The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1879-05-08
THE PRESIDENTS
VETO MESSAGE.

/ ui1-AlL5 aPBAU JL4dLlOuS 4OE Tic sup
port Of the army for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1880, and for other
purposes:
To the House Of Representatives:
have maturely considered the
important question presented by the
bill entitled "An act making appro-
prations for the support of the army
for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1880, and for other purposes, and I
now return it to the House Of Rep
resentatives, in which it originated,
with my objections to its approval.
The bill provides in the usual form
for the appropriations required for
the support Of the army for the next
fiscal year. If it contained no other
/ provisions 1T would receive ny
! prompt approval Tt includes, how
ever, further legislation, which, at
tached as it IS to appropriations
which are requisite for the efficient
performance Of some of the most
necessary duties Of the Government,
involves questions of the graYest
! character.
/ The sixth section Of the bill is
amendatory to the statute now IN
force in regard to the authority Of
i persons in the civil, military and ma
val service of the United States, at a
place where any general or special
election is held ia any State. This
statute was adopted February 25,
1865, after a protracted debate In
the Senate, and almost without op-
position in the House of Represen-
tatives by the concurrent votes Of
both the leading political parties Of
the country, and became a law by
the approval of President Lincoln.
It was re-enacted IN 1874 in the Re
7ised Statutes Of the United States,
sections 2,002 and 5,528, which are
as follows; al aT sr r
SECTION -2O02. No military or naval
officer, or other person engaged in the civil,
military or naval service Of the United
States, shall order, bring, keep or have un-
! der his authority or control, any troops or
armed men at aplaCe where any general
or special election is held in any State, IN
less it be necessary to repel armed enemies
Of the United States, or to keep The peace at
thepolls, -r f1 .r5raeg
'.Sec. 5,528. Every officer Of the army
or navy, or other person IN the civil, mill
| tary or naval service of the United States,
who orders, brings, keeps or has under his
authority or control, any troops or armed
men at any place where a general OF special
election is held in any State, unless such
! force be necessary to repel armed enemies
of the United States, OrtO keep the peace at
I the POLLS. shall be fined not more than S. 900
and suffer Imprisonment at hard labor not
less than three months, nor more than five
year" .rT
THE NEW LAW UNNECESSARY.
The amendment proposed in this
statute in the bill before me Omits from
/ both the foregoing sections the words
''Or to keep the peace at the polls.
The effect of the adoption of this
amendment may be considered, first
/ upon the right Of the United States
Government to use the military
force to keep tha-peaee at elections
for members Of Congress; 4; and, sec.
ond, upon the right Of the Govern
ment, by civil authority, to protect
| these elections from violence E and
fraud. In addition to the sections
! of the statute above quoted, the fol-
| lowing provisions Of law relating to
the use Of the military at elections
are now in force $50
"SEC. zoos. No officer Of the Army or
Navy of the United States shall prescribe
or fix, OF attempt to prescribe or hx
bv proclamation, order or otherwise, the
qualifications of voters in any State,
| or IN any manner interfere with the free
dom Of any election in any State or with
the exercise Of the free right Of Suffrage in
any State. i-e
aSEo. $40 Every officer or other per
son in the military or naval service, who, by
force, threat, intimidation, order, advice,
or otherwise, prevents, or attempts to pre-
vent, any qualified voter of any State
from freely exercising the right OF suffrage,
at anv. general or special election IN such
State, shall be fined not more than 5000,
and imprisoned at hard labor not more
than five years. a5 a-
''SEC. $3.50. Every officer Of the army or
navy who prescribes or fixes, or attempts
toprescribe or fix, whether by proClama-
ton, order, or otherwise, the qualifications
II voters at any election in any State, shall
be punished as provided in the preceding
section. .. ...-.,. .-.
CSC. 1881. Every officer or other per
son In the military or naval service, who
by force, threat, intimidation, or otherwise
compels. or attempts to compel, any officer
holding an election in any State to receive
vote from any person not legally quail
fed to vote, or who imposes or attempts to
impose, any regulation for conducting any
general or special election in any State
different from those prescribed by law, or
who interferes in any manner with any
officer Of election in the discharge Of his
duty, shall be punished as described ~
Section $500.
'SEc. 3, 5S2 Every person convicted Of
any Of the Otfenses specified IN any OF the
FIVE preceding sections shall, IN addition to
uuuishments therein seyeraily prescribed,
be disqualified from holding al,y Office Of
honor, profit OF trust under the United
States; but nothing in these sections shall
be construed to prevent any officer, soldier,
sailor or marine from exercising the right
Of suffrage in any election district to which
he may belong, if otherwise qualified, ac-
cording to the laws Of the State in which
he offers to vote
The foregoing enaetments would
to be sufficient to prevent military
interference with elections. But
the last Congress, to remove al ap-
prehensiOn Of such interference, ad-
ded to this body of law section Is
Of an act entitled San act making an
appropriation fOr the support Of the
army for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1879, and for other purposes,
approved June is, 1878, which is as
follows:
SECTION Is. From an after the passage
Of this act it shall not be lawful to employ
any part of the army of the United States
as a posse comitqfits or otherwise, torthe pur-
pose OF executing the laws, except IN such
cases and under such circumstances as such
employment Of said force may be expressly
authorized by the Constitution, OF by act
of Congress, and no money appropriated
by this act shall be used to pay any Of the
expenses incurred in the employment of
any troops in violation Of this section, and
any person willfully violating the provis-
ions Of this section shall be deemed guilty
Of misdemeanor, and upon convection
thereof shall be punished by a fine not ex-
ceeding $4,000, or imprisonment not ex-
ceeding two years, OF both such fine orim-
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