Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-05-29


public moneys. That money, when
raised and appropriated, is 10 be dis
oufSed by the Executive department,
which adds very largely To Its power
ana influence over the people. Incl.
dental To this, and necessarily involved
IN 1t, IL the power of the House to deter.
| mine whether there shall or shall not
be AN army and navy maintained AT
the public expense and commanded by
the Executive. Under the Constitution
this House possesses the sole power TO
! originate impeachments against the
President himself and other officers of
the United States and in case of fail.
IRE to elect by the electoral colleges,
this House, voting by States, has the
sole power to choose the President.
Here then are four great powers belong.
ing exclusively to the House OF Repre-.
/ sentatives, in the exercise OF which the
/ Executive may be directly effected
either in his person or in his office.
If he can control the organization OF
/ this body 10y debating the choice Of its
members generally or influencing the
/ election OF IA sufficient number to- hold
! the balance of power, he thereby con.
/ trolls it's action on all these vital mat
/ ters. He may determine, to very
large extent, the amount aud form oi
taxation upon the people and the
amount and the objects for which ap.
I propTiations shall be made he may de
termine the size and organization OF the
/ army and navy and the purposes for
which they shall be used he may pre-.
/ vent his own impeachment for the very
corruptions which giyc him immunity,
or secure the impeachment of a rival
and he may, in the contingency ! have
( men toned, provide for his own rc.elec.
/ ton to the Executive office. II is not
my purpose to elaborate these pToposi-
tions. Their truth j. too obvious to adj.
NIT of argument, and the dangerous
character Of the power which the TX.
eCutiye would exercise in these instan.
ccH II too apparent 10 require illustra.
ton. Do gentlemen on the other side
seriously contemplate the permanent
maintenance of Il system Of laws cAlcu.
lated TO produce such results? Can IT
be possible that they place such a low
estimate upon the intelligence OF the
people and 30 little reliance upon their
virtue and love OF liberty as TO suppose
that they will ever rest satisfied until
The stain Of these odious enactments
shall be eiiaced from the pages Of the
statute book
submit to every gentleman whether
this Is or ought to bc a mere party ques
tion whether all the Representatives
Of the people ought not to unite ~ one
man and declare that laws which con.
fer this extraordinary and dangerous
power upon the Executive ought 10 be
no longer continued upon the statute
book. II time would permit. Mr. Chair.
man. ! would like To expose at length
some Of the methods 10y witch this
power has been executed but the
warning already given upon the floor
this afternoon sdmonishcs me that il
will be necessary to conhne my remarks.
If possible. within tho limits prescribed
by the rule.
Why, sir, one Of tie most serious
complaints made against Charles H.
was that lac exercised an undue influ.
encc over elections by means Of thcriiia
appointed by himself: but what are a
few sherIiis in England compared with
the thousands of supervisors and dcpu.
ty mNrshals who may he appointed with.
out limit under this law by the Execu.
tive department. In 1876 eleven thou.
sand SIX hundred and fifteen special
deputy marshals were appointed TO at
tend the elections OF the people, and in
one instance At least As many a. one
hundred and ffty.fye were stationed AT
single polling place Nearly six thou.
sand supervisors were appointed TO
otiiciate at the same election. At q
similar election in 1878 nearly FIVE
thousand special deputy mArshals were
appointed and over four thousand su.
pervisors. In almost every instance,
at least so far as the deputy marshals
were concerned, these officers were the
partisans of the Administration. and
although they were paid for their ser.
vices out of the common treasury Of
the people, IL is a well known fact that
they contributed all in their power
and in some instances at least even 10
the extent Of abusing their powers--io
assist their party friends in choosing
members Of this House in political &C
cord with the Executive. Nine Of the
cities TO which these executive officers
were sent elect twenty seven Repre-
sentatiyes every two years. sufficient
{ bNahtft
to control our action here upon all 20.
litical matters; and yet these extraordi.
nary laws apply TO all tho cities in the
Union containing over twenty thousand
inhabitants. IL matters little to the
people whether the interference in their
elections ia effected through the agency
Of the soldier with his musket or the
marshal with his club. IL is the inter.
ference itself, and not its mere form, of
which they complain.
cannot 60 into anything like a salts.
factory discussion of the particular pro
visions contained in these statutes. IL
is sufficient TO say generally that they
authorize the appointment of special
deputy marshals without limit as TO
number; that il is made their duty 10
attend the places Of registration and
the places of voting; TO challenge any
citizen whose qualifications they may
doubt" for that is the language OF the
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