The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-06-02
WHOLE F. y No. 92.l
laws .desceutsihcmselyesss,. ljc-l

IL Iali.la... s. 80. sylesa9ssgSl
.obnoxious laws deeeatsthcmselYes, lJc-5
cause the people will mot execute
them, here is q seventh section that |
makes it the direct interest, as well as
the duty, of whole host Of federal
officials TO arrest people who may vio-
late this law, arrest judges of election,
arrest registrars. Why, sir, under
this act you may defeat a registry in
any State you please. Let us sec what
is necessary to be done. Here is a.
registration law in a State; a registrar
is taking the registration he refuses
to register A. B. His decision may be
as honest as one ever was in the
world. Under this act, if that man or
some one of these federal officers,
made common informeEs, shall go be-
fore commissioner of the United
States and swear out warrant against
him; that man is to be taken from his
Office of registration and be commit
mitted to the common prison, unless
he be able to give bail. He is to be
sent to the place of trial, which may
be one or two hundred miles distant;
andsdthe whole registration of his
county may be broken up under the
provisions of this act. Any one can.
see at once what handle that would
give if you wanted to defeat registra-
ton in county where your opponents
by prevent valid election in that
county. All you have to do is to get
up some charge like. this, arrest the
registrar, and take him away to pris
on, and send him off one or two hund-
red miles for trial. etrai.roa ri u5
That is not all; you may stop an.
election; right in the midst of an cleo
tion you may seize under this the
I judges of election and send them to
prison, and stop the election altogeth-i
er. That is this bill that is this care
fully considered bill which the Sena-
tor having it in charge wants us to
pass before the sun shall set. The sun
will never have set on d worse piece
of legislationeif it sets on the passage
of this bill. lss sIs=92 1rsgfgtJ
Then comes section eight :,..,-..,o.
That it shall be the duty of all marshals and
deputy marshals to obey and execute all war
of this act, when to them directed; and sfionldi
any MARSHAL or deputy marshall refuse 20 re-
celve such warrant or other process when ten
dered, or to use all proper means diligently to.
execute the same, he shall, on conviction there
of, be fined in the sum of 81 000 to the use of the
person deprived of the rights conferred by this
act. f8i
/ Here again the man is to get $500
from the registrar, OF $500 from the
judge of election, and then,, if he can
make out case against the marshal,
he is to get $1,000 more. The man is
to get $500 for being good swearer,
and swearing case against the regis
trar, the judge of the election, or the
marshal of the United States. / want
to know where in the world is the me-
cessity of these penalties to bereceiv-
ed by the voter ? Why not leave him
to his common law remedy That is
| sufficient. IF any man is deprived of
his right to vote. he has his remedy
He has his remedy by action, and
then the jury render such damages as
are right and proper. How is it that
you step in and provide that he shall
have $500 from the registrar or Judge
of election, and $1,000 from the mar
shall who has not been speedy enough
in the execution of the warrant I
say, again that it is a bill for the en-
courage -ofeenfnrou infoTmeFs
and periurers-not so intended, bat
that is its Inevitable effect. is a bill
to create race of common inforiners
! and to pay them in hard money for the
| perjury they may commit. se a.
| In the next place it is provided that
these warrants are to run to any part
of State. So you can drag a man all
the way from New York city to Buff
falo, OF from Buffalo to New York
city, on a warrant from United
States commissioner charging that he
has been guilty OF violation of some
one of the numerous provisions of this
act. Sir, do you expect men of re-
sponsibllity and character TO hold the
Office of registrars or judges of cleo
I tion if they are subject to such pains
and penalties "a that? Do you expect
them to exercise an independent judg!
ment and decide honestly and correct
l5ly if they are liable to such fines, PEN
alties and prosecutions as this bill pro-
vides they shall be subject to?
But, sir, this is not all. ! L pass by
section nine, which is another section
! of pains and penalties for ohstructing
the officer Then comes section ten /:
That the commissioners district ATTORNEYS the
marshals their deputiesi and clerks of the said
district, circuit and territorial courts shall be
paid for their services the like fees as they may
be allowed for similar services in other cases.
The person or persons authorized to execute the
process to be issued by such commissioner. =
These commissioners are sort of
| federal Justices af the peace, as the
Senate know, who issue the war
for the arrest of offenders against the provisions
nj act fn f.an0 0f fan dol
l lars for each person he or they may arrest and
take before any such commissioner as aforesaid.
| with such other fees as may be deemed reasona-
BILE by SUCH commissioner for such other addi-
tional services as may be necessarily performed
by him or them, SUCH as attending at the exam
ination, keeping the prisoner in custody. and
providing him with food and lodging during his
detention, and until the final determination of
of such commissioner, and in general for per-
forming such other duties as may be required in
the premises; such fees to be made up in con-
formity with the fees usually charged by the Of
district pr county as near as may be practicable.
and paid ont of the treasury Of the United States
| within which the arrest is made, and to be re-
eoverible from the defendant as part of judg-
ment in case of conviction. s9 mo E2f,l $
l. The first thing that strikes one on
reading this section is this the officer
executing the warrant is to have at
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 Commission
! er,- he is to have, ten dollars for that
service. Does not everybody see that
here is a bribe held ont to officers to
4 begin these prosecutions? tits made
] their duty to prosecute under this act
by a previous section of the bill, made
the duty of these very same officers
to inaugurate prosecutions, and then
having inaugurated them, each man is
to have at least ten dollars for every
arrest he may make. You make it the
direct interest of the Federal officers
to commence prosecutions in this way
by giving them an exosbitant fee. 1t
is not fee of ten dollars alone, but
ten dollars, eertaiplY In every case, and
as much more as the commissioner or
judge may see fit to allow. ''li' Z.
Oh, remember what cry we had
about that ten-dollar provision In the
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