The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-06-08

In the next place it is provided
that these warrants are to run to any
part of a state. So you can dag {
man all the way from New York City
to Buffalo, on the warrant of a United
States commissioner, charging that he
has been guilty of a violation of some
of the numerous provisions ofthis act.
Sir do you expect men of RESPONSE
bility and character to hold the office
of registrars or judges of election il
they are subject to such pains and
penalties as that? Do you expect
them to exercise an independent
Judgment and decide honestly and
correctly if they are liable to such
fines, penalties and persecution as this
bill provides they shall be subject to?
A BRIDE TO OFFICERS TO COM
MENCE PROSECUTION.
But, sir, that is not all. 1 pass by
section nine, which is another. section
of pains, and penalties for obstructing
the oficer.-Then comes section ten:
That the commissioners, district at
torneys, the marshals, their deputies,
and the clerks of the said district, cfy-
cult, and territorial courts shall be
paid for their services the like fees as
may be allowed to them for similar
services in other cases. The person
or persons authorized to execute the
process to be issued by such commits
sioners-
These commissioners are n sort Of
Federal justices of the peace, as the
senate know who issue warrants-for
the arrest of offenders against the
provisions of this act shall be entitled
to a fee of ten dollars for each person
he or they may arrest and take before
any such commissioner as aforesaid,
with such other fees as may be deem
ed reasonable by such commissioner
for such additional services as may be
necessarily performed by him or them,
such as attending at the examination,
keeping the prisoner in custody, and
providing him with food and lodging
during his detention, and until the
final determination of such commits
sioner,. and in general for reforming
such other duties az may be required
in the premises such fees to be made
in conformity with the fees usually
charged by the officers of the courts
of justice within the proper district or
county, as near as may be practicable,
and paid out of the treasury of the
United States on the certificate of the
judge, of the district within whiah the
arrest il made, and to be recoverable
from the defendant Is part of the
judgment in case of conviction.
The first thing that strikes one on
reading this section is this: The Of
ficer executing this warrant is to have
ut least ten dollars for every arrest he
may make. Although he may not
have walked further than from here to
the door of the senate chamber
to make the arrest, and that far back
to bring the man before the commits
sioner, he is to have ten dollars for
that service. Does not everybody see
that here is a bride held out to the of
Ger to begin these prosecutions? 1t is
made their duty to prosecute under
thisactby a previous section o fthe bill,
made the duty of these very same of
fcers to inaugurate prosecution, and
then having inaugurated them each
is to have at least ten dollars for
every arrest he may make. You make
it the direct interest of the federal Of
icers to commence prosecutions in
this way by giving them an exorbitant
fee. 1t is not q fee Of ten dollars
but ten dollars certainly in ev-
cry case, and as much more as the
commissioner or judges may see fit to
Oh, / remember what a cry we had
about that ten-dollar provision in the
fugitive slave lawl / remember how
the people were aroused at the idea
there should be held out by the
United States to every officer a bride,
reward for beginning prosecutions
and prosecutions of colored people :
Now it is provided in this bill, in a
in which it would be exercised a
hundred times, yes, perhaps a thou
sand times, where there vas one eX-
ercise2o of it under the fugitive slave !
that an officer shall be paid ten
dollars for walking across the street /:
and arresting a man and taking him
back across the street before the COM
missioner, and then as much more as
the commissioner shall see fit to allow !
him. Here we have enormous fees
to the officer, enormous rewards to
the man who does the swearing, the
alleged deprived voter, enormous pen
alties to the United States, and, to {
cap the climax, Imprisonment of not
less than one month, and for the space
of one year, if the court shall see fit
IN co nr0n0U0ao ,
A TRAVELLING JUDICIARY PROVID-
ED FOR. /
But then comes a most curious sec
tons and / ask some explanation OF it.
/ hope my friends of the judiciary
will explain this section
SEC. II. And be 1t further enacted,
That whenever the President of the
United States shall have reason to be-
lieve that ofienses have been or are
to be committed against the
provisions of this act within n Judi
cial district, it shall be lawful for him
in his discretion, to direct the judge,
marshal, and district attorney of such
district, to attend at such place with
in the district, and for such time as
he may designate, for the purpose OF
the more speedy arrest and trial of