The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1878-12-17
SOUTHERN OUTRAGEs.
Attorney General Devens' Report.

One of the most important State pa
pers transmitted to Congress in years
I by the President is the last annual re-
port OF Attorney General Devens. IL
I is devoted mainly 10 detailed state
ments OF the business transacted by the
/ Department of Justice and the district
attorneys, marshals, &C.. under its con-
I troll during the last fiscal year; bat il
also contains several passages Of gener-
/ ri interest, the most important Of
which are herewith given:
Under the head Of Protection 20
Civil Officers" the Attorney General
says: 1T is important that additional
provision should be made for the pro-
I lection OF the executive civil officers.
/ The punishment now attached to n re-
sistance TO the process OF the United
/ States Courts is not proportionate 10
the crime Of murder, which ia frequent
instances, has been committed upon
deputy marshals because they have ar
rested, or endeayored To arrest, viola
tors Of the law. I. should not be left
/ 20 the State to determine and enforce
the penalty for an act against the exc
cution Of justice OF such q serious char
acter, but appropriate legislation
should enoble the court whose anthori.
ty has been defiled, and whose faithful
officers have been killed, 90 administer
the penalty which the crime deserves.
IL IS, unfortunately, too clear that II
this duty be left 10 the courts Of the
States it cannot be expected that IN
certain portions Of the Union Il will
now be faithfully and efficiently per
formed.
On the subject Of the violation OF the
Federal election laws the Attorney
General says: Information which
received from various sources led me
TO believe, previous 10 the recent Con-
gressional election, that such interfer-
ence with the canvass preceding II had
/ taken place, and was reasonably expect
ed with the election itself; that the at.
/ tention OF the officers Of this depart.
ment should, IN certain localities, be
called 10 infractions Of tho laws which
| had occurred or which might be ex-
pected, aud TO the necessity OF doing
all in their power TO prevent them aud
TO secure fair election. la some in-
stances il was deemed 20 have been
| fully shown that peaceful meetings,
lawfully called for the advocacy Of par
ticular candidates for Congress, had
been intrudsd upon by armed bands,
under the specious pretext OF keeping
the peace, preventing, by disorders
and ruffianism, the organization OF the
/ or the proper holding OF such meetings.
| The Attorney Generals Office is not
provided with the means OF any general
system OF investigation OF infractions
OF the laws. II depends mainly upon
| the reports Of facts in individual cases
made by the officers OF the depart
ment on the ground, and on their re-
quests for instructions ia regard there
| TO. Awaiting myself OF these, as well
as Of information from those public
sources which are common to all, IL is
apparent that in various parts Of the
Union, especially in certain portions Of
| the States Of Louisiana, South Caro-
lima, Texas, and Virginia. instances OF
| unlawful combination aud violence, in-
tended to prevent free and peaceful
advocacy OF candidates for Congress,
occurred previous TO the day OF cleo
ton, and upon the day OF election de-
| liberate frauds were resorted to in vot-
| ing and canvassing the votes. often ac-
companied by threats and intimidation.
A frequent outrage upon the purity OF
| the ballot was In what is familiarly
/ known as "ballot-box stuffing," aud
consisted in preparing the boxes by de-
posting therein before the voting CON-
menced, or after IL was concluded,
large numbers Of fraudulent ballots,
and also by folding smaller ballots
within larger ones in such a way that
they could be shaken out by the voters
as be deposited his ballot, OF after.
ward by those who had the custody of
the box. The fraud was accomplished
by the use Of small ballots printed up
on tissue paper, and was perpetrated
in so many different places. and with
tickets so carefully prepared. aud Of
such similarity, that II cannot be
| doubted that ID was the result Of an or
ganized conspiracy of somo central di-
recting agency 10 defeat the will OF the
people and falsify the true result OF the
election. The canvass and election
we're accompanied in the State Of
Louisiana by n series Of cowardly aud
cruel murders, the only apparent mo-
tive for which was 10 prevent the col
ored people from exercising their right
Of suffrage. These murders occurred
in Caddo, Tensas, Natchitoches, and
other parishes. IL has been my duty
20 advise the proper subordinate Off
GERS Of the department in such manner
as seemed best calculated 20 secure the
ends Of justice, 10 promptly assert and
enforce the suthority Of the laws Of the
United States IN order 10 bring 10 jus
tice those Who have violated them. /
have seen no reason 70 believe that any
arrests which they have caused to be
made have. not been fully justified, or
that they have otherwise than as their
duty plainly demanded. The attempt
10 bring 10 justice the violators ~ the
law has, however, been followed by a
system Of persecution Of United States
officers, aud OF witnesses who have
been called 10 testify in regard 10 the
transactions complained Of, which can
not be toe severely condemned. The
resistance Of the laws Of the United
States has in some instances taken the
form of brutal violence, but more gen