Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-05-21
nailp Aennebet Journal.
Augusta, Wednesday Morn'g, May 81, 1879
From the New York Tribune.
The Conspiracy Against the Bal

When the democrats in Congress began
their manGuvrcs for the notification of the
election laws, the gripping of the execu-
tive authority, the establishment of State
supremacy over the nation, and in general
the wiping out, as they expressed it, of all
the legislation of the war period, the Tri-
bune declared that they had engaged in a
conspiracy for the destruction of free cleo
tons. Everyda since then has multiplied
the evidences of their deep-laid plan to re-
move the safeguards from the polls. No
reasonable and impartial observer of the
course of affairs in Washington can now
doubt that the representatives OF the party
in Congress have deliberately set them
selves to so hamper the Executive and mu-
tlate the laws that at the next Presidential
election the protection of the baliot-boX
will be intrusted exclusively to the White
Leagues and Rifle Clubs of the South. and
the repeaters, shoulder-hitters. dram-sell
ers,' and unnaturalized foreigners of the
large Northern cities. What will be the
consequence when the wolf keeps the fold
we know too well. AT the North the de-
mocracy has always been notorious tor its
hostility TO all manner of precautions
against election frauds. Il opposed regis
tration, opposed the appointment of super
visors, opposed non-partisan managers of
the polling places, opposed the most obvi-
Gus regulations for the verification of the
count; and when ii has had the chance it
has cheated, and bullied, and created scan
dals which will always fill black page in
our political history. At the South it is
quite within the mark to say that the DEM
ocratic party has never made pretence of
valuing free ballot. The right of voting
there has always been looked upon as the
exclusive privilege of the white demo-
Gratis. When the suffrage was conferred
upon the negro, the chivalry considered
that act of justice monstrous exercise of
the tyranny of their conquerors. For
awhile they refused to take any part in
elections; and when they grew tired of
this ruinous policy, they came back to the
polling places with guns in their hands
and drove the negroes away. The plain
English of the situation is that the South
ern democrat has no conception of a free
ballot; the idea Of such a thing is rcpug-
nant to all his political notions; and there
never has been free suffrage in the South
except under the protection of the United
States government.
The cry that the States alone are entitled
to regulate elections means nothing ex-
cept that the democrats intend to hold
power If they can by the same violent and
dishonest means which they employed in
winning it, and which they have always
employed to the full extent Of their OPP
portunity. They have tried to deprive the
Federal Government of the right to exc
cute its own laws, and have failed They
are trying to abolish the offices necessary
for the operation of the election statutes,
part of the scheme is the worst device of
all. 1t is is to take from the Federal Gov
eminent the right to remove from State to
United States Courts prosecutions insttut-
ed against Federal officers for acts done in
the discharge of their duty. The conse-
quence OF that arrangement would be an
absolute notification of the Election laws
in every Southern State. We have seen
in numberless instances already how the
machinery OF the local courts has been used
to prevent the punishment of criminals in
dicted for fraud, violence and intimidation
at the polls,-how supervisors and mar
shalS have been arrested upon the charge
of interfering with elections and the
forms of justice have been prostituted to
secure immunity for the most fragrant of
fences. If the United States could not re-
move prosecutions against its officers into
its own courts the Southern Legislatures
would Immediately pass laws making it a
crime to carry out the provisions of the
election statutes and there would be no
power to save the Federal filnctionaries
from being sent to the pententiary for
simply doing their duty. Here would be
the establishment of State supremacy in
its most dangerous form. 1t would make
little difference to the democracy after that
whether the Election laws were repealed
or not. Let the State Legislatures make
1t penal offence to execute them and the
desired end would be secured in the man.
ner most agreeable probably to Bourbon
sentiment. These gentlemen would rath-
er defy the government than not
None of these schemes will succeed but
1t Is important to expose them in order
that the people may see the depth of this
conspiracy against free ballot to which
the democratic party has Deliberately com
United itself 1t is not surprising that a
plot so black should have been discussed
only in a secret caucus Bold as the dem
ocrats are, they dare not open such schemes
to the sunlight Of free debate
The North Star in its last issue consid