The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-04-18
Last NIGHTS Dispatches.
XLvX CONGRESS
SENAT T,


hees IN the discussion on the Army bill
said: The protection OF the BALLOT box
had been wrested from the proper local
officers and given to corrupt Federal Off
GERS. The spirit that dictated this law was
a distruat of the people and their capacity
for self government Under free elections
the whole power of the constitution was
thus perverted. The people would resent
this insulting tyranny when the facts should
be clearly presented to them, and the
righteous sense OF resistance would spring
up in their breast There was no Ameri-
can who vas not liable to arrest for no
other reason than that existing in the mind
of a Supervisor or Deputy Marshal, thus
placing every persons liberty at the
mercy oS party malice or hate The cons
tituti0n plainly guarded the citizen 10
all his personal rights, but that instru-
ment was violated By the arrest and i'm,
prisoument of citizens on insufficient
warrant by malicious spies and inform
ers. The spirit that produced this law
was ike that which preceded the French
revolution and caused the fires Of revolu-
ton to break out, and which made eYery
citizen tremble with fear Of a blow in the
dark. 1t emanated from spirit that
ruled in Venice, where the look Of suspi-
ci0n was more to be dreaded than the blow
Of the dagger, and doomed the victim TO
walk the Bridge Of Sighs'' to prison and a
wretched death. Charles the First lost his
throne and George the Third his rule in
| America for less evils than those inflicted
| by some of our federal laws All history
showed the danger and injustice Of leaving
| means for u8urping liberty on the statute
| books. Caesar, Cromwell and Napoleon
| the First, were not slow to secure sovor-
eign power, when the people left their laws
to pave the way to desp0tism. We were not
at IA loss to conjecture what could be done
with the laws to which he had referred and
which had been enforced over our liberties
70 an extent which would force any people
to revolt except the serfs Of Russia In
order to show the abuses committed On
suffrage. he referred to the city OF New
York, where acts had been committed
WHICH brought shame and disgrace to the
whole country. John Davenport was CHIEF
supervisor. the autCcrat Of the ballot box
He, with bis cohorts, intimidated tbs
voters from going to the polls, and thou
sands remained away rather than place
themselves in the way OF lawless persecu
ton. The deputy marshal aud supervisor
were federals, the kuklux organized to in
} timidate free men, aud cheat them Of thei
rights What happened 10 New Y0rl
might occur elsewhere. No man woult
say that such q statute should longer c0a
tiuue in force.
Senator VOORHEES, implorgd the Ameri
l can people not to forget that their hbertie
are trampled under ivot with scoru an.
contempt. He then proceeded to anothe
c branch law on the subject OF popular cleo
tions. The president On certain occasion
o being authorized to employ land and nava
Il forces at the polls U1der the vague pretex
o Of keeping the peace, the president as CON
B. wander-ln-chief Of the army and navy
e c5uld give such orders as would tend /
n crush the liberties OF the country after th
+ manner of Caesar, NapoIeon the Great, c
e Napoleon the Less. Like them the pres
L dent could send out his emissarles TO ST
< I'D trouble in the South and thus have
pretext for the employment of the arm
e in that section. The president was judg
e of the number Of troops he would emplo!
aud under the present laws he might ordt
IS the ships TO New York and New OrleaT
/. on election day to overawe the peopl
= simply under the pretext of keepin
% peace at the polls. Under the civ
10 rights bill of 1869 the President could u:
a. the army anywhere under the pretens
Ie of enforcing its provision. There was n
Of phase Of human affairs in the State ar
) Territories that could not be interfere
with by the army. The veriest reptile
ID party, United States COMMISSIONS
OF could call upon the military and nav
er force to support him in his proceeding
So The Senator from Main (Blaiue) .saw
r, reason for alarm in the provisions whit
o. the pending bill designed to repeal, b
ld he would refer him to what Daniel We
u. ster uttered, Ii was, If men wou
e. enjoy the blessing of a Republican go
ernment, they must govern by reason a
ST. mutual concession. and with due regard
on the general interest and in the acquie
nd cence of the minority in the will OF t
lte majority, and that the military must
ay kept according to right in strict subjectl
to the civil authority. Whenever th(
principles do not exist there can be
political freedom. lie condemned
ITO employment Of the judiciary iu connect
AZ with the elections as poisoning justice
we it's source. In recapitulating his ara
u, ment Senator Voorhees, said the laws
AL which he ha0 reference formed q cOmpl
70 system to withdraw all power from
On people and States, aud to centralize il
9o' the executive department for revo
'op tionary movement against the constltut
icy aud for an ultimate monarchy. ln
earlier days of the Republic there va
party in favor of monarchy. The pa
is larger now, and there were laws in to
By which a scheme could be put into act
for operation. He denied that the South {
uri regarded the law. On the contrary, 4
ro- submitted to every legalrequirement.
dis, people of that section had under
er. verse circumstances vindicated the
selves law abiding people; they had b
slandered by a sectional spirit.
ion Senator Vorbees was followed by Be
yht tor Teller of Colorado who quoted pre-
sri- dents and decisions favoriug centrall
lch federal power, and attempted TO def
/ the constitutional use of troops at