Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-04-23

! ing what should be the qualification TO
, hold office. 1t was as the least often.
: sive Of two offensive alternatives II
was not candid, it was not fair; the
record rebukes the gentleman for seek
, ing to place a dead statesman in such
} false position.
But Mr.. Chairman, it is useless to
follow these things further. 1t is not,
sir, for me 10 waste the time and
trench upon the patience OF this com.
mittee by following out the tergiver-
sation through which the Republican
party has wounded itself to this high
plane Of protest against revolutionary
legislation. Why, sir the gentleman
from Ohio, in 1872, made speech
upon this floor which he will not deny
1t was, as is always the case with his
efforts, an adroit as well as an able
speech. In that he declared that the
minority to which we then belonged,
but in which in Gods providence we
are no longer found-he declared that
the minority weiv y1ilty ef -s~si~
tion. For what? Because they in
sisted that extraneous matter should
not be put upon appropriation bills.
He said that was revolution. Laugh
ter and applause.] We took him at
his word, and now where does he
stand2 1t was revolution then to re-
sist the injection of oxtranoous matter
over the protest of the majority. 1t
is revolution now for the majority to
resist that same protest Of that minor
ity but in the one case it was his side
protesting, in the other case it was
ours.
All, Mr.. Chairman, let one take the
darkened pages of his country's histo-
ry for the. last seventeen long years
and read it carefully, and tell me then
whether it lies in the mouth OF
that worthy leader of once
great but waning party to read
lectures TO anybody, either upon
the score of revolutionary legislation
ofextraneous introductions into appro.
priation bills. Better far in the face
of the record that they have made,
better to listen patiently to the con-
irmed inebriate as he dilates upon the
virtues Of temperance, better let tho
queen Of the demi-monde elaborate the
beauties of female virtue, or let the
devil prate of the scheme of universal
redemption, than for homilies upon
good morals aud lectures upon revolu-
tionary Legislation TO be delivered from
such source Applause and laugh
ter.
There is but one issue here, and |
insist that neither this House nor the
people of this country shall be allowed
to wander from it. II is but this, and
nothing more: whether the military
power shall be allowed at your polls
whether the elections shall be guarded
by the mailed hand of military power;
whether the ballot-box, the last and
safest shield Of the freeman's liberties,
shall be turned over to the tender mer-
cies of the armies Of your land. Or,
to state it yet more tersely and proba-
bly, more fairly, it is simply whether
the spirit and the genius Of this Gov
ernment shall be reversed, and whether
the civil shall be made subordinate to
the military power.
Why, sir, among the most favored,
ciples ingraited on our system of gov
ernment from our old prototype, the
English people, is that provision which
would not tolerate not only the inter
ference but the presence of the militia.
ry at the polls.
Over one hundred years ago an
English statute declared the will Of
Englishmen upon this vital question.
read the statute: va
"Be IL enacted By the Kings most er-
celient Majesty, By and cith the adrice
and consent Of the Lords, spiritual and
temporal, and Commons in Parliament
assembled, and By The authority Of the
same, That when and as often as
any election of any peer or peers to
represent the peer of Scotland in Par
lament, or any member or members to
serve in Parliament, shall be appointed
to be made, the Secretary at War for
the time being, or in case there shall
be no Secretary at War then such per
son who shall ofilciate in the place of
the Secretary at Var, shall, and is
hereby required, at some convenient
time before the day appointed for such
election, to issue and send forth proper
orders, in writing, for the removal Of
every such regiment, troop, or compa-
ny, or other number of soldiers as shall
be quartercd or bileted in any such
city, borough, town, or place where
such election shall be appointed to be
made, out Of every such city, borough,
town, or place, one day at least before
the day appointed for such election, TO
tho distance Of two or moro miles from
such city, borough, town, or place, as
aforesaid, until one day at the least Of.
ter the poll TO be taken at such cleo
ton shall be ended and the poll-bocks
closed. Statute George III.
From that time till now | do declare
that it is not within the power of any
man to find a single scion Of the Saxon
race that has not held in utter abhor-
renee the efforts of him or them who
sought to control the freedom of the
ballot by the employment Of the mill
tary power. [Applause,]
The very Army of this country pro
tests against such prostitution of its
service.
/ sec before me the justly distin.
guished Gcneralin.C Chief Of our Army,
and no believe that overstate the
fact when say that from him down
TO the private in the ranks IL IS diff.
cult to find one who has not rccoiled
from this service which they have been
called upon TO render. [Applausc.
1t is this question, and IL is none
other, that insist shall be kept before
this House. We are declaring that the
ballot shall be free. We are denying
il lie either constitutional, legal, just,
fair, or decent, 10 subject thesovereign
to the surveillance of the soldier. -.
Now, upon that issue the gentleman
from Ohio and his associates tell us
that they stand committed ! answer
so do we. We are willing to discuss
, it, and for my part shall oppose any
limitation being put upon this debate.
. If we cannot stand upon an issue 80
broad, so constitutional, so catholic, so
fair, so free as this, then tell me in
! Heavens name where are the battle.
! ments strong enough for us TO get be-
hindl Let It go TO the country that
one party asserts that tho manacles
shall iall from the limbs of the citizen,
and that the Army shall not hold It's