Piney Woods planter. (Liberty, Mi. [i.e. Miss.]) 1838-1840, 1839-04-13
In Senate oftac U. States Jan. 81, 1882
EXTRACTS FROM
NIX. WALLIS NETOhI'
The Committee on the Judiciary, to which
was referred ga bill TO prevent the
interference of certain Federal
officers in elections"
REPORT:

The elective right is not conferred by
the constitution of the United States, but
belongs to representative government,
and springs from its very nature; and the
very essence Of that right, under OR in-
situations, is the right Of electing the
members of the General and State Gov
ernments The value and the adyanta-
gcs of this right, SO far as respects the
public depend upon the knowledge OF pub
lie measures, and of the qualifications OF
candidates for public trust, and, conse-
quently, upon the equal and unrestricted
freedom of discussing their comparative
merits and demerits. The citizen who,
by the choice of his fellows. is distinf
guished by being selected toperform off
cial duties and trusts, is not thereby ele-
waited above them, nor degraded below
them. lie parts with no rights Of citi-
zenship, but remains an equal among
equals; still connected with them by the
strong and enduring Iigaments of mutu.
atty of rights and privilos. Under our
constitution, the people, not the Govern
ment, possess the sovereignty; and the
doors Of Office can be opened only by the
powerful charm Of the public voice. and no
degrading sacrifice of any of the priyile
ges ofcitizenship, or any separation from
the community of rights, feelings, and in
trusts, " hich bind the people 10 tho Coy
eminent, is required.
That elections ought TO be pure and in
corrupt is a principle admitted by all, and
nolanguage can be too strong to express
the adherence felt by the committee
against any attempt to destroy this free
dom and purity. He who is guilty of eli
Their, by bribng or corrupting voters yio-
lating the ballot box, or sitting at naught
its voice, forging or supprossing returns,
or dsobeying the laws enacted for sccu-
ring any elective right, is guilty Of trca-
son against republican institutions, ana
ought to be regarded by all as danger
Gus foe to liberty.
The committee are not aware that any
such acts have been committed by any Of
the functionaries named in the bill refer
red to them: nor have they been able to
discover the slightest evidence TINT any
attempt has been made to bringethc pat
ronage or power Of the Federal Govern
ment to destroy the freedom and purity
reflections. II is true that such alera.
tons have been made; but il will be rec.
objected that it is equally true that allie
cations have been made against some Of
the tunctionaries Of some Of the StateGov-
crnments, of attempting, in violation Of
existing laws, TO suppress returns, set
aside the voice of the people, and subsii-
tute the will Of the minority for that Of
the majority; in fact, to treat elections as
utilities, and substitute the acts Of reck-
less and proiignte officers for the voice Of
the majority. We have seen one Of the
State ofthe Union brought to the brink
ofrevolution by alleged efforts Of this
kind. and in other States witnessed alar-
ming attempts to defeat the voice Of the
majority in elections. This state Of
things would indeed seem to indicate an
alarming laxity of political morality. and
to require the exercise Of appropriate
remedies, by constitutional legislation.
Whether, If true, they are to be attribu-
ted TO the action ofthe flnctionaries Of the