Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-09-18
| Concluded from 3D. page.


OF Election for numerous offenses de-
clared by the act, and in some in.
stances to require them under pains
and penalties to disregard the State law
they swear to support. And it places
every one OF these State officers Mt the
mercy of the irresponsible Deputies ap.
pointed by the Federal Marshal, and
who, according to the experience we
have had of the act, have generally
been men of the basest and most de.
graded character that could be found
men who have served terms in the pen
itentiary; men who were notorious
thieves men who kept houses of inta'
nous resort; in word, the most
despicable characters that could be
taken up in the great cities of New
York, Philadelphia, ar elsewhere. To
these wretches is given the power to
tear tho Judges of election from their
seats by an arrest without warrant to
arrest any, the most respectable voter
in the city, and thereby TO prevent him
from exercising his right of suffrage
and to terrify whole bodies of voters by
threats of arrest and by outright vio-
lence. This is no overdrawn picture
1t is not drawn strongly enough. Who
ever will,read the testimony taken be-
fore committees of investigation OF
Congress in regard to the elections in
New York, especially the election OF
last year, will be amazed at the detail
OF enormities. almost too shocking Tor
belief committed by these Supervisors
and Deputy Marshals. Their great OBJ
iect seems to have been TO prevent nat.
uralized citizens from voting, and for
this purpose hundreds of arrests were
made, and the persons arrested held In
custody until they surrendered their
naturalization papers or agreed that
they would not vote. Among the hun
dreds of arrests actually made, and the
thousands of persons against whom
warrants were prepared, it is difficult to
find, so far as | have been able to dis
cover, the name of an American born
citizen Indeed, the execution of the
law was a Know-Nothing crusade
against naturalized citizens, and 1t has
been estimated, with apparent reason,
that at least five or six thousand of such
citizens were deferred from voting last
fall in the single city OF New York by
this persecution. OF the crueltIes
practiced on those who were arrested,
of their confinement in sort OF cage
in the office of the Chief Supervisor, OF
the sufierings they underwent while
thus confined, have no time tonight
to speak. / wish you could all read
the testimony that details these mat.
tiers, for | venture to say that there Is
not an honest or humane man in this
audience who would not be shocked by
the recital. The truth is that this
Election Law, or at least so much OF its
provisions as authorizes the appoint.
ment of Supervisors and Deputy Mar.
shals, is a mere scheme to buy voters
by appointing them Deputy Marshals,
and to employ Republican electioneers
and Republican desperadoes 10 control
the elections of the people and TO pay
them out of the treasury of the United
States. When the bill was under con-
sideration in Congress, il was said that
such law was necessary for the pro.
lection of the Freedmen of the South
but the truth ia that the law origi.
mated in the Union League Club OF the
city Of New York, and was made espe-
cially for that city. On this subject beg
leave TO read few extracts from a
speech delivered by me at the last ses.
sion. Speaking of these laws, | said:
"Here is the way these laws original.
ed, not ut all in the interest OF the
Freedmen of the South, "a has been so
often contended, but solely for the pur.
pose, or mainly for the purpose, Of con.
trolling the elections Of the city OF New
York, and by that means OF the great
State of New York.
"Now, how have they been executed1
Their execution proves just what / say.
Let me give you some figures upon that
subject taken from the official reports
of the Attorney General and from the
reports of Investigating Committees.
In 1876, under these laws, there were
,S63 Supervisors of Election appointed,
and of these l.779 were appointed in
the State Of New York, nearly onehalf
of them in that single State. Again,
there we're ll,6l0 Marshals appointed
and more than one fourth Of them were
appointed in the State of New York.
But now look where the money was
spent, for that's the main point. There
was expended under those acts in that
year the sum of 1856, ,922.07. How much
of it was expended TO protect the poor
Freedmen at the South In the South.
ern States, to wit: Alabama, Georgia,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Texas and Virginia, $is,7l9.S6 were
spent, while in the other States, $751;
202.2l. That is to say. one-sixth of the
money was spent in the South and five.
sixths Of IL spent in the North. That
is the way they protected the poor
Freedman. They had given him the
right to vote, they had compelled the
South, in self-defense, to give him the
right to vote. They guaranteed him
against any discrimination on account
of race, color, or previous condition of
servitude but when it came to using
the money of the United States, for 81
that they gave to protect him, to guar
antee him, they spent s. to corrupt elec.
tions at the North and to deprive them
OF their right to vote at the North.
How much of this money was paid in