Show THE FEDERAL ELECTION BILL Is THE force bill after all to become a law this is the question politicians are now asking each other in parliamentary language the force bill would be known as the federal elections bill and under it the congressional state elections would bo be placed under control of united states soldiers and officials in other words it would be the lie turning over of elections for instance in the state of illinois to a band of political politic il heelers such as now tyrannizes over utah the adree bill hai bai for its object the protection of the negro voter in the southern states but its provisions it is well known knowd can be applied to now new hampshire or nebraska as well as to georgia or south carolina in the eyes of a man inan hungry for office there is little difference of color between the blackest and the whitest Cini caucasian casian ami the proposed enactments of the force bill provide for its applieR application tion to any state or mu municipality in which a limited number of citizens may apply for its enforcement under this thir clause of it a conscienceless clique of politicians could with the aid of a dominant party in control of the united states government apply the law to springfield illinois the old home of Abra abraham hant lincoln this proposed law was not inappropriately pria tely denominated the force bill though the average intellect would understand better what it meant if denominated the bayonet bill ft such it would really become I 1 in the hands bands of corrupt officials in the united states senate about two weeks ago eight republican senators voted with the democrats to shelve this force bill and alve priora priort ty to the finance bill there are also a number of good republican senators and congressmen opposed to this bill and would gladly see it relegated to oblivion it cannot be denied that abuses prevail in the south and that the colored citizens situation there is not an enviable one but is the north entirely free from election abuses 1 certainly not Ballot box stuffing and other evils are practiced in the north of which politicians do not scruple to avail themselves to crawl into office by dishonorable means but a force bill for these abuses is not the remedy first of all 11 honesty and patriotism in a judiciary are the next to these come a public spirited press a and party vigilance the whole capped by a healthy honest public opinion alil which h fears not to denounce fraud and violence irrespective of party look at the condition of a dozen of our state legislatures today it if we had such a measure as the force bill on our statute books can any one say eay that it would be left to fall into desuetude not by any means such a bill might be the means of producing the worst kind of a civil war the situation in new hampshire fully illustrates this theory it is the same in connecticut colorado nebraska idaho montana and several other states the moment that such a measure as the force bill becomes law in this country then this will no longer be a democratic republic |