The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-05-22

HONEST ELEOTIoNs.
some Interesting BITS OF Secret His
On Thufsday last Senator Thurman
delivereda great speech in the Senate
on the political clause In the bill max
ing approximation for the legislative,
executive and judicial branches of the
government, in which he showed up
the hypocricy of the Radical howl
about honest elections and demon
strated that the law authorizing the
appointment of Supervisors and dep.
uty marshals at elections, besides be-
ing unconstitutional, was notintended
and had not been employed to protect
the negroes in their right to vote, and
instead of being in the interest of pure
elections. were the worst instruments
Of fraud, corruption and oppression
the mind of man could devise. He
prod uced q report Of the Committee
on Expenditures in the Department
in the Forty-fourth Congress. The
testim ony Of Samuel j. Gleason be-
fore that committee showed him to
have been the chief counsel employed
by the Union League Club to get up
these laws, and therefore he will be
acknowledged, by tho other side OF
the Senate as least, as q respectable
man. He was assisted by man not
SO respectable, and who has become
quite historical, one John I. Daven.
port. Mr.. Thurman read from the
testimony at length, showing what
measures the Union League Club took
to procure the passage Of these laws
and the connection of Davenport there
with. When the laws were first pro-
posed they almost disfranchised every
naturalized citizen in the United
States; made it almost impossible TO
be naturaiized and gave no naturalized
citizen security in his right to vote.
Mr.. Thurman called Senator Morton's
attention to these provisions, and said ;
Morton, you cannot support those
sections He said, after examining
them, Certainly csnnet, and SO they
were defeated. The laws originated
in the Union League Club, ana were
passed for party purposes, and not at
all for the protection ofthe freedmen.
He would cite some figures 10 sup
port his assertions - In 1876 there
were 4.S63 Supervisors of Election
appointed under these laws, of which
l,777 were appointed in the State. OF
New York, nearly one half of the
whole number. There were 1850
marshala more than one.fourth OF
them in New York. The main point
is, where did the money come from !?
In that year there was expended $685.
92l. How much was expended to
protect the poor freedman down in
the country where the night rider, the
white Lacquer and the kuklux oppress
him !? In the ten Southern States there
was expended $4S 7l9. and in the other
States $l37, $50 was disbursed. Tha.
| is to say, about one sixth of the money
went to the South and fve-sixths TO
| the North. That Is the way the freed
man is protected. They made the
South give the negro q right to vote,
but when it came to using money OF
the United States. for every dollar
they gave to protect him they spent
FIVE dollars to corrupt elections at the
North, and deprive men of their rig hit
TO, vote there. The Senator from New
York {Conkling) had carefully enn-
merated the different varieties of thugs
sh0ulder-hitters and roughs which
formed part of his constituency. II
New York city were raked from Har.
lem to the Battery there could not be
found in it worse set OF men thau
the deputy marshals selected in 1876
and 1878 to execute these laws. Or
the $237, ,250 speht in tho North in
1876, Sl56, 900, being more than one
hall, was sent to New York State.
The ronghs Of adjacent States did not
like to see their brethren in New Y erk
getting all the money, so, to pacify
them, some was sent out of that State.
Thirty -seven thousand dollars went
to Pennsylvania. That was enough,
because the local managers Of the ma
chine in Philadelphia know how to
manage elections perfectly, and did
not need any help from federal
Supervisors to secure the election OF
Republicans. But $37, 900 was spent
in Pennsylvanis to satisfy the ciamor
of the roughs. Then they paid some
attention to Baltimore, and sept Sl2,,
600 to Maryland. Jersey City was a
pretty important town and got S12, PIG
= not much, but It helped TO pacify the
brethren. So these four States, New
York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and
Maryland, absorbed $2l7,OOO of the
$2S5 600, leaving Sos, 900 for the other
thirty States. . 90 - ''fti''"
In 1873 there were 1881 Sapervis- :
ors, of which ], 1858 were in New:York,. ;.
and ,862 in Pennsylvania, leaving,
only 1,O66 for all the other States. OF,
the 4.15 Marshals more than halt
were In New York. The expenditures
were $222, TIA, of which only $l8 .24l
went South. The gainsrof the Repnb-
lican party in New York, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania will show why this
money was spent In the North. In
one single election fourteen Repre-,
sentatives were gained, and singulsrly
enough the greatest gain was where
the most money was spent.
Mr.. Thurman said there was evfj
dence that this money,wAs spent cor
ruptly. In selecting deputy marshals
persona thought TO be .purchasabIe
were sent for and asked if they would
work for the Republican candidate,
aud upon promising ito do SO, they
were appointed deputies. In ,this
manner large Democratic msjorities
were overcome in certain districts. II,
the Democrats were to obtain power
March 4th, 1854, and there was such a.
blessing IS q Democratic President, .
the Republicans would elsmor for a.
repeal Of those laws more loudly than
they now cry against it. They would
not trust such . power over the public
purse and officers with Democratic
President. Another OK would be
gored then.