Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-06-24
A Sharp Reply to Proctor Knott
NJ. =. MAYHEM


WY THE ELECTION LAWS SnorLp BE En-
FORCED.
The republican minority of the Judiciary
Committee presented the following report TO
the House in answer to Proctor Knots mani
festo concerning military interference with
elections.
The minority of the Committee of the .Iu-
dietary having had under consideration the
message of the President disappearing of
House bill No. 1882 entitled, IAN Act to
Prevent Military Interference with Elections, &"
submit the following statement of the reasons
why they cannot concur with the views of the
majority of said committee:
The repeated efforts to make it appear that
right or authority to interfere with State
elections or with the freedom and lawful con-
duct of any elections is claimed or asserted in
any quarter is hardly deserving of serious no.
tce. The minority in Congress have made
no such claims. The right of Federal
supervision contended for applies to Con-
gressional elections only. This is entirely ig-
nored in the report of the majority. Their
report proceeds upon the false assumption
that the President advocates the use of Fed
eral authority to supervise State elections.
No such claim is made in the message under
consideration or in any other message or ut
tcrances of the President. Neither does the
message advocate or justify military nterfer-
ence with the freedom of any elections: on
the contrary the President uses the following
language.
II is historically true that during the re-
bellion there was such interference in cases
when factious or dominant element of dis
loyalty existed. These were nccessitie.
growing out of the nature of the conflict and
the anomalous condition of the seeding and
border States. They were, in no sense. acts
of partisanship. Military orders were issued
for the purpose of officers of the army, ire
spective of their pslitical affiliations. Among
the earliest and most notable of such orders
was that by General Mcclellan:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE PoToMAc,
WAsHiSGToS, Oct. -. 1861,
GENERAL Their Is an apprehension among n
at Interference with their rights of suffrage by ds-
union citizen on the occasion of the election take
place on the 9th Of November next.
In order 10 prevent this the Major General Com
mandng directs that you send detachments of SUI.
hcieni number of men To the different points In YOUR
vicinity where the elections are to be- held TO protect
te mon voters and TO see that disnnioniss are
allowed TO intinidate them or In any way 10 inter
iere WIN their rights. He also desires You to arrest
and hold In confinement until AFTER the election ai
usgnonists who are known tohave returned from Viz
GINA recently and who show Them at the polls
anu 10 guard ehectuay against any invasion OF tn.
peace ana order OF the election For the purpose of
crrrying out these instruction. you are authorized 10
suspend the habeas corpus. General Stone has re-
eeved similar instructions TO these You viii please
ooafer with him ns to the particular points that each
snail take the control Of. am very respectfully
your obedent servant.
~ ~ $40. n d. MARCY, Chief OF STAFF
.hgjor- General n. =. BANKS, CobB,aadiao D,risio,
Nudity branch, ". J.
Before the close of the rebellion aud while
denouncing the war to suppress it as failure,
the party now demanding this legislation. Sc
lected the author of the order above quoted
as its candidate for the Presidency. - .
These aud similar orders undoubtedly ex-
ercised an influence in securing the enact
ment OF the law Of 1865, which prohibits the
use OF the army or navy at the time and place
OF any general or special election in any
state, except it be necessary to repei the
armed enemies of the United States or to
keep the peace at the polls, and also prohibits
any military OF naval officer from prescribing
the qualifications Of voters, or in any manner
interfering with the exercise of the free right
OF suffrage In any State. This law. with ap-
Propriate penalties for its violation was APP