The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-06-05
Senator Vince on the Situation.


We feel we cannot do Justice to our
reader. in Withholding from them the
very admirable speech Of Senator Vance
delivered with temper in his own mimi.
table way. Hence we make the follow
ing extract containing The pith of the
Senator's remarks:
Coming briefly to the real questions,
ask why should the law authorizing the
military TO be used at the polls not be re-
pealed, and why should the law author.
izing Federal supervision also be not re.
pealcd take it to be indsputably es-
tablished, without further argument. that
the whole subject relating to the elective
franchise is placed by the constitution
under the control of the States, and all
that the Federal government can do is TO
see that the States, AZ SUCH do not dis
crin'lnate against any OH account of race,
color, or previous condition of servitude.
This is the whole duty and power OF
Congress as declared by the Supreme
Court. When any Republican Senator
has ventured for one moment to abandon
the line of infiammatory appeal to the
sectional fee 'ug of the country, tlic ex-
cuses given tor the retention of tbs law
upon the statute book are illogical almost
TO puerility.
One Senator gravely argues that it
should not be repealed because the great
bulk of the army is in the distant West,
only some few hundreds being east of the
Rocky Mountains. lie tells us in the
course OF his enumeration that there are
only about thirty in the State Of North
Carolina, and asks the Senators from that
State if they are afraid of that number
OF sol srs. Passing over the obvious
fact tL.-- within thirty days 10000 could
be sent there if desired, answer that we
do fear them, because they represent the
power of the United States government
and the enmity of the Republican party
which wields that power; we fear them
AZ the Hollanders fears the first small
leak in the dykes which bear back the
waves OF the ocean from deluging the
meadows OF his homestead; We fear them
as the physician fears the first speck of
gangrcne N the system of his patient :;
ave fear aem as the sailor fears the piline
1p OF Il storm clouds upon the horizon.
KNOWN that their deceptive beauty
covers h, fierce desolation of the tenn
pest; we car them us the shepherd of
the mountains fears for his lambs ut even
the Hitting of Il shadow athwurt his path,
tor he knows it to be the shadow OF the
eagle, the remorscless tyrant of the air i;
we fear them as CharlemagLr feared the
rude wooden ships of the Nurse Vikings
ON their first appearance in the seas Of
his empire; we fear them as ali patriotic
Romans feared the crossing of the Rubi-
con by Cesar, the passage OF which with
arms IN his hands marked him ms the
enemy Of Roman liberty.
Even so we fear and believe that when
an American Executive crosses the Rubi-
con of his constitutional powers and APP
pears ut the place of choosing our rulers,
armed either with the sword or with ille-
gal powers of arrest, lie thereby proclaims
himself the enemy Of the liberties of our
people. A fragrant illustration of the
justice of this fear is to be found in the
various orders of the War Department
directing the concentration of troops in
the States of South Carolina, Florida
ana Louisiana on the occasion of the
election of 1876. The excuse that these
soldiers were not intended to interfere
with elections or to be placed ut the polls,
but only to be sufficiently near to keep
the peace, is not sustained by the facts OF
that reign of military violence. nor will
II be If tried again. quote from All or
der dated headquarters Department of
the South, Columbia, South Carolina,
October 8, 1876, issued by General Ru-
ger:
SHOULD tho barracks or camp in any
case be so far from the place of voting
that prompt assistance could not on oc-
caaion arising be rendered the civil Off
GERS, the commanding officer will sc place
his command, or sufficient part thereof,
that such assistance, if required, may be
promptly given. No troops however.
will be placed actually at any poll of cleo
tion except upon requirement TO that effect
dy lie mar5idt or his deputy"
80 IL seems that the discretion as to
whether the law should be violated or
not was vested in a deputy marshal In
fact they were so illegally disposed and
used i'll Il hundred instances. The Presi-
dent, as appears by the order of General
Townsend to General Emory, dated Oc-
tober u, 1874, seemed anxious to have
the troops placed at the polls without the
appearance of doing so. In that order
he propounds physical problem or
conundrum to General Emory, which
That officer had to give up. He says:
Cannot points be selected near polls
where attempts to overawe voters, likely
To result ii riots, may be made, and
troops stationed there day or two be-
forehand? 1t would not be desirable to
have soldiers at or too near the polls, as
i" "PHeH""'o " "sHtufy fNucIjefSUtP, S-E-
ccpt TO secure rioters their riohts to rots,
shouu be droided."
Not to "keep the peace," mind you.
hut to secure voters their right to vote |!
Now, this was n hard problem-to place
troops so far from the polls rs to avoid
all appearance of interference with the
elections, and yet so near rs to actually
interfere by securing all men in their
right to vote. Qnod est demons!randuHi
1t was too much for General Emory-in
fact, it was too much fer common sense
and common honesty. All these orders
SHOW y palpable and shameless determi-
nation ON the part of the Executive to
control both tie elections and the count
ing of the votes of Presidential electors,
rs well as the organization of State gov
ernmcnts. The manner in which the
;.ooi's wcrc shifted about from one to the
other of these three States, on which the
Presidential election depended, exhibits
the nnimus of this Infamous transaction
i'll a manner so plain that the wayfaring
man, though Republican, need not err
therein.
But the President tells us in his veto
message that there has been no interfcr-
cnce during his administration, and
promises that there shall he none So
VIZ are to take his royal promise TO re-
spect the peoples liberties and not to
have them secured by law? Here is the