The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-08-20
Reject the Proposed Amendment
to the Constitution and Pro-
tect Our State Elections
from Military In
reference.

The people of Wilkinson county, a
. will be seen by the proceedings of thei
, meeting in another column, have dom
wise and timely thing. They have
entered an emphatic protest against tn
proposed amendment to the State Con
stitution, the effect Of which would b
: to place the State and Congressional
! elections on the same day. The con
dition under which the amendment wa
proposed has entirely failed. During
D the carpet-bag regime the Republican,
J repeatedly attempted to pass such {
measure, but were thwarted by the
Democrats. The object of the Republi
cans was to bring the State election:
under the supervision Of Federal author
ity with its military parapharnalia anC
its army of partizan deputies and super
visors. The Democrats resisted it be
cause they wanted the elections free
from such interference. But after the
troops were removed and Mr.. Hayes
announced that the policy Of the FEEDER
al Government would be changed, the
motive for opposition on the part OF
Democrats ceased, and from considera-
tions of economy-to save time and the
trouble and cost Of too frequent elections
they adopted the amendments for sub
mission to a vote Of the people. But
the course of the Republican Admins
tration.and the Republicans at the last
two sessions Of Congress has entirely
dispelled the delusion under which it
was adopted. The votes Of the Repub-
/ lican leaders and the vetoes of the
President have shown that the domin-
ant party is resolved upon continuing
+ in force all the odious machinery for
controlling State elections to which they
have heretofore resorted. BY opera
\ ton Of this machinery they expect not
only to carry the Presidential election
and re-establish their control in both
houses of Congress, but to re-establish
their domination i'll the States, espec-
tally the Southern States. To pass the
amendment will be to abet this design
against the liberties Of the people. Are
/ they prepared for it? Are they ready
/ to surrender the vantage ground which
they now hold? Are they ready to per-
nit themselves to be bound like sheep
for the slaughter pen? Are they pre-
pared to apply the knife to their own
Threats? That would be the effect Of
changing their organic law under exist
ing circumstances.
| 1t is true, annual elections involve
trouble and expense; but, after all,
the people are not SO much opposed to
annual elections as to imperil their lib
critics to get rid of them. 1t is an
Anglo-Saxon privilege to vote; and the
people do not look with so much horror
upon it as one may imagine. They
value their liberties infinitely above the
trifing cost of time and money.
To assert that under pretence ofreg-
ulating Congressional elections with its
military appliances there is no danger
of interference with State and local
elections which are held at the same
time and place, is to affront common
sense. On this subject we ask the at
tention of our readers to the following
extract from a speech of Senator Thur
man on the 18th of May, iii favor of the
repeal of the force bills which author
ize the control of elections by the Fed
eral authority. He shows that Con
gress, under pretence of regulating Con
gressional elections, could, in effect,
control State elections in violation of
the rights Of the people Of the States.
1t is a timely warning from a statesman
who understands the situation:
l go to another proposition which I hold is
capable Of demonstration, and that Is, that
whether the right of Congress to regulate the
manner of Congressional elections when there
is no default on the part OF the State exists or
does not exist, the laws which this bill pro-
poses to repeal are not a constitutional exer-
else of the power, for 1t is Fundamental hot Con-
yftSS CuitNOt, HHOtf oJtCtt StCtOH btIJtfC N
any manner nth the election Of State officers. 1t
can no more do it, under pretense of regulat-
ing Congressional elections, than it can when
no Congressman are to be elected. 1t follows
that any regulation of Congressional elections
enacted by Congress must be so framed as not
interfere with the election of State officers. If
it do so interfere, it is unconstitutional. Upon
that / stand with consciousness of being in
the right that / hope is not presumptious. To
me no legal proposition ever appeared clear
er. There are two classes of elections in this
country. There is an election for Federal Of
fcers, Representatives and Senators in the
Congress, and electors of President and Vice
President if the latter can properly be called
Federal officers. There is another class of
elections for the officers OF State and her sub
divisions. With the elections of this latter
class, Congress, under this clause of the Con-
stitution, has no more right to interfere than
it has to interfere with the elections in France
So far as it can interfere at all, it is under the
fifteenth Amendment, and that is simply to
guarantee the right of men otherwise qualified
against discrimination on account of race
color or previous condition of serviude. But
that guarantee, / have shown, has nothing to
do here. Here the question rs not about objections
of rGce coior, precious condition, bit 1t as 'ehete
Congress- under he Preteise Of regulating Congress
sional elections IN e5ect reguJdte the elections Of
STATE officers too, aud that IN direct violation Of the
lanes and rights Of the States.
Sir, did our fathers ever think for moment
when they were placing the provision in the
Constitution authorizing Congress TO make
regulations in respect of the times, places and
manner of electing members of the House of
Representatives or Senators in Congress, that
they were giving Congress plenary power over