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The Lodge Bill of 1890, also referred to as the Federal Elections Bill or by critics as the Lodge Force Bill, was a proposed bill to ensure the security of elections for U.S. Representatives. It was drafted and proposed by Representative
Henry Cabot Lodge Henry Cabot Lodge (May 12, 1850November 9, 1924) was an American politician, historian, lawyer, and statesman from Massachusetts. A member of the History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served in the United States ...
of Massachusetts and sponsored in the Senate by
George Frisbie Hoar George Frisbie Hoar (August 29, 1826 – September 30, 1904) was an American attorney and politician, represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1877 until his death in 1904. He belonged to an extended family that became politic ...
with the endorsement of President
Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...
and all Republicans. The bill provided for the federal regulation of elections to the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, which had heretofore been regulated by state governments. In particular, the bill would have permitted federal circuit courts (upon a petition by 500 citizens from any district) to appoint federal supervisors for congressional elections. Supervisors would have the power to attend elections, inspect registration lists, verify doubtful voter information, administer oaths to challenged voters, stop illegal immigrants from voting, and certify the vote count. Perhaps most controversially, the supervisor would have the power to request Deputy
United States Marshals The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...
to secure elections by force if deemed necessary. The bill was created primarily to enforce the ability of blacks, predominantly Republican at the time, to vote in the
Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...
, as provided for in the constitution. The Fifteenth Amendment already formally guaranteed that right, but white southern Democrats had passed laws restricting voter registration and instituting electoral requirements, such as requiring payment of
poll taxes A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. ''Poll'' is an archaic term for "head" or "top of the head". The sen ...
and literacy tests (often waived if the prospective voter's grandfather had been a registered voter, the " grandfather clause"), that effectively prevented blacks from voting. That year Mississippi passed a new constitution that disfranchised most blacks, and other states would soon follow the "Mississippi plan". After passing the
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
by just six votes, the Lodge bill was successfully filibustered by Democrats in the Senate, with little action by the
president of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...
,
Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Levi P. Morton Levi Parsons Morton (May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920) was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as List of ambassadors of the United States to France, United States ambassador to France, as a United States H ...
, because Silver Republicans in the
West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...
traded it away for Southern support of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act and Northern Republicans traded it away for Southern support of the McKinley Tariff.


Background

The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution states: “The right of citizens 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” Its purpose was to acknowledge African American men’s voting rights. After the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870, African Americans were subjected to voting restrictions in certain states. Disenfranchisement of African Americans came in various forms, such as poll taxes, literacy tests, white primaries, and grandfather clauses.


