The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-10-27
,1,u,.rz 1n,erfsranos A. E,setion..

Military Interference at Elections.
In the old colonial days of this
country; says tue Enquirer, the Pro-
visional Assemblies, elected by the
people Of The provinces in their jeal-
ousy of the royal Governors, who had
control of the military power, passed
enactments that no soldier should be
stationed within considerable dis
tance of voting place or precinct.
This distrust OF bayonet influence they
derived from Great Britain, where,
since their revolution of 1859. 9.zit=zhas
never been permitted. After our Rev
olutIon, if the idea had been suggested
for seventy years, that in the United
States soldiers under the authority at
Washington would be employed at
the polls, it would have been hooted
at as utterly impossible. 1t would
have been said that it could not be
done without a violent and bloody
revolution, that would entirely change;
the nature of the Government, It is
the characteristic of a monarchy and
of q military despotism, but never of
a republic. When soldiers are. sta,
toned at the polls by a Washington.
Administration, and permitted to re7
main there, the principle of liberty in
this country is. dead. The Coustitu-
ton of 1889, and the amendments
adopted since, give the Federal Gov
ernment no more right to send bayo-
nets to the voting places than it does
to elect and swear into Office q king.
ANY effort of that character is an at
tempt at revolution as open; and pail
pable as was Louis Napoleon's coup
d'etat in 1851. Yet what do we see2
The Administrators of General Grant
pretending TO find authority in some
statute passed by Congress prepara-
tory to carrying, out the Fifteenth
Amendment. has sent it's armed Preto-
rian guards to- Philadelphia, to seize
the ballot-boxes, and is contemplating
the same action at the coming cleo
tions in New, York and baltimore.
The threats of the Administration
were thus alluded to in our Waching-
ton dispatch of yesterday: I slii : 5.
POSTMASTER General Creswell made
q speech in Baltimore last night, in
which he said that the President in
tended to carry out the legislation of
Congress regarding the elections to
the very letter, and, il need be, to call
out the regular army and the militia
of the States for that. purpose. He
said he should warn the people Of
Baltimore that in November they
would have a properly conducted
election, and that Governor Swami,
who is running for Congress in the
Third District, would probably feel
the effect of it for the first time. The
President isrepresented by others as
saying that he will station "a ghnboat
at the foot of every street in, New
York City if it'll necessary to enforce
the Congressional election law there
on the 18th prox." .Q.ol ii gii
Was there ever such impudent pre-
sumption? If a member of the Cab
met Of Great Britain4the Gladstone
Ministry-should have the audacity
to talk as this Postmaster General
CresweiI has in Baltimore he would
be forthwith impeached in Parliament
and would be lucky if his life .was
spared from popular Indignation: Al.
to the President stationiug a gunboat
at the foot of every street iii New
York City, to NOW down the people
with grape and canister on election
day if they did not vote to suit him
for that is all there is of it-can MOI
be spoken of without the most III
tense bitterness of feeling. Will the
voters of this country submit thus tt
be tyrannized over by military scoun
drelism The war has been over fol
| five years. There is no pretense o.
martial law or its necessity anywhere
and yet, ip time of profound peace
such threats Of military violence ar
uttered against New York and Balti
more, and actually performed iii TIN
case of Philadelphia. There il 7thi.
much food for thought aud reflection
and twill reflect no credit upou an,
American citizen who will not defenG
with his life if necessary, the purity
of the .ballot-box against Its being
tampered with by lIireling soldier,
from Washington. % qiiihls mon Df
In this connection we quote tht
following from the 9Pennsyl lvani,
Statues. passed July q 1889, lwhicI
statutes were notorionsly violated a
the late election by the United State
marines in Philadelphia::E !l9yo nW
? "No body of troops in the; army o
the United States, or of this Common
iwealths shall be present, either armeG
/ or nnarmed, at any, place of electio,
| within this Commonw ealth durins
the time of such election. ''''sN'ANa
/ fTOOtUSU, InaI nOLnlng nefell
scontained shall be SO construed as u
prevent any officer or soldier from ex
ercising the right of, suffrage ,Iin., al
election district to which he may be
long, if otherwise qualified accordin,
to law" 81 2&M !t9E 'Hii:i issHoa h''
-L--iL-L.a li9zn
Tho ne-Tireurs-Who and What The
.m9dl ,fr.J q Aree,i1afosry9 ~ yfaf
i There has BEEN much argument Of
the street among the reading public q
to the correct definition of the Wort
,frdne-tireay, and in the printing Off
cas- among a fraternity who areh NOR
ldirectly interested in being assured O
the correct definition of wordslin for
eign languages than any; other work
ing class of the community. Tn
word franc, in the French language
means free, and tireur "a shooter,i ant
| in France, by the gpayment OF. q iitri
fling sum of money! any one may oh
Etain license to keep a gun, and shoe
4 tfreeIvs after, all the " di:fn n In