Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-02-23
More Congressional Designs upon
Freedom of Elections

Freedom of Elections.
That the radical party is determined
not to abandon power without despcr-
ate struggle is every day more apparent.
Pcrceiving that the votes Of the people
are against it the leaders are rcsorting
to every means whereby they can avert
impending disaster. The bill passed by
the House of Representatives recently
is an infamous measure designed to him
der and delay voting instead of securing
fair and honest elections, We very
much mistake the temper of the Amer-
can people if they quietly submit to laws
passed by Congress to perpetuatc the
power of q faction. Almost every week
witnesses greater departure from an
old form of government. From the ex
IRENE of States rights we are rushing to
the extreme of Capitalization. How
much farther Congress proposes going it
is difficult to imagine, but We know that
it will go as far as it dare.
Bad as the first election law was this
Is infinitely worse. 1t saddles the tax
payers with an additional burthcn in the
shape Of Judges, election inspectors, and
her officials in every city containing
more than twenty thousand inhabitants.
1t places every voter absolutely in the
power of these officials. Nothing will
be easier, under the proposed law, than
for the radicals at the next election to
prevent two thirds of the democratic
voters exercising their right Of the cleo
tive franchise 1t is true that, at the
request of Mr.. Logan, Of Illinois, the
clause authorizing the United States
Marshal to summon the military to his
aid was stricken out, but more obnox.
ous feature was retained. The marshal
is empowered to summon a posse of
citizens who are responsible to no other
authority than his. Does any sane per-
son imagine that the United States mar
shals will, in 1872, employ democrats to
aid in preventing democrats voting?
What then will we see? Every man on
marshal's posse will be radical, per-
sonally interested in keeping the demo-
cratic vote as small as possible, and it
may be depended upon that each man
will exercise his brief power as arbitra-
rIly as he safely can.
We forcsce in this bill not only meal
culablc mischief to the institutions of the
country in the future, but present serious
trouble. The prospect is that the Pres
idcntial contest Of next year will exceed
in severity that of 1868, because the
democracy are more powerful now than
! then, aud stand much better chance of
success. Their strength lies principally
in the cities among the thoughtful, la
boring men, and not in the country. 1t
is absurd to imagine that American citi-
zens will submit to coercive measures
intended to prevent their freely exercis
ing rights soemnly guaranteed them.
Hence, if the bill becomes law, and
GRAFT attempts to enforce it, violence
and probably bloodshed will mark the
day of the Presidential election. Any
interference by radical hirelings with
legitimate voters will almost certainly
be resisted, and upon President Grant
and the present Congress will rest the
responsibility for whatever the conse-
qucnccs are.
We warn the radical leaders that the
people are beginning to lose patience
with them. Their designs upon the lib
critics of the masses are known and can
oaly succeed by the use of brute force.
If they imagine that by such laws as the
one passed in the House recently they
can build up an abSolutism, they are
doomed to discover their mistake. When
they force the issue to blows the result
cannot be longer doubtful. The same
men that put down the Confederacy will
be on hand to deal back blows and end
forever the mockery of republicanism
and republican institutions which the
radical leaders are foisling upon the
country. AS for the democracy, know
ing as they must that the new law is
aimed at them, it is their duty to orsa
nlze clubs in every part of the republic
and prepare, by as formidable display
of physical as of moral strength, to
checkmate aud defeat the plans of the
oligarchs and their smoking tool, Ulysses
Grant.-M Y. Telegram.