New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-02
1 RFrJEV or THE CONTEST

| Il KE|IEU UF iHb tON iEoi'
Now that the controversy between the two politi-
cal parties in Congress has been adjourned, and -
to be submitted 10 the Judgment of the people at
the State elections before it can be revived at Wash
ington a brief review of the main features OF the
struggle WILL perhaps not be unwelcomc to readers
| The contest which gave rise to the prolonged eX-
| ira session was begun last Winter in the closing
session of the XLYth Congress. The Democrats
came to Washington discouraged and a good deai
| demoralized ut the result Of the Fall elections,
which had dispclled their dream of floating into
power ia 1850 on an irresistible current of popular
opinion. They saw that a sharp reaction had taken
| place in the public mind, and that all indications
pointed TO he choice by the country OF another Re
publican President. After much wrangling among
| themselves they agreed upon n programme winch
they believed if carried out would enable them to
| hold the Solid South, and add TO il the electoral
| vote of New-Yorb. This, together with Indiana and
one or two smaller Northern States, would give
them majority in the next Electoral College. They
undertook first to repeal the Federal Election laws
| which are the only effective safeguard against
fraudulent voting in great cities; and, second, to
reduce the army TO u skeleton, and provide that in
| 10 case should II be used TO keep the peace or en-
force the laws of the United States at elections. At
| that time the Democrats only had control of the
| House, the Senate was still Republican. They
embodied their political schemes in the shape Of
riders" TO the regular Appropriation bills and set
MP the revolutionary doctrine that thoy had the
right TO refuse the money necessary to carry the
! Government unless the Senate and the President
| would permit them to have their own way. The
Senate paid no heed to the threat of starving out
the Government, and refused to concur in the III Use
riders. The House declined to pass the bills with
out them and the session ended at on the 4th
| of ha ArmV nd
Judicial and Legislative branches of the Govern
ment without "a dollar applicable for their support
| after the 3Oth OF June.
President Hayes Immediately convened the new
| Congress in extra session on the 18th of March.
| The Democrats then modified their programme,
abandoning all effort for the reduction of the Army.
| They had obtained control Of the Senate in the
| meantime by the incoming Of Democratic Senators
| from Southern States, elected in the place Of Re-
| publicans and they imagined they could cover up
their partisan purposes and raise an issue between
| Congress and the President, in which the people
| would tako the side of Congress- They passed the
| Army Appropriation bill with a section prohibiting
| in effect the use of any armed Federal force,
whether military civil, to keep the peace or en-
force law at the polls. This the President vetoed
ON the 3Oth of April Then they took the section
out and modified it, far it applied to civil Off
GERS, and passed ii a separate bill The President
| found this would practically suspend the enforce
! ment of all UnItcd States statutes where elections
| were in progress, and would subordinate National
| to state authority. He killed the bill with veto
message on the 18th of May. Later in the session
| the Army bill was passed, with clause prohibiting
| the employment Of the troops as a police force at
the polls. Most of the Republicans In the House
voted for this bill. In the Senate, however, the
! Republicans, fearing some trick Of Interpretation
lurking in the words police force, opposed it. The
President placed the meaning upon tho words given
| them in common Use and signed the bill.
The Democratic attack upon tho election laws
| began with saddling rider upon the Executive,
Legislative and Judicial Appropriation bill, pro-
| vding for their entire repeal. The Democrats
| vived the old Southern doctrine of State Sover-
eighty, and prOfessed to assai these laws on the
ground that they interfered with the rights of the
States to control elections. The bill in this shape
was vetoed May 30 Then the Democrats backed
! down from theiI threat Of starving the Govern
ment unless they could get rid of Federal Marshals
and Supervisors at elections. They HIT upon the ex-
| pedient of dividing the Appropriation bill into two
| bills, one relating to the Executive and Judicial
| Departments, and the other to the Courts. The
former they passed in a clean shape and it became
law. Upon the latter they tackled provision, not
repeating the election laws. for they had given up
that as hopeless, but multiplying them by ordering
that no money should be spent or liabilities in
Cured for their enforcement. This Dill met with
q sharp veto on the 2lth Of June. Afraid 10 ad-
| joum with the courts unprOyided for, the Demo
Gratis got out of what they said to be their last
| ditch, and retreated to a frontier They sub
divided the Judicial bill, passed without potl
cal attachment all its provisions except the clause
| relating to Marshals and their deputies, and then
passed separate bill to pay the fees OF those Off
Gals loaded with provisO that no money should
Veto No. June 30) tho reply to this last at
tempt to cOerce the President into aiding the DEM
ocrats to nulllfy United states statute.
Driven from pillar to post by the sharp scourpo of
| tho veto messages, the Democrats saw no opening
! for further retreat. and precptately adjourned
| Congress. leaving the Marsbals compensation
for the current year Here, then is the net result
of the Democratic crusade, which began last winter
amid 80 much noise and buster with the purpose of
reyiving the doctrine of State Sovereignty, Grip
pling the Army, tying the hands of the President,
and opening the way to carrying the election in
| 1880 by repeating the laws against fraud. The
Marshal5 and their deputies must borrow money to
live upon Tor time give up their Offices. This
is the sole achievement which the Democratic party
| IN Congress can point to as the end of its six
months of angry effort.
-
If Mrs Smith, who is now IN the custody of the
Sheriff Of Hudson County sentenced to death for the