The Washington bee., 1911-07-01
SOUND REPUBLICAN
Hon. James Mann, of Illinois
in sthe House
THE ELECTION OF SENATORS
Hon. James r. Mann, of Illinois, in
the House of Representatives, June
2I, 1911, on Election of Senators
By the People.

4 voted against this proposition.
Now, why is it that gentlemen on
that side of the House, from the
South, claim that they are so afraid
of Congress intervening and requir-
ing honest and fair elections? | shall
speak the plain truth, because the
truth ought to be spoken. The gen
tlemen on that side of the House are
afraid that the grandfather clauses in
their State constitutions and else
where will be declared uncOnstitu-
tional.
They are afraid that Congress may
interfere to prevent the disfranchise-
ment of the Negro vote in the South.
They are in favor of the repeal of the
fifteenth amendment to the Constitu-
ton. which says that the right of citi-
zens of the United States to vote
shall not be denied or abridged by
the United States or by any State on
account of race, color, or previous
condition of servitude.
You Southern Democrats believe
that if you can insert in the COnsti-
tuition, as you are now proposing, the
following provision. the times, places
and manner of holding elections for
Senators shall be as prescribed in
each State by the Legislature there
Of that this may be construed as a
partial repeal of the fifteenth amend
ment, and whether it so operates as
matter of theoretical law, you know
that you intend that it shall operate
so in fact The Southern Democrats
are not satisfied with the noninterfer-
ence by the General Government
which so far has prevailed in regard
to the election laws of the Southern
States. You want US in the North, by
the adoption of this provision in the
constitutional amendment, to condone
and approve your actions in the
Southern States in depriving people
of the right to vote solely because OF
their color Having kept the blacks
| in the South in slavery for many
years, you now again wish to reduce
them to a condition of practical serf-
dom and servitude.
you want the National Govern
ment to give to you a power under
which you can deprive them of the
right to vote, which means, in the
| long run. to deprive them of the righ
of education, which means, in the Ions
run, the creation of a caste of labor
ers and practical serfs.
"We of the North have had pa
tience with you, probably more thar
we ought to have, in your struggle
growing out of the freeing of the
slaves. 1t was not possible for tht
ex-slaves and their descendants tc
fully embrace or appreciate in a shor
time the blessings or responsibilities
/ of our American civilization and Oul
form of popular government. But VIZ
certainly protest against depTlvlng th'
| General Government of power to re
quire and compel honest and fair elec
tions in the South and elsewhere
when it shall become necessary to th'
preservation of our Union or our pro
gressive civilization.
you ought to be more than satis
fed that we of the North have no
been unduly oppressive in regard tC
your elections and election laws. Bu
now, nearly so years away from tn'
War of the Rebellion, you are seek
! ing to minimize the results OF tina
war. You are trying to take away
from the General Government a pow
er which it has always had and yol
are endeavoring to force the Nortl
to agree to this by attaching it as
rider to an amendment providing 10