Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-03-06
FAILURE
of Congress to Repeal the Fed
eraR Election Laws.

of Congress to Repeal the Fed
eraR Election Laws.
The 45th Congress closed without
Legislative, Executive, and Judicial,
or Army appropriations, and whatever
may be the consequence, whether
there shall be an extra congressional
session or not, all advocates of free
and honest elections must applaud
the firm stand taken in their behalf,
by the Democratic members of both
Houses of that body. This unusual,
but not unexpected event is due to
diversity of sentiment entertained by
Representatives and Senators in re-
gard to sections introduced by the
House into its appropriation bills for
the double purpose of repeating the
federal election laws and keeping the
army away from the polls. In the
army bill, the difference between the
views of the Houses was of great i'm
portance. 1t consisted however of
eight words only. ''or to keep the
peace at the polls" This is the
paragraph that the Senate struck out
of the House bill, in which it had
been engrafted without a dissenting
voice. 1t may a slight matter
to some, but it was nevertheless a
consideration worth contending for.
The use of armed force at the polls
on election day by federal authority
is a relic of martial law. 1t belongs
to periods when officials were appoint
ed by the bayonet. 1t is more than
time that all overawing of the people
in the exercise of their most precious
rights should cease.
The question may be asked sought
there not to be peace at the POLISH
Every law-abiding man insists upon
it; but also at the same time demands
that such condition of quietude shall
be preserved by the power in whose
hands the constitution has lodged the
right of maintaining it by the city,
county or State in which the election
is held. The control Of the ballot
is certainly no part of the function of
the general government, and any
thing of that sort is usurpation.
1t was impossible for the Demo-
Gratis in Congress to give up what
they demanded. To have done SO
would have made them liable to the
charge of having been recreant to
duty and rendered tAem objects of
scorn. The Republican senator's had
no right to ask fpr such a. surrender.
They had ceased to represent popu-
lar sentiment and had been denied
the privilege of any longer substitute
ing their will for it. When the Vice
Presidents hammer fell and the ses-
sion closed these men were d~ispossess-
ed Of all pretense even for exercising
authority, and the destiny of nation
passed into the hands o. those to
whom the people had committed it.
Were Congress re-assemhled to-mor-
it's first act would be repeal
of those laws to which Republican
senators clung SO tenaciously. Under
what right then did they act? What
justification can an expiring Senate
give for keeping on the statute book
laws that had been condemned by the
people?
The enactment of these laws was
partisan in its conception and their
administration has been enormously
expensive. Neither has their enforce
ment been confined to the south for
which they were originally said to be
intended. The debate inserted else
where in this paper shows that they
are susceptible Of univeral application
and have been recently reserted to
by Republicans, both at the North
and West.
Free and fair elections cannot be
had with such machinery under Re
publican srule whether it exists in
State or nation, and every fair mind
ed citizen will rejoice when such
temptation to, and instruments for
sharp practice at elections shall be
removed from the tricksters OF both
parties.