Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-09-16
RADICAL USURPATION.
Grant and his Cabinet Have at Last
Decided on a Plain Uusurpa-
tiOn Of State Authority.
United States Marshals May Call for
Troops and Post Them at Pleasure
Pending the Presidential
Election.

WASHINGTON, September 1.-The
United States attorney general has is
sued full instructions to United States
marshals as to their duties in the COM
ing election, to the effect that all citi-
zens must be protected while voting,
and also protected from any violence
which may be threatened for having
voted as they deemed proper. Special
deputy marshals are to be appointed
only in cities of twelve thousand in
habitants and upwards. In the dis
charge of their duties, marshals can
call upon all citizens, civil and mill
tary, in whatever service they may be,
and no State law or officers can impede
them.
There was a lengthy conference in
the war department this morning, pre-
vious to the issuance of the order to
United States marshals In regard to
the approaching election. 1t was at
tended by Secretaries Cameron, Robe
son, and Chandler, Attorney-Gen
Taft, General Sherman, Governor
of South Carolina. The object of the
meeting was to take preparatory steps
to carry out the order, in case of neces-
sity, and to have full understanding
as to the military giving aid to United
States maTshals.
FULL TEXT OF THE INSTRUCTIONS TO
MARsHALs.
The following are the instructions
from the attorney general to United
States marshals regarding the coming
elections. A copy will be sent to each
United States marshal throughout the
country:
"SIR-The laws of the United States
having made it my duty TO exercise a
general direction over marshals as to
tie manner of discharging their offices,
| have prepared for their use this circu
lar letter of instructions as to the com
ing elections; intending the same, also,
as reply to all the numerous appli-
cations in like connection from pri-
vatc citizens in the various States. In
the present condition of legislation the
United States occupy a position toward
voters and voting which varies accord
ing as the election is for State and
other local officers only, or for mem
bers of congress and Presidential cleo
tons at which members of the house
of representatives are chosen, which
by law include elections at which cleo
tors for President and Vice-Presi-
dent are appointed, the United States
secure voters against whatever In gen.
eral binders or prevents them from
full exercise of the elective franchise;
extending that care alike to the regis
tration list, the act of voting, and the
personal freedom and security of the
voter, as we'll as against violence on
account of any vote which he may in
tend to give, as against conspiracy be-
cause of any that he may already have
given. The peace of the United States,
therefore, which you are to preserve,
and whose violation you are to sup
press, protects among others the rights
specified In the last paragraph, and any
person, who by force violates these
rights, breaks that peace, and renders
it your duty to arrest him, and to sup
press any riots incident thereto, or
that threaten the integrity of the reg
istratiOn or election, to the end that
the will of the people in such election
may be ascertained and take effect, and
that offenders may be brought before
the courts for punishment. Notorious
events Ia several States, which recent
ly and in unusual manner have been
publicly reprobated, render it the grave
duty of all marshals having cause to
apprehend violation of the peace of
the United States, connected as above
with the election to be held on Tues
day after the first Monday in Novem-
Der next, to be prepared to preserve
and to restore such peace. As chief
executive officer of the United States
in your district,-you will be held re-
sponsible for all breaches of the peace
of the United States which diligence
on our part might have prevented, and
for the arrest and securing of all per-
sons who violate that peace In any of
the above points enumerated. Dill
gence in these matters require ofcourse
that you be and continue present In
person or by deputy at all places of
registration or election at which you
have reason to suspect that peace is
threatened, and that whenever an en-
bodiment of the posse cODljtGtUS is re-
quired to enforce the law, such embod-
iment be present; you will observe that
special deputies mentioned In section
two thousand and twenty-one of the
revised statutes have peculiar duties as
signed to them-duties which other
wise do not belong to deputy marshals;
such special deputies can be appointed
only in cities of twenty thousand IN
habitants or upward, but the duties as
signed to marshals aud their deputies
by section two thousand aud twenty
two or other like statutes belong to all
duly appointed deputies, whether they
be general or be special, within the
meaning OF that and the preceding sec
ton. Deputies to discharge this latter
class of duties may be appointed to any
number whatever, according to the dis
erection of the marshal, in all States in
which sheriis have similar power. Sec
ton two thousand and thirty has no
practical bearing upon this point in
States where no limit is imposed on the
appointmentOfde deputies by sheritfs, be-
cause in such States the laws of the
United States prior to the eighteenth of
June. 1872. left marshals also unlimit-
ed as to the number of their deputies.
In discharging the duties above men
toned you will doubtless receive the
countenance and support of all good
citizens of the United States in your
respective districts. 1t is not necessary
to say that it is upon such cOuntenance
and support that the United States
mainly rely in their endeavor to en-
force the right to vote which they have
given. or have secured. The present
iostruetious are intended only to coun-
teract that partial malice, wrong head
oJness. or ineonsideration which some
times triumphs at critical moments
over conservative and general prevail
nc forces of society, and to which the
mr. and passing condition OF the
rponntry gives more than ordinary
Strength. and therefore requires the
@overnment to particularly observe ana q
1royide against in this connection. L
pdvise that you. and each OF your de.
%uties. general and special, have rlght
- s1mmon to your assistance, In pre-
v 90 and quelling disorder, every
DeTson in the district above ntseen
Years Of age, whatever may be tnelr
occunation. whether civilians q nos'
;peIading the military of all deno :.,aI
nations@militia, soldiers, and marines