The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-05-07
The Issue Between the Executive and
Congress.
FREE ELECTIONS.

FREE ELECTIONS
;. To the surprise of people who hav,
: calculated largely upon the ''Southerr
/. policy" of the President, the Army bill
: was vetoed because it coupled with the
, appropriation voted for the support Of
the army the condition that there should
: be no interference by federal authority
civil, or military, with the freedom Of
elections To state again the issue be-
= tween the President and Congress, we
will quote the following clauses from
the existing statutes:
Sec. 2,002. No military or naval officer or
other person engaged in the civil, military. or
naval service Of the United States shall order
bring. keep, or have under his authority or
control any troops or armed men at the place
where any general or special election j. held
in any State, unless il be necessary to repeI
the armed enemies OF the United States or 10
beep he pence al the polk
Sec. 5,52S. Every officer OF the Army or
| Navy or other person in the civil, military, or
naval service OF the United States, who orders.
brings, keeps, or has under his authority or
control any troops or armed men at anv place
where a general special election is held in
| any State, unless such force be necessary to
! repel armed enemies OF the United States or
| 10 keep tie peace dt The poHs shall be fined not
more than $1,000 and suffer imprisonment at
| hard labor not less than three months nor
more than five years.
The Democratic majority in Congress
passed the appropriation bill with an
amendment to the above sections strik-
ing out the words in italics. The Pres
ident objects to the amendment on the
ground that in prohibiting the interven-
ton Of military or naval officers to keep
the peace at the polls, it would also de-
prive the United States government of
the power to do so through its civil |
officers. The President argues that it i.
the right and the duty of the govern
ment to keep the peace in what he calls
national elections" He objects to the |
bill on the ground, also, that these prohibi-
tory clauses should not have been APP
pended to an appropriation bill.
The report from Washington is that
the Democrats have agreed to obviate
these objections by passinga seperate bill
leaving undisturbed the powers of the
''ciyil officers" of the United States to
as provided in the law as as it
now stands. In taking this step, the
Democrats have made IA marked conces-
sion, involving the very principle upon !
which they originally planted them !
selves. They first assumed that under +
he Constitution, the control Of 2
elections belongs exclusively to the
States. This ground is abandoned +
when the authority is granted to United +
states Marshals and Supervisors to in +
ertere with armed men at the polls on
'retext Of keeping the peace 1t is In
gainst the principle of armed interfer- T
nee by an authority not derived from II
he Constitution, against which the a
Democrats have contended :,
Since the question has been reduced +,
} this complexion, we are strengthened se
the opinion heretofore intimated that =
lie proposition originally supported by g,
enators Bayard, Morgan, Lamar, Hill. II
BIKE, Maxey and others, to introduce 70
parate appropriation and repeating -
lis, would have been preferable Tic,
'uld not have admitted of the insane -
Y of Starving the government and i
revolution" which the Republican 49,
ltators have raised with damaging -
aspects to the Democracy in,the Presi- mo-
ntial election and though defeated i.,l
the present Congress by the veto.
ey would have entered the contest be- fl,
e the people, upon the question pure va,
/ simple, Invested of extraneous IS 40,
:, Of free elections, no federal inter 40,
ence with voters, and the supremacy an,
the civil over the military power. a..
the preliminary skirmish for position ~
-he great Presidential battle of 1880. Ia
5 course would have been better. -.