The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1872-06-29
Am AntidOte as we'll as am Evil.

The amendment to the act of Feb. g. 1871,
was given in full by telegraph yesterday. In
substance the new bill authorized the super
vision ofsueh elections in the several States
as are directly connected with the Federal
Government. The judges of the United States
district courts are authorized and required to
appoint citizens, residents and voters of the
precinct, as commissioners to witness the
voting, the counting of votes and the returns
of election. Such commissioners are to be
taken from each of the two parties interested
in the election, and able to read and write
English
These supervisors have no authority to make
arrests, but the district court have authority
to sit during the ten days proceeding the cleo
tion, the day of election and the following day,
with power to punish any contempt of their
authority: These powers seem to be sufficient
to enable these courts to know whether or not
an election in any precinct has been fairly
held and properly returned. No guarantee is
given for the honesty of the supervisors, and
thus door il still left open for fraud. There
may be fraudulent appointments, and there
certainly will be supervisors who can be hired
to ignore Or violate their duty.
If the amendment had been contrived ex-
pressly for Louisiana it could not have been
better fitted to eounteract the extraordinary
power placed in the hands of Gov. Warmoth by
the election, registration and cOnstabu1a
laws of 1869 and 1870. The latter were parti-
san, exceptional and peculiar; they were dis
honest in design and in every respect subyer-
sive of free and fair voting. The counteract-
| ing law of Congress is also exceptional and
while it may be a partial antidote for the
| State laws and do much toward securing to us
fair election, the precedent is one which
may prove to be the seed of bitter fruit, The
| new amendment to tn enforcement bill may
put into our hands the long desired and vain
| ~ sought means of giving vitality to the pop
| ular will it may compel free election, a
fair count and honest return it may Indirect
| ly compel fair registration of voters; but in
our condition we see it only as a new weapon
in the hands of one of the rival factions who
| are both our enemies. 1t is an invocation to
federal power against State power it is cal
| ling upon great tyrant to guard against a
| little home despot. 1t is no less an encroach-
ment upon principles because it may for the
present operate in our favor. 1t certainly re-
1ieves our honest and conservative people
| from any supposed necessity of seeking a
fair election by means of base coalitions and
humiliating concessions, because it prevents
| Warmoth or any other officer from mocking
at our rights of suffrage by his false and
| fraudulent returns. But it is still new
breach in the wall that separates federal
| from State prerogatives. 1t is new invasion
of the reserved rights of the States and dan
/ gerous precedent for new encroachments. Our
bane was of federal origiu, a sckening poison
| which produces slow and painful destruction !;
our antidote comes from the same source
and is also poison though more remote in
| its deadly efects.-N. 0. Bee.