The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-04-17

Army Appropriation DILL, Jne penulDB question
being on Blalne's amendment prohibiting the ap-
pearAnce within mile of polling place Of any
person armed with deadly weapons of any kind,
and Mr.. Blaine addressed the Senate.
He said the method adopted in the pending Sec
tlon 10 get rid Of the eight closing words Of the
section Of the Revised Statute proposed to be re.
pealed, viz; "or to keep the peace at the polls"
was an unusual and extraordinary method. The
ordinary way TO repeal single sentence is to
strike out particular words objected 10 but the
mode chosen in this bill Is to repeal and re.enact
the whole section except the last eight words.
The law was passed by Republican Congress.
There were forty six Senators sitting in the Sen
ate chamber at the time, Of whom only ten or at
most eleven were Democrats and the House Of
Representatives was overwhelmingly Republican.
The bill was passed by the Republican party and
signed by Abraham Lincoln when he had more
troops under his control than Napoleon Bone parte
ever had. But the point is said Mr.. Blaine, TO
strike out the few words authorizing the use of
troops to keep peace at the polls and the country
is alarmed or he would rather say amused at the
effort to create the impression that the Republi.
can party relied for It's popular strength on the
use OF the bayOnets This Democratic Congress
has attempted by raising an issue false in detail
TO create the impression not only In America but
in Europe and throughout the civilized Werld that
the eleGtious In this country ore attempted TO be
controlled by the bayonet, He denounced the is-
sue as false, He then entered at length into the
strength Of the present army with the object Of
showing the country need not fear 1t, and added
| that the motive Of the Democratic party In the
proposed repeal was to get rid Of federal supervis
| ion at federal elections to get rid of the
civil power Of the Emitted States In the
election Representatives to Congress- and there
fore this bill connects itself directly with the bill
which was before Congress last session known as
the legislative, executive and judicial appropria
| tiOn bill,
Mr., Blaine then discussed the legal questions
involved and said the design now i' to get rid Of
all civil officers OF the United States under the
pretense Of keeping troops away from the polls,
and amendments which will be offered will test
the sincerity of the 1mocratlC side on that point
and show whether lhe Federal Government would
be allowed representation at the polls except by
| two men Of straw, without any power, who can
merely look on. We are told, said Blaine, and 1t
is rather novel thing, that If we do not agree to
the bills as offered we are not to have an apprO'
| priatiOn This was carrying the matter further
| than he had ever known it to 60 before and be-
sides starving the judiciary, the other side would
refuse to appropriate dollar for expenses Of the
Capitol building ard grounds, for public printing
or for the Congressional Library. In conclusion,
he said he believed Mr. Hayes would not be in
timdated but would act according to his own
judgment,
SPEECH OF MR.. wITHERs
Mr. Withers said the statement Of the Sc atOr
from Maine ofto few soldiers found in the States
OF Mississippi and Virginia was futile attemptto
divert attention from the facts lying at the fOun'
dation Of our institutions, Such remarks as those
Of the Senator woald not produce much effect oil
the Senate or the country. 1t was not question
to be decided, whether there were soldiers enough
to dominate and control elections, but whether,
under the operation of existing laws, it was not
possible for the Executive to distribute and use
the soldiery so as to destroy the freedom Of cleo
| tlons.
The Senator from Maine stated that the issue
the Democrats made was false, slanderous and
scandalous without pausing to criticize the Pc
culiar expressions which the Senator thought pro-
per to use he (Withers) would simply say 1t was
no false issue when they proposed to repeal law
allowing troops to be used In elections guarded
emily by their commander. II was no false Issue
to say there could free election in the presence
of troops, and they had no right to say how men
should vote The preservation OF peace at the
the polls should be left to the control of States
where the Constitution left ii. The points made
by he Senator from Maine were simply on bill
not before the Senate. Nobody on the Democrat
ic side so far as he knew, had ever laid down the
proposition that the President should not exercise
his constitutional power to veto bill. The Sen
atOr from Maine said the course OF the Democrats
was audacity of revolution, but how could this be
when the bill simply proposed TO make apprOprla-
tions for the support of the army with the c0ndi'
tiOn as to the use of troops annexed. This was
clearly in the power of the House and Senate to
approve Here the agency OF Congress ended. The
Democrats did not propose to shape their course
as to what may or may not be the position of the
President. He should not attempt to take away
particle OF the spinal marrow attempted IN be
given to the PRESIDENT by the Senator from Maine.
He would not interfere with any agency to lnfuse
strength to his spinal cord
REPLY OF MR.. WALLACE TO BLAINE.
Mr.. Wallace, in reply to Mr.. Blaine, said that
this bill came from committee. It did not come
from a secret consultation of Democrats. He
spoke thus clearly because he was one OF the mem
bers of the committee He would not now occupy
the floor II he had not been charged by the com.
mittee to give the reasons for the insertion OF the
section of the bill disputed by the Senator from
Maine. The bill came here from the House, was
taken to the clerks desk and thence was sent TO
the Committee on Appropriations. II had been
reported back from that committee. This was the
very bill, almost in word and letter. that was re-
ported by the Committee Of Conference during the
last session, and would have been agreed to by
the two houses and passed but for their disagree
ment on the amendments.
THE ISSUE OF THE BILL.
The bill was now here on Its passage. It con-
tained single disputed section to which he
now addressed himself The war caused many
departures from principles which were essential
to our liberties. Necessity made the people bear
mbjecton OF the civil to military power, the sus-
pension Of hdbeds corpus and the presence Of armed
troops at the polls. These pass away with the ne
cessity that produce them. The single issue In
this bill was. shall the Executive longer possess
the power to place the troops at the polls? Their
presence was mensce,upon the right of free elec
tions This right Is fixed aud certain. It came to
MS from England, and is a part of our system of
laws It's protection rests in the States. The Fed
eral Government has nothing to do with 1t. This
is said Mr. Wallace, the only issue in the contest
We will not be diverted from 1t. On this line ".
stand by 1t we fall. II is whether the T,e6arsI
Government shall pla'e trocys at the nolIS ~
whether the States, free from Federal inteFerence
shall preserve peace and secure free elections, I
repeat, the placing Of troops at the polls is men
ace threat, and no free people can bear IT, In
the Bill Of RghIs Of nearly every State free cleo
| tOns' are guaranteed, while no such mower Ia
given 10 the Federal Government in the Constltn.
ton, The statutes Of many States assert and pro
teCt his right.
In 1903, Pennsylvania asserted Il BY statute. New
York, Maryland and many others have like pro-
visions. No attempt was made by the Federal
Government until 1t was exercised In the border
States under the war power. The exercise of this
power was force alone. 1t became oppression, and
in 1854 Senator Powell Of Kentucky, introduced
the act Of 1866. As Introduced II gave no pow, A
TO interfere with elections but was restrictive M
evil. The Judiciary Committee reported aga inst
the bill on its passage. Senator Pomeroy Of Kan.
tas, inserted the word giving troops DO, Ia
keep the pesce at the polls" Every Rep Liblican
voted for this and every Democrat tanst it.
Troops at the polls and free elections arje inoom
patlble. Power by law to the Executlv a Of State
or Republic to place troops at the poll is mega.
tlyn of the system.
We propose, Mr. Wallace said. to maintain the
American system OF free elections IN restore civil
power control over all the machi 6erv of the Gov.
ernmenL A free system Of laws cannot tolerate
even the possible use Of force Il the fountain Of
No Senator will deny the lright of its value,
None assert that troops. uiLder partisan control
conduce to fee electOpS The ieeislation OF
no first fuef y