Provisions

According to an article written on March 15 and published on March 16, 1890 from ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', the Lodge Bill had 21 sections. The article described the provisions of the law as follows: # Whenever 500 persons, voters and residents in any Congressional district of the United States, not less than two months prior to the next election of Representatives, petition the Judge of the District Court to place the next Congressional election in said district under the provisions of this act, it shall be the duty of such Judge to announce at once that the next Congressional election in said district will be held under the provisions of this act. The Judge shall then appoint such officers of election and registration and make such other provision for the conduct of the Congressional election as are hereafter provided. # There are to be two registers of voters for each voting precinct, one of whom shall be a member of the party which at the next preceding Presidential election polled the highest number of votes, and one a member of the party which polled the next highest number of votes. These registers are to prepare a preliminary list of the voters of their precinct, which shall be posted publicly and give notice that they will meet at specified times and places to register voters. Within three days after the posting of the preliminary lists the registers shall begin to hold meetings, which shall be public, to register all duly qualified voters who may come before them and who are not already registered. Registration shall cease not less than ten days before election. The second list of voters shall then be published, but no names shall be added after the close of registration, and no names shall be stricken off except on proof of death or removal from the Congressional district. # The ballots shall be of white paper of the weight ordinarily used in printing, and not more than eight nor less than six inches wide, nor more than ten nor less than eight inches long, and before distribution the ballots shall be so folded in marked creases that their width and length when folded shall be one-half the width and length herein specified. On the back and outside, when folded, shall be printed "Official ballot for Representative in Congress," followed by the designation of the polling place for which the ballot is proposed, the date of election and a fac simile of the signature of the clerk of the district who has caused the ballot to be printed. All ballots when printed shall be folded as herein before provided, and fastened together in such manner that each ballot may be detached and removed separately. A record of the number of ballots printed and furnished to each polling place shall be kept by the Clerk of the District Court. # There shall be provided for each voting place three sets of such ballots, each of not less than 100 for every 50 and fraction of 50 registered male voters therein, and it shall be the duty of the registrars of voters in each precinct to certify to the Clerk of the District Court, fourteen days previous to such election, the number of male registered voters in such voting precinct. Provision is also made for the printing and distribution of instructions for the guidance of voters as to obtaining ballots, manner of marking them, &c. # As to the manner of voting, it is provided that the inspectors (provision for which is made) and registrars in each voting precinct shall designate and appoint (and if they fail to at least five days before the election, then the Judge of the District Court shall designate and appoint) a polling place therein, at a convenient place, and shall cause to be provided a sufficient number of voting shelves or compartments at or in which voters may conveniently mark their ballots so that in the marking they may be screened from the observation of others; and a guard rail shall be so constructed and placed that only such persons as are inside of it can approach within twenty feet of the ballot boxes and of such shelves or compartments. # The arrangements shall be such that neither the ballot boxes nor the voting shelves or compartments shall be hidden from view of those outside the rail. The number of such shelves or compartments shall not be less than one for every seventy-five voters and not less than three in any precinct. Any person desiring to vote shall give his name and, if requested, his residence, to one of the registrars, who shall announce the same in a loud and distinct voice; and if such name be found upon the check list by the registrar he shall immediately report it and the voter shall be allowed to enter the space inclosed by the rail. He shall be furnished with but one ballot and his name then checked off. Besides the election officers no voters in excess of the number of voting shelves or compartments provided shall be allowed in said inclosed space at one time. # On receipt of his ballot the voter shall forthwith, and without leaving the inclosed space, retire alone to one of the voting shelves or compartments and prepare his ballot by marking in the appropriate margin or place a cross (X) opposite the name of the candidate of his choice for Congressman, or by filling in the name of the candidate of his choice in the blank space provided and marking a cross (X) opposite thereto. Before leaving the voting shelf or compartment the voter shall fold his ballot without displaying the marks thereon in the same way it was folded when received by him, and he shall keep the same so folded until he has voted. He shall then vote, after announcing his name to the inspector and having it checked on the inspectors' list before leaving the inclosed space, and shall deposit his ballot in the box with the official indorsement uppermost. # He shall mark and deposit his ballot without undue delay and shall quit the inclosed space as soon as he has voted. No voter shall be allowed to occupy a voting shelf or compartment already occupied by another, nor to remain within said inclosed space for more than six minutes, nor to occupy a voting shelf or compartment for more than five minutes, in case all of such shelves or compartments are in use and other voters are waiting to occupy them. No person shall take or remove any ballot from the polling place before the close of the polls. # Other sections provide that where there is no constitutional educational qualification voters who cannot read or see may receive the assistance of the inspectors in marking their ballots. A voter who purposely allows anyone to know how he is about to vote by showing his marked ballot, or any person who endeavors to induce a voter to show his marked ballot, shall be subject to a fine of from $50 to $500, and larger fines and penalties are to be imposed for destruction of election posters or supplies or for filing false certificates of nominations or for failure of election officers in their duties. # Challenges are not to be entertained for the purpose of delaying voting. The returns of elections are to be made in duplicate to the Clerk of the District Court, who, with the Judge of the court, is to compute the votes in each Congressional district and certify the result, as at present, to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who is to place on the roll the names of the persons certified. # The Marshal of the court is required to furnish deputies to preserve order, under the direction of the election officers, and to secure to all duly qualified voters the peaceable exercise of their right to vote, but he is not to allow them to interfere with the election. Registrars are to receive $2 per day and inspectors and deputies $3. They are to be paid on certificate of the Clerk of the court, who is to pay the expense of printing ballots, and for these purposes the bill carries an appropriation of $500,000.


