The daily gazette., 1879-05-01
W frrom the n. =. sun.]
TWO SORTS OF SUPERVISORS.

y
TWO sORTs OF SUPERVISORS.
In legislating the political machinery
of supervisors of elections into existence,
the Republicans had nothing but party
success in view. The managers were
then looking forward to Q second term of
Grantism, and they wanted an invention
whereby the Democratic majority here
could be 20 cut down that expected Re
publican majorities from the rural dis
tricts would carry this State. That was
the real inspiration of the scheme inde-
pendent of the large fees and perqusities
which its author took good care to en-,
graft on the bill - reward for his disin-
terested patriotism. ... &
The original appointment of supervi-
sors and special deputy marshals was au-
thorized by the act Of July IA, 1870, but
in that form they had no real partisan
value, and were only permitted to appear
at the polls as witnesses of the election,
or what is Familiarity known Is watchers.
In this capacity they could only be used
like other witnesses, to testify in court,
upon an alleged violation of the elective
franchise, as to events which had occur
red in their presence. b
But instead Of this, we now have the
partisan scheme of Mr.. John 1. Daven-
port enlarging the operation Of the for
mer act, and creating an unlimited num-
Der of supervisors and deputy marshals
at $5 day, who can be utilized as elect
ioneering agents, and be provived with
power to arrest persons standing in their
way, without process Of any kind, and
entirely at their own caprice. The sub
stance of this scheme Is as follows: o.
"SEC. 2,O11. Whenever, in any city
or town having upward of twenty thou
sand inhabitants, there are tDe citizens
thereof who, prior to any registration of
voters for an election for Representative
or Delegate in the Congress of the Uni
ted States, or prior to any election at
which Representative or Delegate in
Congress is to be voted for, may make
known in writing to the Judge of the
circuit wherein such city or town is situ-
ated, their desire to have such registra-
ton, or such election, or both, guarded
and scrutinized, the Judge, within not
less than ten days prior TO the registra-
ton, If one there be, or, If no registra-
ton be required, within not less than ten
days prior to the election, shall open the
court at the most convenient point In the
circuit. The Court shall proceed to
appoint two citizens, residents Of the city
or town, who shall be able to read and
write the English language and be desig-
mated as supervisors of election with
power TO revoke, change, or renew such
appointment from time to time.'
"SEc. 2,O22. The marshal and his
general deputies, and such specialdeputies
shall keep the peace and support and
protect the supervisors of election in the
discharge of their duties, preserve order
at such places of registration and at such
polls, prevent fraudulent registration and
fraudulent voting thereat, Or fraudulent
conduct on the part of any officer Of
election, and Immediately, either at the
place of registration or polling place, or
elsewhere, and either before or after
registering or voting, arrest and take into
custody, with or WITHOUT prscess, any
person who commits, or attempts or offers
to commit, any offence against the laws
of the United States. The supervi-
sors shall, in the absence Of the marshal's
deputies, or If required to assist such
deputies, have the same duties and pow
ers as deputy marshals.
1t is thus seen that the marshal, his
general deputies, his special deputies,
and the supervisors, were all authorized
to arrest whomsoever they pleased
"with process" upon charges made by
themselves,and of the truth Of which
they were to be the sole judges. They
could do this before an election, as Chief
Supervisor Davenport did when he or
dered over three thousand arrests to be
made in the interest of his party, includ-
ing many Of our most responsible citi-
zens. The investigation in Philadel-
phia, by the Wallace-Teller Committee,
proved that the deputy marshals ap-
pointed they were all Republican poll
ticians of the worst stripe, many of them
graduates from the Penitentiary, gam
blers, thieves, bullies, and scoundrels of
the lowest class, who held the personal
liberty of property holders and the bet
ter portion of the community at their
mercy. -.-ie aa.l. ..i,,,l.., ~ /.
What was true of Philadelphia was
doubtless equally true in all the large
cities where these deputies were employ
ed ct the public expense to manage
elections In their own unscrupulOus
way. This is the law in regard to the
cities and towns of twenty thousand in
habitants; but, as has been said, it was
invented specially for New York, as a
mode of overcoming or diminishing the
Democratic majority by the intimida-
ton, arrest, and imprisonment of legal
voters who had committed no offence ex-
cept to oppose the Republican ticket.
That was the crime which the Daven-
port law was designed to punish. -
Now mark the difference when super
visors come to be appointed for the rural
| districts tn June, 1872, year or more