Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-05-07


the execution of their duties under the law
or are prevented from executing such du;ie,
by violence; section s 1922, which provides
for the punishment of the crime of inter-
tering with the supervisors of elections and
deputy marshals in the discharge of their
duties at election of Representatives in
Congress.
DUTIES OF The EXECUTIVE.
These are some of the laws on this sub
ject which it is the duty of the Executive
Department of the government to enforce.
IHE INTENT OF THE BILL.
The intent and effect of the sixth section
of this bill is to prohibit all the civil officers
of the United States, under penalty of fine
and Imprisonment, from employing any ad-
equate civil force for this purpose at places
where their enforcement Is most necessary.
namely, at the places where Congressional
| elections are held. Among the most valu-
able enact.nents to which | have referred
are those which protect the Supervisors of
| Federal elections in the discharge of their
duties at the polls.
80 POWER VESTED IN UNITED .TATEs OFFICERS
| II the proposed legislation should become
the law there will be no power vested in any
officer of the government to protect from
I violence the officers of the United States
engaged in the discharge of their duties.
. Their rights aud duties under the law will
remain, but the National Government will
/ be powerIess to enforce its own statutes.
The States may employ both military and
civil power TO keep the peace and to enforce
the laws of the State elections.
! 1t Is now proposed TO deny to the United
States even the necessary civil authority to
protect the national elections.
No sufficient reason has been given for
this discrimination in favor of the State
and ag ainst the national authority.
If well-tounded objections exist against
the present national election laws, all good
citizens should unite in their amendment.
The laws proviiing the safeguards of the
elections should be Impartial, just and eff
cjeut. They should, if possible, be so non
partizdn and fair in their operation that the
minority, the party out Of power, will have
no just ground to complain.
THE PREVENTION OF FRAUD.
The present laws have, in practice, un-
questiOnably conduced to the prevention of
fraud and violence at the elections. In sew
| eral of the States members of the different
political parties have applied for the safe
guards which they furnish.
1t is the right and duty of the National
| Government to enact and enforce laws
which will secure free and fair Congression-
| al elections.
The laws now in force should not be re-
pealed except in conjunction with the en-
actment Of measures which will better ac-
compllsh that important end.
WHAT THE BILL WILL Do.
Believing that section of the bill before
me will weaken, if it does not altogether
take away the power of the National Gov
ernment to protect the Federal elections by
Wv ~ lpiNtb tO AhN Nph-
clusion that it ought not to receive my aP-
proval. This section is, however, not pre-
sented TO me as separate and independent
measure, but is, as has been stated, attach
ed to the bill mailing the usual annual sp-
propriations for the support of the army.
VITAL CHANGE.
Ii makes a vital change IN the election laws
of the country, which is in no way connect
ed with the use of the army. II prohibits,
under heavy penalties, any person engaged
in the civil service of the United States
from having any force at the place of any
election to preserve order, TO make arrests,
to keep the peace OF in any manner to en-
force the laws. This is altogether foreign
to the purpose of an army Appropriation
bill.
MEASURES NOT PERTINENT TO BILLS.
The practice of tacking TO appropriation
bills measures not pertinent to such bills
did not prevail until more than forty years
after the adoption OF the Constitution. 1t
has become common practice. All PARTIES,
when in power, have adopted it. Many
abuses and general waste of public money
have in this way crept into appropriation
bills.
The pubic opinion of the country is
against it.
The States which have recently adopted
constitutions have generally provided a
remedy for the evil by enacting that no law
shall contain more than one subject, which
shall be plainly expressed in its title.
The constitutions of more than one-half
of the States contain substantially this pro-
vision. The public welfare will be promoted
in many ways by a return to the early prac-
tice of the government and &c the true prin-
ciples of legislation, which requires that
every measure shall stand or fall according
10 its own merits.
II il were understood that to attach to
an appropriation bill measure irrelevant to
the general object of the bill would imperil
and probably prevent its final passage and
approval, valuable reform in the parlia-
mentary practice of Congress would be ac-
complished.
The best justification that has been Of
fcred for attaching irrelevant riders to ap-
preparation bills is that it is done for con- |
science sake to facilitate the passage of
measures which are deemed expedient by |
all ;he branches of government which par
ticipaie in legislation.
II cannot be claimed that there is any |
such reason for attaching this amendment |
Of the election laws to the army apprvpria- |
tion bill.
THE HISTORY OF THE BILL.
The history of the measure contradicts /
this assumption.
A majority of the House of Representa-
tives in the last Congress was in favor of /
section of this bill. 1t was known that a |
majority of the Senate was opposed to it,
and that as a separate measure it could not
be adopted. 1t was attached to the army /
appropriation bill to compel the Senate to it.
1t was plainly announced to the Senate