The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-06-06
To COrrespOndents,
The Democratic Policy.

The Democratic advisory committee of
Congress have agreed upon programme
which it is hoped will prevent the President
from using troops at the polls and also do
away with Federal supervisors and marshals
at elections. To accomplish these things the
army appropriation bill will be passed, with
the following section:
Section 6. "That no money appropriated
by this act is appropriated or shall be paid for
the subsistence, equipment, transportation or
compensation of any part of the army of the
United States to be used as police force to
keep the peace at the polls at any election held
within any State"
This amendment, while it does not assert
that the President has no right to use the
troops to menace voters at the polls, forbids
the payment of their expenses, while thus
employed, out of the United States Treasury
The President declared in his veto that he
had not the desire nor the intention to use
the troops. If he was sincere in his utterance
he cannot fail to sign the bill which will be
presented to him by Congress.
A bill will also be presented making appro-
priations for the Presidents salary the salaries
of members of Congress, judges of courts,
&c. One of these bills will contain amend
ments respecting the drawing of juries in
United States courts and providing for the
total abolition of the Jurors test oath.
The second section of this bill will provide
that no portion of the money therein appro-
priated shall be used for fees, salaries, COM
pensation or expenses of any federal super
visors or deputy marshals of election. The
salaries of other officials in the government
employ are provided for, and the bill will con-
tain a section forbidding any officer of the
government to make, during the fiscal year,
any contract or incur any liability until sum
sufficient to meet said contract or to pay such
liability shall have first been appropriated by
Congress
Therefore, if the bills become laws, and the
President persists in appointing supervisors
and deputy marshals, he will be obliged to
pay the salaries himself, induce the Repub-
lican party to pay them.
In the debate that ensued upon the presen-
tation of the report in the Senate, Senator
Thurman explained its features and secuted
the idea that it could be considered "back-
ing down" on the part of the Democracy
He declared it to be a fact known to every
gentleman present that no Democratic caucus
and no Democratic committee of q caucus has
ever taken the position that supplies should
be refused until the President should acuuiesce
in, fhoi Il md cN, ln 81, l.
noxious statutes. These repeal measures
were proposed because they were believed to
be right, and they were placed on appropria-
ton bills simply as the most convenient
method of passage, in point of economy of
time, and as the method of giving greater
prospect of the Presidential approval The
President had taken the responsibility of op-
posing the will of the people, and had thereby
given the Democracy the benefit of the issues
thus raised. Congress could now exercise its
constitutional right to designate the purposes
for which the money which it appropriates
shall be used
Senator Bayard supported the recommen-
dations of the advisory committee, and dep
recated the idea of adjourning without pro-
viding all the necessary supplies for the sup
port of the government.
1t is more than probable that Mr.. Hayes,
backed up by the "stalwarts," will veto the
bills. fhc does he will manifest even more
clearly than he has already done, the inten-
ton of the bold faction that now controls the
Republican policy to carry elections in all
doubtful States by brute force.