Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-08-14
POLITICAL ISSUES OF THE DAY.

Eftfdct from Spccch Ct lion. kfCII-
ARD I. MEERIcE, Of Mdrytand.
AT the meeting of the Democratic
Convention of Howard county, Mary
land, the Hon. Richard +. Mcrrick
was called upon TO speak, and re-
sponded in words of great force aud
eloquence. From his address we are
pleased to make the following extract,
which treats of National politics and
the position of parties on pending
political issues:
PARTIES are now organizing for the
great contest in which we are To engage
IN 1880, and the principles which will
be involved in that contest should be
freely discussed, and the sympathies
OF patriotic citizens be drawn close to-
gether in order that the political out.
RACES and fraud heretofore perpctrated
upon the rights of the voting popula.
tion of this country and the Democratic
party should be redressed the agrees
ions OF the Radical party upon the prin.
ciples OF constitutional liberty should
be successfully resisted, and the institu.
tions Of our fathers be preserved from
the now manifest purpose of our oppo.
nents to mangle aud destroy.
"ln 1860 the country was precipiiat.
ed into sanguinary internccine strife
upon the extravaeant and illogical con.
struction of the relative rights of the
States and the Federal government, in
which the theory was asserted that the
States assessed under the constitution
had the right To Withdraw from the
Federal Union and break it up. The
arbitrAment of war finally disposed of
the theory forever, but at the close Of
the strife views still more extrayagant
and illogical in favor OF the extreme
power OF the Federal government a.
against the rights Of the States appa.
rently seized upon the minds Of men.
aud for fifteen years the country has
been in the throes OF political agony TO
re-establish the just and constitutional
relation between the Union and the
constituent element. In political or.
carnations. as in nature, the antagon.
ism of opposing forces preserve the
harmony OF the system. The force of
the States broken down by the war leit
unresisted the power of the Federal
government in its attempt st consolida.
ton. The radical party, ayailing itself
Of this condition. adopted such legisla.
ton as in the judgment Of its leaders
would forever perpetuate its power 10y
a fundamental change in the organiza-
ton OF our system. All opposition 10
these measures wss met by an appeal to
the prejudices Of the people. excited
and embittered by the recollections Of
the war. and the claim of protection
under the Constitution, however com
pletely sustained by logic and argument,
was met with the denunciation that IL
was only evidence Of treason. Supervi.
sors of election, Federal MarshAls and
deputy MarshalsNnd special deputy mar.
shals, appointed under a statute claim.
ing to be Federal law. swarmed through
the States on days Of election, armed
with unlimited powers to seize. arrest
and hold in custody the voters Of the
country, whilst the Federal army stood
within ready call to sustain these pesti.
ferrous instruments Of usurpation and
tyranny in whatever devices they might
practice upon the rights and liberties of
the people.
ut is great mistake to suppose that
this system was organized for the coer.
cion Of the voters of the Southern States
alone. IL is as broad and comprehcn.
sive a. the Union itself In 1878 nearly
1000 deputy marshals we're appointed
for the cities of New York and Brook.
Lee al o,stvo ,xarftsar, ,1nl.1.x.a... - e a.
radical party, and paid from the Trea.
sury to supervise the elections Of those
municipalities. This army of partisans,
thus paid from the public Treasury,
we're authorized by the statutes 10 which
! have referred 10 arrest and take into
custody, with or without process, any
person who, In their Judgment, might
commit, or who, in their opinion, they
might think about to commit anv
breaches Of the peace or violations OF
the Federal statutes bearing upon the
subject OF Federal elections. There
were also cooperating with these depu.
ty marshals n swarm OF Federal super.
visors Of elections, appointed by Fed
eral authority, paid from the Federal
treasury, invested with equally large
and arbitrary powers. In the exercise
OF the authority invested in these Radi.
cal missionaries Thousands of voters of
the city Of New York we're arrested on
the morning of the election and deter
red from voting. These arrests were
made upon various pretended charges,
none OF which were ever brought 10
trial, and, by most singular coinci.
dence OF circumstances, according 90
the proof before the committee Of the