
has been denied or in any way abridged
| except for participation in crime.
CONSERVATION Of Democrats.
| The presentation of this amendment
| created sensation in the House and con-
| sternation among the democrats.
| Expressing the belief that Mr.. Crum-
packer in including his amendments to
| the publicity bill did not represent the
the majority in attempting to revive the
principles of the force bill. Mr. Lassiter
| Va) protested against the measure.
Mr.. Gillespie (Tex) warned the House
! that by passing the bill the condition of
! the negro would be made worse than at
| present.
Following brief remarks by Messrs
Bennett. New York. and Bonynge. Colo
rado in support Of the bill. Mr.. Williams.
Mississippi. made a vigorous speech
against it, The great old party he
began. has resolved itself into vaude-
vile stock company
| He charged the republicans with not
daring to face any great public question
in a fair and straightforward way. by
| combining several propositions in one bill
| What are you trying to do?' he in
quired. Does the gentleman from In
diana think he can turn the hands of the
clock of time back half century? Does
he think he can produce the days of the
| carpet-bagger and reconstruction in the
south once moreo Does he think the busi-
ness interests of the north will stand for
a recurrence of the saturnalia?" The re-
duction in representation amendment, he
declared. had been :dded to defeat the
publicity bill.
| You have no idea of reducing the rep
resentation of California. Massachusetts
or Connecticut because they dsfranchise
llliterates.
Willing to Accept Issue.
! The people OF the south. he asserted.
were willing 10 take the issue. If. he
said, it was desired to ignore the fifteenth
amendment and the republicans were
willing to restore to Mississippi the power
to fix her suffrage along racial lines
the people oil that state were ready for
the gauntlet.
Throw it down whenever YOU plea se"'
he exclaimed LAS to tho reduction of
our representation in Congress" he said,
lin Gods name take it. and welcome to
il: but be honest when you do it
| Discussing the publicity eature of the
| bill. Dr. Williams declared that if that
proposition should become law. lit will
damn your republican party and be worse
for you than the force bill which defeat
ed Harrison.
1t was all false pretenses he declared
and he said to the republicans: Like
children YOU are playing with fire In a
powder magazine.
He closed by asking the republicans if
they were fools enough to believe that
the south would ever again submit to the
policies TO which she submitted when she
was weak and helpless
Dalzell Vigorously Replies.
Mr.. Dalzell. Pennsylvania. brought The
debate to a close i'm most vigorous fashion
: There was, he said. no greater evil thar
that gentlemen should be sent as repre-
sentatives to the House mot by virtue
| of the votes of their fellow citizens. bu,
by virtue of the suppression OF votes.
: 1t was notorious fact, he said. that
| representation in certain states and the
population had no relation to each other
Mr. Dalzell evoked republican applause
when he produced statistics showing
that the representative from the first
Mississippi district ''sits here by virtue
of 2JG:: votes. while the representative OF
the first district of Pennsylvania sits here
by virtue of 23.S1O votes.
7 There was not. he declared. represen.
4 tative "or an alleged representative" from
Mississippi in the House who had any
: opposition TO his election. The total vote
he said. that sent eight men to the House
rom the state of Mississippi. l9.GlS, was
a less than the number of votes in single
ward i'm his own district
II DO you call that representative gov.
ernment? he exclaimed. Isn't II g
? farce?'
v Not even the effrontery of Mr.. Vii.
{ liams. he said. dared him TO put in The
Record the number of votes by which ht
came To Congress from Mississippi.
I The vote being taken. the hHl amir
republican applause. was passed.