New-York tribune., 1879-05-19

nppOlN'nCnt OF hupttN iSViS, "fb'''N
partisan managers of the polling places, op-
posed the most obvious regulations for the
verification of the count; and. when 1t has
had the chance it has. cheated, and Dulind
and created scandals which will always iii u
black page in our political history. Az tRe
South it is quite within the mark to say
that the Democratic party has never MADE
pretcnce of valuing free bhiI0t. ne
right of voting there has always been looked
upon ms the exclusive privilege of the white
Democrats. When the suffrage was conferred
upon the negro. tho Chiyalry considered that
act of justice a monstrous exercise OF the
tyranny of their cOnquerors. For awhile they
refused to take any part in elections; anu
when they grew tired of this ruinous policy
they came back to the polling places Win
guns in their hands and drove the negroes
away. The plain English of the situation is
that the Southern Democrat has no concep-
ton of q free ballot; the idea OF such
thing is repugnant to all his political no.
tions; and there never has been free suffrage
in the South except under the protection OF
the United States Government.
The cry that the States alone are entitled TO
regulate elections means nothing except that
the Democrats intend to hold power If they
can by the same violent and dishonest means
which they employed in winning it, and which
they have always employed to the full extent
of their opportunity. They have tried to de-
prive the Federal Government of the right to
execute its own laws, and have failed. They
are trying to abolish the offices necessary for
the operation of the election statutes, and they
will fail in that too. The next part of the
scheme is the worst device of all. 1t is to take
from the Federal Government the right to re-
move from State to United States Courts pros
ecutiOns instituted against Federal officers Tor
acts done in the discharge of their duty. The
consequence of that arrangement would be
an absolute nullifcatiOn of the Election laws IN
every Southern State We have seen III
numberless instances already how the ma
chinery of the local courts has been used to
prevent the punishment of criminals indicted
for fraud, violence and intimidation at the
polls,-hOw supervisors and marshals have
been arrested upon the charge of "interfer-
cling with elections" and the forms of justice
have been prosttuted to secure immunity for
the most hagrant offences. IL the United
States could not remove prosecutions against
Its officers into It's own courts tDe cOuIhern
Legislatures would Immediately pass laws
making it a crime to carry out the pro-
visions of the Election statutes and there
would be no power to save the Fed
eral functionaries from being sent to
the penitentiary for simply doing their
duty. Here would be the establishment
of State supremacy in its most dangerous
form. 1t would make little difference to the
Democracy after that whether the Election
laws were repealed or not. Let the State
Legislatures make it penal offence to exc
cute them and the desired end would be
secured in the manner most agreeable prOba-
bly, 10 Bourbon sentiment. These gentlemen
would rather defy the Government than not.
None of these schemes will succeed but it
is important to expose them in order that the
people may see the depth of this conspiracy
against free ballot to which the Democratic
party has deliberately committed itself. 1t is
not surprising that plot so black should
have been discussed only in a secret caucus.
Bold as the Democrats are, they dare not
open such schemes to the sunlight OF free de-
bate,