Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-03-08
THE TEST OATH AND FEDERAL
SUPERVISORS.

An extra session of congress has been ne
cessitated because the two houses could not
agree on the Legislative, executive and judi
cial appropriation bill. The Republicans are
endeayoring to throw the responsibility on
the Democrats. The country will sustain
the Democrats, who acted on the conviction
that justice, honest and intelligent men
on juries, and free and fair elections, unawed
by marshals and supervisors, were more i'm
portant than the appropriation of
money, and therefore resolved TO sweep
away the law which permitted packed
juries selected to convict, and Federal intim-
idators, in the shape of marshals, superv-
sors and troops, TO control elections at the
baLlot-box. An extra session Of congress Is
to be deplored, as it incurs great e1-
pense; but free elections and honest citizens
as jurors are the bulwark Of our hber-
ties. At the first session OF the last
congress the Democrats refused to pass the
army appropriation bill until a clause was
iHsvrtvu preventing tllv VI UrUUPs TO OPP
press the southern people, and they will not
vote for a dollars appropriation IN
til the people are protected
from Radical interference at the
polls, and all honest ciUizens are permitted
to serve on Federal jaries. 1t is better to
starve a fraudulent administration than to
see the citizens deprived of free suffrage by |
marshals, supervisors aud troops, who force |
and intimidate freemen at the ballot-box. |
Under the present election laws, the Repub- |
lican party can steal the Presidency as easily |
as it did in 1877. The people nave but
little idea of the infamy of the election laws.
Supervisors and marshals are appointed by
thousands to control elections for-the Repub-
hcan party, and the Democrats were right in
demanding a repeal of the law which enables
an army of officials to intimidate
and overawe the sworn officers appointed
under State laws to count and control the
votes of the people. These partisan super
wsors gave Florida and Louisiana to the Re-
publcans IN the last election by throwing
out just enough votes to suit their infamous
purposes. This they will do again, and It is not
surprising that they are bowling at the de-
termination Of the Democrats to wipe out this
source Of corruption and fraud So long as
these supervisors confined their operations to
the southern States, the people Of the north
did not appreciate the magnitude of the out
At5 S- Al NAiO 'eio1 C4-Stlo-4 TIC NlSJl5
commenced controlling the elections of the
northern States, and the Democrats were
made to realize what their southern allies
have endured for over ten years. The peo-
pie, who pay the taxes, have but little idea Of
the amount Of the cost of these supervisors,
appointed to control elections in the interest
OF Radicalsm. We give the following from
the New York World:
The attorney general OF the United States has
sent 10 congress this exhibition of the number and
expense OF these supervisors and depuy-maIshajs !
In 1875:
Ihere we're 1868 supervisors, at a cost of SIO6- ,
4l9, and 1910 deputy mdTshals, at q cost OF
81 lBl2. Total cost including certain fees ia | &
1876, S2I5,296. This money was expended In the
following states: I