Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-06-25

Constitution or bill OF rights of eacl
J of the following named States whicl
is in these or similar words "Elector
shall in oil cases except treason, felony
and breach OF the peace TO be privileged
from arrest during the attendance oil
elections and going TO and return
ing thcreirom."
This is found in the Constitution OF
California Colorado, Delaware, Georgia
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana
Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska
Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Connect
cut and Kansas.
The growth of Federal power, the
absorption 10 itself of that which prop
erly belong to local rule, is the vice
of this legislation. 1t is destructive oi
the system Of government created by
the Constitution and tends to produce
consolidation and imperialism. We
have traced "National Elections" and
shown their non-existence as q part
of our written Constitution. We
find them all outgrown of false
construction, Of the theory of cen
tralization, and identical in thought
with the tenets of 1899, as well as
viciousin practice. We find that troops
at the polls were voted for by the ad-
vocates of consolidated Government
in 1900 as they are by the same party
now, and that packed juries and Federal
Marshals were the agents then of
wrong as they are now of force and
fraud. Against these our only defense
is in the reserved rights OF the States
and the people. The Federal Govern.
ment is not the sovereign, but is the
servant of the people, and it has no
rights but those delegated to it or nee.
essary TO carry out the powers grant
ed, and the States and the Governments
of the States are essential to the per-
fection of the system. Suffrage is
under the control of the States the
Federal Government can neither create
voter nor impose qualifications upon
one. National elections, if such there
be, have no National electors, and the
voters of the United States are the
people of the States, qualified under
the State Constitutions and State
laws. The statutes proposed to be re.
pealed judge who shall vote, register
voters, reject voters, enforce restric-
tions and impose penalties, all without
authority and in plain violations OF the
rights reserved to the States and to
the people.
Marshals are created and used to
enforce State laws and State restric-
tions in State Constitutions. The Fed
eral power gives the marshals the
power of Federal troops to aid them
thus TO enforce State rules and State
restrictions and they are vested with
the right to Judge and determine who
are qualified under State Constitutions
and State laws. This system of national
elections contended for in these veto
messages may be aptly described by
saying that Federal marshals and Fed
eral troopers are necessary and again to
be used at the ballot box. They have
been placed there to dominate and in
timidate the voter, to decide how he
shall vote and what qualifications are
necessary. Federal troops and Federal
marshals have been used and are to be
preserved to protect Returning Boards
in the States, to aid and defend them
in their work of fraud and wrong, and
Federal troops have been brought to
the capital of the United States TO de.
fend and protect the counting into Of.
fee Of an official who was never chosen.
The Republican party has been
and is again to be protected by mar.
shals at the polls without authority of
law and in violation Of the provisions
fixed in State Constitutions and by
State laws, to be sustained by Federal
power unwarranted by the Constitu-
ton.
May we never again see, under such
q system OF laws as we possess, the polls
controlled by force and intimidation,
the Returning Boards protected in
fraud and wrong by Federal troops
and Federal officials, and an ultimate
tribunal powerless in its own opinion
TO repel the bodest fraud, while the
Representatives of the people were
mensced with military force if they
dared to do right and protect an hon.
est count, national elections" are the
outgrowth of system that has foist-
cred into power man against whom
majority of the people had voted, and
who now presents to the American
people, through the arguments of his
veto messages, the doctrinesoi force and
fraud concealed beneath the cry of ina
tional elections" in which is wanting
the first element of their existence, a
national voter.