The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-19

AMONG THE BIDDERS. -EfeStCtef't OC'"''o'
j. Tflden.
Senator Thurman's Exposure OF Re-
publican Election Schemes.
Senator Thurman has done the country
good service by his exposure and arraign-
ment of the republican party, for its in
famous partisan tactics in carrying cleo
tons by the use of the election laws, which
the people demand shall now be repealed.
His speech was one of the ablest and most
effective made upon this subject, in that
the facts warrant the statements made and
the conclusions carry conviction to every
candid reader-a conviction which justifies
the demands of the democrats that these
laws, as dangerous as they are obnoxious,
shall be repealed, The speaker under
stood them we'll in saying that were they
out Of power they would demand the re-
peal Of these odious laws more persistently
than the democrats do now. The senator
took broader grounds than that the de-
mand for the repeal of these laws was
party measure on the part of the demo
cratic majority. Theirs wOs national
fight, defense of public welfare and
contest for the safety and perpetuity OF
free institutions. 1t is the democrats who
are fighting for free elections" and the
purity of the ballot box. The laws they
are trying to repeal were not made to con-
troll elections 10 the south as republicans
claim but to control the northern cities.
Mr.. Thurman took occasion to say that the
movement for their repeal came not from
the southern men, but from the northern
representatives and senators. OF the
1853 supervisors appointed in 1876, 1879,
nearly halfof the whole number, were in
the state of New York. In that year the
Federal Government spent $685., 92l to in
sure fair elections. And Of that whole
sum only S4S,7l9 went to the Southern
States. About ono-sixth OF the money
was used ostensibly to protect the freed
mon, and fve-sixths, 1897 $50 was used
to influence voters in Northern cities.
More than half of the whole sum $l56, 900,
was spent in New York alone. Nearly
three thousand marshals were employ
cd to see that the Democratic vote
was kept down and the Republican vote
was swelled to the utmost capacity. In
1878 the Federal Government employed
1881 supervisors, of whom 1858
were in New York, aud 1862 in Penn
sylvania, and only 1,O66 in all the other
States. More than half Of the 4,725
marshals we're appointed in New York to
help Davenport carry out his infamous
assault on our naturalized citizens Oi
the 1922, TIA spent in carrying these need
less and obnoxious election laws into ef.
feet, only $18,241 went to the Southern
States. AL the rest was spent in in.
huencing voters at the North, and paying
Republicans for doing campaign work
And what kind of work these men did il
shown by Davenport's operations is
suing 5000 affidavits against citizens
guilty of no crime but that of being natu.
ralized citizens and presumably Demo.
Gratis, and getting one Of his deputies tC
issue 1000 in one day against men he did
not know; making complaints of false
registry long before the day OF registering
arrived; arresting citizens before they
had voted, and locking them up in cages
without food or water till the polls closed
unless they would agree not to vote-at
least not TO vote the Democratic ticket.
This is the operation of the law the demo
Gratis 10 Congress demand shall be repeal
cd. They insist that the Federal Govern
ment shall not be used as a partisan
machine. They protest against the un-
constitutional and dangerous interference
OF the party in power with the elections.
They demand that the people shall not be
oVerawed by Federal bayonets at the polls,
nor bulldozed by Federal supervisors or
marshals, paid out OF the national treas
ury. And their reasonable, just, pacific
demands are in accord with an enlightened
and conservative public sentiment, and
arc backed by all the best traditions of
the Republic. Mr.. Thurman gave the
aboGe figures to show that these election
laws had been passed, not to protect the
poor freedmen, as had been pretended, but
20 control and coerce the votes of Northern
cities, where democratic majorities were to
be overcome by such lawless measures as
those of Davenport, and now, when the
people were awake to these wrongs, it was
proposed to use the troops at the polls to
coerce and intimidate the voters, and sup
port the Federal marshals and supervisors
IN their lawless and irresponsible acts.
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ANOTHER CONVERT TO THE ST.
YER DOLLAR.
That the world moves and that some