Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-09-28

we are one people, We are one great ma
ton, and the States are but integral and
subordinate parts of this great nation.
[Applause. These States have rig Its just
as sacred as the rights of the general gov
ernment, and must be observed with the
same fidelity-rights secured to them by
the Constitution of the United States.
The same instrument that gives to the
government its power, defines what shall
be the power of the States. Tn s is our
great doctrine.
THE BAYoNET BILL.
Mr.. Groesbeck speaks about another
measure tina. passed last February, which
the Democrats called the Bayonet Elec-
ton law "a law which provides for the
election of members to Congress, and reg
ulates the election of these officers. Mr..
Groesbeck argued thatat great length, and
insisted that it was violation of the Con-
stituiion, and great outrage.
1t has been called the Bayonet bill.
Why? 1t does not provide in any section
of the bill for the use of the army and
navy by the President. The President has
got that power in re gard TO this bill just as
in regard to every law eaacted by Con-
gress but there is nothing said about lin
this bill Now the Constitution of the
United States gives to Congress the power
to make regulations for the election of
members to Congress. That is in the
Constitution. There is no doubt about
that power at all. No intelligent lawyer
or man of any party will deny it for one
moment. Now, what are the three lead
ing features of this bill? The first is,
that the Judge of the Circuit Court of the
United States-a man who is removed as
far as possible from politics, who holds his
~, fn lifa nall onr0.nF hat fS CALLED
a General Supervisor of his election dis
trict-of q particular election district; for
example, Ohio. This General Supervisor
of Election is simply a ministerial officer,
who mas the power to provide the books,
the blanks, and the forms of voting for
members of Congress; that is all the
power he has got. L speak in brief terms.
Then this bill gives to the Judge
of the Circuit Court power to do
another thing. Upon the application
of respectable citizens he has got
the power TO appoint two respecta-
BILE men, one of each party; the law pro-
vides particularly that they shall be of
different parties, two men in each election
precinct or ward of the city. These men
are not to conduct the election; they are
not Judges or inspectors, but they ara to
De supervisors. That is, the law requires
them. one to stand before the ballot-box,
and the other to stand behind it, to see
that no stuffing is done; and these men
are to stay with the ballot box until the
votes are counted out, to see that no fraud
is committed. That is the second great
feature of this bill. l suppose that every
honest man would be glad of that bill.
When there have been charges of election
frauds, and stufing ballot-boxes, and re-
peating, and all these things that have oc
CURED in our large cities for years, it seems
to me that every honest man of any party
ought to be in favor of law that provides
this safeguard-two men to watch the bal
lot-box, one Democrat and one Re-
publican; one to stand before and the
other behind the ballot-box while the
votes are given, and never leave it until
the vote is counted out, so that there shall
be no chesting. The third feature of the
law is that Marshal of district shall
have the power, upon application, to ap-
point Deputy Marshals to preserve order
at the polls, and to prevent fraudulent
voting, Just as your Mayor may appoint
extra policemen on the occasion of an ex-
citing election in the city of Cincinnati.
This is a discretionary power, and these
three pro- is ons are intended to secure
honest elections. All the rest of the law
is merely machinery to carry out these
leading provisions that have referred to.
The law is not made applicable to all the
country, but to cities having over 10000
| inhabitants.
Now, my friends, what gave rise to this
| law? There has been a necessity for such
a measure for many years in many large
| cities. l think there has been such a ne
cessity once or twice within my memory
in the city of Cincinnati; but it has &C.
CURED more frequently in great Eastern
cities, and especially in the city of New
York, where, for many years, the elections
have been farce-[applause where, as
was confessed by MIR. Roosevelt, the other
day, Democratic member of Congress. in
his speech at Cooper Institute, the elec-
tions have been carried on by stuffing the
bsllot-box and by fraudulent voting, where
regiments ofrepeaters boldly, shamelessly,
and undisguisedly marched from one poll
to another all day long and voted at each
one. The fraudulent elections in the city
OF New York have been threatening the
peace of the whole nation. The election
in the State of New York on the first
Tuesday in November, next year, will in
clude the Presidential, the State, and the
Congressional elections, and the way cleo
tions have been conducted there hereto
fore, the Presidential election might turn
upon the fraudulent voting in the city o.
New York. The politics of New Yorl
have been controlled by the city for years
The honest people of the country have
been overawed, and they have been voted
down by the violence of the repeaters, ant
the roughs of the city of New York, anc
by the most shameless stuffing of ballot
boxes after the election was closed. Thes'
things are notorious; no inoelligen
man would deny that, and they hav'
threatened the countrv with revolu
tion. For if it should happen to turn ou
that the election of President might de
pend upon the vote of the State of New
York, and the vote of the State depended
upon the city, and the vote of the city b
controlled by stuffing the ballot-box, ant
, By these irauGulent contrivances, Their
might come time when the people o
this country would not stand the thing
: 1t could not be carried on always. lap
plause.1 1t was, therefore, matter o
safety, and of precaution, and OF solemn
! duty upon the part of Congress TO pas
; some law that might prevent the repeti
ton of these great crimes. We could no
pass a law applicable simply to one city
! we must make it a general law, and there
fore we made it law applicable to ell cite
having more than 90, 600 inhabitants. VIII,
: is this law complained of? I,beg my distin
, guished friends on the other side 10 bewar
: how they make themselves parties to thes
| great election frauds by criticising to
) sharply the law that isintended to preven
:, them. Applause wish every homes
!, man would read that law for himself, an
it seems to me he cannot rise from tn
, perusal Of it without bsing convince
4 that it is an honest law, intended to prc
: vide for honest elections, and that
: should be honestly sustained by men of a
I parties. [Applause.l
= THE Providence Journal alludes wit
= scorn and Indignation to the presumptio
!. and ignorance of some Connecticut PEE
# ple who announceda "Rhode Island clan
!, bake" at point near Hartford. This
e A