The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-01-19
BULLETS AND BALLOTS.
Governor Hoffman on Federal Interfer-
ence in Elections.

ence in Elections.
The annual message of Governor
Hoffman. of New \ ork, is very able
document. In addition TO matters of
strictly State concern, he deyotes a
large space to the discussion of ques-
tions Of national politics, i'll which The
people of every section are interested,
and they are handled in mastery
manner. His structures upon military
interference in State elections are
clear and decided and will, ere long
receive an approving response from
all sections. of the country. lie says !:
Since the adjournment OF the Legis-
lature the Federal government has as
sumed to interfere directly, by its Off
GERS and armed forces, with elections
| in this State. The preteXt was fear
| that the right of suffrage would in
some way be denied to the class of
persons upon whom it had been con-
ferred by the fifteenth amendment to
| the Constitution of the United States.
1t was mere pretext, for our State
Legislature, at lis last session, prompt
1 ly altered our election laws to con-
form with that amendment so soon as
| it was declared adopted. Moreover,
/ this class of voters had exercised
! their new right freely and without the
least molestation at our State election
which took place i'll may last. Con-
gress nevertheless enacted a law for
the ostensible purpose of supervising
the election of congressman only, and
! the president was authorized to en-
ploy the army and navy to enforce
certain of its provisions. Under COW
er of this act the President and other
| United States officials claimed the ri ght
! to supervise the CENTRE election, not on
| ly for Representative in Congress, but
for State and local officers. In the
City of New York special plepara-
tions were made to enforce this claim.
A large number of United States dep
uty marshalls and supervisors were
appointed, many of whom were men
of well known disreputable charac-
ter, and some of whom had been con-
Victed criminals a class of danger
Gus men never before chosen by any
ruling authority, in any community,
as conservators of the peace. They
were instructed, under advice of the
Acknowledgement of the United
States, to submit to no interference,
from any quarter, under State or mu-
nicipal authority. Orders were issued
which authorized them, in the discre-
ton of each one of them, to arrest at
the polls citizens claiming the right
to vote, as well as the inspectors who
were charged by law with the custody
of the ballot-boxes. These arrests
were to be effected without process of
law, issued upon formal complaints.
The peaceful conduct of the election
and the good order of the city were
thus made to depend on the discretion
of there hastily selected, inexperi-
enced, undisciplined men, some of
them habituated to 1elonious VIOLA
tions of law, and all of them unused
to the exercise of delicate and import
ant trusts of power; all having been
appointed in one political interest
and having common partisan pur-
pose to subserve. The police and
civil authorities of the city and State,
whose duty it is to preserve order,
were ignored, under instructions from
Washington, as completely as if the
people of the State were in Rebellion
against the government of the United
States. 1t was bold attempt on the
part of the Federal government to as
sumo absolute control of the State
and local elections, in order to accom-
plish partisan ends; and officials, both
judicial and executive, seemed deter
mined to prosecute it without any re-
gard to the rights. either of the local
officers or of the people. The law of
Congress under which he was acting
required the Federal judge to appoint
one half of the whole number of SUI
pervisiors from each political party !;
yet he deliberately refused to appoint
any of the political organization
which he well knew represented the
great majority of voters in the city.
Every popular right was ostentatiously
denied, as if the purpose was to irri-
gate and excite the people and to pro-
woke tumult, which might result in
breaking up the election and depriv.
ing the city of its vote. The Presi-
dent well kenw that the people in
tended no forcible resistance to the
law. Their determination was to
meet it, simply and exclusively, by
the force of public opinion. 1t must
have been apparent to every mind
that the interest of the great majority
in the city was to have quet and or
derly election. 1t could be the in
terest only of the minority to promote
an outbreak. The President knew
also that even if disorder, of any de-
gree should ensue, the whole civil and
police power of the State sustained
by the National Guard Ga military or
eanization of our own citizens, com
posed of men of all clases and all DO
litical parties, and maintained by the
State to do service, as occasion may
demand, for the State or the United
States, and which has never yet fail
ed in its duty to either), was both
ready and able to preserve order, and
to protect all officers Of the law in the
execution OF judicial process and the
discharge of official duty. Notwith-
standing all this, by the Presidents
orders. United States troops were
brought from distant posts and quar-
tered in the City of New York, and
ships of war were anchored in its har-
Dor. 1t was certainly not unreason-
able to expect that the first drop of
citizens blood shed IL the City of New
York by Federal troops in time of
peace, might lead to terrible results,
involving great loss of life and incal-
culable destruction OF property.
Therefore, as chief magistrate of the
State, charged with the duty of en-
forcing the laws and preserving order
within its boundaries, 1 used every
exertion and made every preparation
and provision in my power to pre-
serve order and protect the people in
their rights, their lives, and property. |
At the last moment-that is to say, |
the afternoon Immediately before the |
election, the officers of the United |
States, fortunately and wisely, aban-
doned the extreme ground they had |
taken, and entered into stipulation
with the local authorities of New |
York City, in my presence, which re-
suited in preventing an armed inter-
ference by troops, either of the United |
States or of the State. Nevertheless,
it is well known that about two thou
sand deputy United States marshals
were appointed in the City of New