New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-02-18


while such election is in progress, and who
ehall do the same before any election. shall
be guilty of crime; penalty $500 to $4,000;
imprisonment not exceeding three years;
provided that if any person or persons shall
carry concealed firearms or other deadly
weapons at such elections or place OF regis
tration, this shall be taken as presumptive
evidence of the intent to intimidato under
this act.
Section five provides that any registra-
ton officer or supervisor appointed under
the laws of any State who shall refuse to
permit citizens to vote or register, or to
allow them sufficient opportunities to
register or to obtain proper information,
shall also be deemed guilty of crime;
penalty, $500 to $1,000; imprisonment, elk
months to two years.
Section six relates to ballot boxes, poll
lists and other papers connected with cleo
ton of any of these papers a crime, pun
ishable by fine of $500 to $1,000, and i'm
prisonment two to five years.
Section seven provides that if any person
shall be killed while acting under this law,
such killing shall be murder. punishable
with the death penalty.
Section eight confeIs civil and criminal
jurisdiction under this act on United States
courts.
OCCtAOh AlAO pAOS1uCo 1VI euO dpPOlAtAlCu
of general supervisors Of elections in all
c0ngl eesional districts. in the same manner
as is now provided, in any town from 10, 900
to &c, 900 inhabitants, The supervisors may
be appointed from any part Of the district,
and are to be appointed by the judges of
the United States circuit courts thirty days
before registration. There is to be chief
supervisor in every district.
Section ten provides tor tho extension of
tad
States marshals SO that marshais may be
appointed in every county and parish in
every congressional district.
Section eleven prescribes the duties OF
the officers in charge of the ballot boxes on
the day Of election; makes it their duty to
count the votes before leaving the ballot
boxes, in the presence Of the supervisors
Of election or deputy marshal, and to i'm
mediate!y send g certified copy of the re-
turns to the chief supervisor Of the district
and to the clerk of the national House Of
Representatives.
Section twelve provides that no officer
acting under this act shall receive compen-
satiOn, and that the ballot boxes, papers,
ETC., shall be retained by the custodian I'M
til the close of the first session of the Con-
gress to which they relate; also prescribes
means whereby contestants in Congress
may obtain certified copies of the ballot.
6cCLIOu IOuEtOcu pEOVIuoS UuHt WutucScI
any such unlawful combination, as de-
fined in the Revised Statutes and under
this act, shall be organized or attempted,
and so numerous and powerful us to
be able, by violence, to set at defiance
and Overturn any State authorities, in all
such cases such combinations shall be
deemed rebellion against the United
States, and during the continuance Of such
rebellion within the limits which shall be
prescribed by the proclamation of the
President of the United States. it may be
lawful for the Presidsnt of the United States,
in his discretion, to suspend the privileges
of the writ of habeas corpus; and it is pro-
vided also that all the provisions of the
second section of the act of March 3, 1866,
relating to habeas corpus are hereby revived
in full powers.
The caucus was called to order at 7:30 p.
NJ. by the chairman, Mr.. Maynard, and the
committee bill reported. Some slight de-
bate ensued upon the third section, as many
doubted it's const,tutionality; but as it was
a part OF the bill, the section was agreed to
by majority vote. Feeling, however, that
it was not particularly essential to the
measure, and as some of the members
present had expressed grave doubts about
its constitutionality, Mr.. Tremai1 moved
to reconsider, which was seconded by
Mr.. White, of Alabama, and the motion
was agreed to without q dissenting voice.
The several sections were then agreed to
with but little opposition, until the last one,
relating to the suspension of the writ of
habeas corpus was reached, and then the
opposition manifested itself, Mr.. Hawley,
of Connecticut, taking the lead. He
argued that the several governments of the
Southern States were imperfect, but that
the best way to remedy that was to let
them alone to fight among themselves tor
few years and things would right them
selves.
MIR. Tremain made few general remarks
in favor of the measure. He said that it
was not the Republican party, but the Union
which was in danger, and that should be
protected at all hazards. He further said
that all the apprehension about adopting
such proper measures was in the hearts of
timid Congressman, but that the people of
the country would sustain such measures as
they had the recent rule which the majority
had found necessary to pass to protect
themselves.
Mr.. Hale, of Maine, said that he believed
listed in the South. In fact, in his opinion,
not one tenth of them had been told. In his
opinion the proper remedy to begin with
was the resolution introduced by himself
for a new election in the State of Louisiana.
a proposition which, if adopted, he would
have sustained if necessary by the entire
force of the United States army. The House
had, however, allowed the golden oppor-
unity to pass, refused to act upon the
the measure, and he was unwilling now to
do anything further in the matter.
MIR. Conger sarcastically repeated the
words Of Mr.. Hale, and acknowledged that
on the occasion OF the introduction of the
referred to he (Mr. Hale) had
secured the recognition Of the Speaker
something unusual for him-but the House
not thinking proper to indorse them, they
were defeated. In order to get just what
was needed, committees composed of the
prepared the bill which was before them,
after days and nights of labor. Yet, in the
opinion of Mr.. Hale, they amounted to
naught. He had as much respect for Mr..
Hale as for any gentleman in the House
owing, probably, to the fact that he asso-
ciated but little with him. He then spoke
Of the gravity of the situation and the ne
cessity of prompt, decisive and ,stringent
measures.
The debate was Of course more general,
and during the discussion some allusion was
made by one of the opponents of the meas
nre, in significant way, to President max
ing. This brought Mr.. Ward, of Illinois, to
his feet, who said that Mr.. Blaine was in
The hall. and he would like to hear from
Inn. Mr.. Blaine thought the matter over,
and subsequently made a short speech, Civ
Dg quasi support to the general features
If the act, but decidedly opposing the
,abeas corpus section, as he maintained
hat under the constitution the President
had the power in certain exigencies to sus.
oend the writ, and he was opposed to giving
him further power, no matter who might be
President.
. Mr.. White, of Alabama, replied by quot
ng the act of 1871. authorizing the suspen-
ZION of the writ for the suppression of the
and arguing that the White
Leaguers needed suppressing as much now
10 the Ku-klux did then, and it could only