Support

Julius Caesar Chappelle Julius Caesar Chappelle ( – January 27, 1904) was an American Republican Party politician who was born into slavery in South Carolina and served in the Massachusetts General Court. He was a leading figure of Boston's black community from 1870 u ...
(1852–1904) was among the earliest black Republican legislators in the northern United States, serving in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...
from 1883 to 1886. In 1890, Chappelle gave a political speech for the right of blacks to vote at an "enthusiastic" meeting at Boston's
Faneuil Hall Faneuil Hall ( or ; previously ) is a marketplace and meeting hall near the waterfront and Government Center, Boston, Massachusetts, Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches ...
to support the federal elections bill. He was featured in a front page article in '' The New York Age'' newspaper covering his support of the Lodge bill. Alfred A. Taylor, a Republican from Tennessee, supported the Lodge Bill. Taylor was from
East Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 coun ...
, which remained a Republican stronghold during the Jim Crow era due to its
Southern Unionist In the United States, Southern Unionists were white Southerners living in the Confederate States of America and the Southern Border States opposed to secession. Many fought for the Union during the Civil War. These people are also referred t ...
history during the Civil War. Taylor represented Tennessee's 1st congressional district from 1889 to 1895, and later served as
Governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Tennessee Military Department, military forces. The governor is the only official in the Government of Tenne ...
from 1921 to 1923. Robert L. Taylor, Jr.,
Alfred Alexander Taylor
" ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2009. Retrieved: 6 December 2012.


Legislative history


William M. Stewart's account

Republican Senator William M. Stewart of Nevada was instrumental to preventing the passage of the Lodge Bill, as Stewart described in detail in his own memoir, published in 1908. According to Stewart's memoir, the Lodge Bill was passed in the House of Representatives as H. R. 10958 in the 1st Session of the 51st Congress, and was defeated in the Senate during the 2nd session in 1891. Relevant paragraphs of Stewart's memoir describing the legislative history of the bill and how he helped Democrats defeat the Lodge Bill are provided here.


Aftermath

The Republican Party's commitment to African-American rights had already been declining since Reconstruction ended in 1877, and the 1890 Lodge Bill proved to be the last relic of the Republican commitment to civil rights. The
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
wrote to Lodge in 1919 to ask him to again draft a voting rights bill, but Lodge never responded, as Lodge and other Republicans were more focused on women's suffrage,
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and the Spanish flu epidemic. By 1919, and even more so by the following decade, the Republican Party had changed so much that they were actually usually to the right of the Democratic Party on economic issues; Lodge himself was known as one of the most conservative Republicans in the Senate, the leading opponent to the
League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
, and one of the nation's leading nativists. The Lodge Bill was a precursor of the various Civil Rights legislation that followed. The bill's failure led to an increase in voter suppression until Congress passed the
Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...
, which was signed into law by President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
. The Voting Rights Act outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests. It stated that "jurisdictions covered by these special provisions could not implement any change affecting voting until the Attorney General or the United States District Court for the District of Columbia determined that the change did not have a discriminatory purpose and would not have a discriminatory effect. In addition, the Attorney General could designate a county covered by these special provisions for the appointment of a federal examiner to review the qualifications of persons who wanted to register to vote. Further, in those counties where a federal examiner was serving, the Attorney General could request that federal observers monitor activities within the county's polling place.


See also

*
Henry Cabot Lodge Henry Cabot Lodge (May 12, 1850November 9, 1924) was an American politician, historian, lawyer, and statesman from Massachusetts. A member of the History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served in the United States ...
* '' Giles v. Harris'', 189 U.S. 475 (1903) *
Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...
* Voter suppression *
Levi P. Morton Levi Parsons Morton (May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920) was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as List of ambassadors of the United States to France, United States ambassador to France, as a United States H ...
* Thomas Brackett Reed * 1892 United States presidential election


References

{{Benjamin Harrison, state=collapsed United States proposed federal legislation