The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-03-22

idSI, II IL bOAShO " SoAAANAbS oOSoA
dity.
The more often the citizen will re-
eur 3 the details of this most ina
NOUS law, the more intense will he
come his opposition to it, The depu-
ty marshals who precede the Federal
troops in its enforcement, may he Sc
lected from the very lowest and most
degraded scum of tie p%,pulace. This
was the case in New York last fall.
when many of the marshals were keep
ers of the lowest bagnios and 1rngger-
les, penitentiary cnnvicts aud Jail
birds. Yet these fellows are invested
with power to break up elections by
~arresting election officers and voters
without warrant Further than that.
they are empowered to call Oh every
by stander for assistance in making
arrests, sin the name of the United
States" You refuse, as you ought
to do, and that instant have two wears
Imprisonment and three THOUSAND dol
lars fine staring you in the face, with a
liability to instant arrest by the ruff IN
who summoned You to his assistance
Is there not the prevention here for
acts that may drench the streets of our
cities in blo1d? Very we'll w s it sai |
by Mr.. Trunbull in the dis, ussi"n in
the Senate on this bill the midnight It
was rushed through:
even in the old fugitive slave law,
which was as odious as any law that
was ever enacted in this country,
which made it the duty OF every per.
son 20 assist the marshal to arrest Il
runaway slave, there was no penalty
provided if a man refused to assist Il
marshal when calle.l upon. Although
the law declared it his duty to do 81,
the law did not impose a p"nalty OF
two years imprisonment in the peni-
tiary upon him. or any other punish.
ment. But this bill authoriz. - a dep
uty, appointed bv the marshal, to ar
rest anybody without process, and
compels everybody that he shall call
upon to assist hin. un,ler a penalty of
two years imprisonment in the peni-
Tertiary"
1t is worth while to remember this,
that these bayonet election bills treat
the white free-born American worse
to-day than the fugitive slave law
treated the N, gro slave Another thing
may be borne in mini. as it is forcib!y
put by AIR. Vickers in the same de-
bate, and that is, that the germ of all
this kind of legislation is al insult to
the people OF the United States.
is in effect p%ronounces and at
tempts to fix a stigma upon the people
of the United States. 1t asSum"s that
they are neither just nor honorable;
that they are ready and willing to vlo-
late law, order and good government,
to c~ounteuapce, protect and give aid
and comfort to fraud and fraudulent
practices; that although they may
have been loyal during the war, may
have sustained the Government by
personal service, pecuniary means and
individual influence, they are not now
worthy OF the respect and confidence OF
the Republican party in Congress as.
sembled !; they are not to he truste /
as their forefathers were in the better
days OF Washington, Jefferson, 4 adj
son and their SUCCESSORS before the
war"
Ordinarily, the presumption is that
men, even in legal questions, are hon
est men, who mean aud do right, and
it is only those who have bren convict
ed, of doubtful surroundings and anie-
ccdents, who are justly anlrnab.e 10
suspicion; but the bayonet election
bill tumbles all this regard % dec-ucy
~head-long about decent peoples ears
The only men supposed to be no est on
election day are the hireiings OF the
United States marShals. They are to be
held and taken to be absolutely imnaru
late, while each decent person Is prime
ffacle to be regarded as either intend
ing some electoral fraud himself ur
willing to wins at it in Others. Sal
Mr.. Casserly, o. California, in the
Senate debate, IN Illustration oil this
point:
"Yuu may be one in 4 crowd o. fiji
ty persons, you hay but have heard
IN the crowd the call of some brothel-
keeper, acting as Il tie uty marshal, "r
some pimp for such an establishment
acting as a deputy, or some convict
from the State prison-the gradual.
OF three State prisons in as many diff
ierent States, as Was the character OF
one of the leading men among this
staff of persons employed at the last
New York election: you have not
heard him; you we e not aware that
you were cal Ell upon to render this as
%si~tance. He PUSHES through the
crowd; he finds YOU there; he de
mands of you why you did not obey
the law. You inquire ahat law you
have violated. lie tells you, L called
upon you for assistance to arrest IA
man. You expostulate you endeaV-
or to explain t. hin not only that you
did not hear him bpt the impossibility
of your having heard him. But still,
without a warrant, without having the
evidence OF his own senses that you
have committed the ofense prescribed
within tl,s terms of this most unjust
and extraordinary law, he may with
ont a warrant arrest you, and you
are hauled off to prison in the GUS
tody of this graduate of three penl-
teniiaries in as many States"
This is the way that the white
free-born American is treated worse
than the fugitive slave law
treated the negro slave ten years ago.
Statesman.