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

citi1cnsuip IOr suurube cVeIyWncT'
The States are TO be made TO ben
their will TO the control Of universe
equal suffrage by the Federal Govern
ment, and the control claimed b,
Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska owe
the right to prescribe the qualification
of voters is to give place to n statut
enacted by tho Federal Government
prescribing rule like that of Massa
chusetts. What more potent argumen
as to the fallacy of the existence O
national elections can there be thai
the fact that qualifications tor voter
differ in every State, and that by uni
versal rule the States have absolute
control of the subject
The laws Of the United States re
quire residence of five years within
the country before foreigner can b,
naturalizcd. This makes him citi
zen Of the United States, but he may
bo voter for members Of Congress
or for electors for President or for tn,
members Of State Legislature wht
elect United States Senator, after b,
has resided six months in the country
if he lives in Kansas, Nebraska, Col
orado or Georgia, or with twelv,
months residence in Alabama, Ar
kansas, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota
Missouri, Oregon, Texas and Wiscon
sin.
A naturalized foreigner can vote il
California after residence Of sis
months Connecticut, after residence
Of one year and able to read any arti
Gle of the Constitution or any section
of the statutes of the State Delaware
after one years residence and having
paid taxes Illinois, after one years
residence; Iowa, six months residence
Kentucky, twoyears' residence; Louis
lana, one years, residence; Maine, three
months; Maryland, one year Michi
gan, three months; Mississippi, siz
months residence; Nevada, six months
New Hampshire and New Jersey, one
year North Carolina, one year; Ohio
one year; South Carolina, one year
and Virginia, one year and West
Virginia, one year in the State. The
same residence is required in those
twenty. one States of the native.borr
citizens.
In these States residence is super
added by State authority as quallfi
cation TO voting for all officers, State
as well as Federal. In Massachusetts
two years, in Pennsylvania thirty days
and in New York ten days are added
by State authority to the qualification
of five years and in Rhode Island
ownership OF real estate must be in Q
naturallzed foreigner before he is q
voter.
Are all these distinctions, are al
these restrictions imposed by State
authority and State Constitutions as tC
residence, naturalization, qualification
registration, age, tax and property Il
be obliterated in this effort Tor The
"universality of the security of equa
suffrage" in this renewed and earnest
effort for consolidated government
| assume it, then, to be the law O
the land that "tho Constitution of the
United States has not conferred the
right Of suffrage upon any one and that
the United States have no voters o.
their own in the States; and that the
voters of tho United States are the
people of the States qualified by State
Constitutions and laws
FEDERAL INTERFERENCE WITH sTATI
DUTY.
We now turn to the sections thil
bill proposes to repeal and try to learr
from them whether the Federal Gov
ernment leaves the question of suffrag,
with the States, where ii belongs, OF
imposes qualifications, judges who shal
vote, violates its own organic law, anC
tramples upon the Constitutions o
twenty States that are sovereign il
this regard.
l hold in my hand the instructions
of the United States Marshal of New
York upon the subject TO his specia
deputies, in which he expressly au
thorizes and directs the deputy mar
sbals TO arrest people without warrant
who may undertake to register con
trary to the order of the United Statei
Supervisor. This power claimed by
the Federal government under thes,
laws goes to registration, registration
provided not by federal law, not undei
the laws or Constitution of the United
States, but registration provided fo
by State law. The power of the Gov
ernment is sent TO the place Of regis
tration and gives TO tho Marshals o
tho United States, supplemented BY
troops to carry out tho power thus
given, authority to challenge men q
the registry, the power to judge VIII,
shall or who shall not be registered
The power to judge includes the powe
to reject. The power TO reject is thu
absolutely given and may bo enforced
with every power. When you say
man shall not be registered, and th'
State requires registration and pre-
requisite TO voting, IL is judging tha
the qualification imposed by the Stat
does not exist. The Federal Govern
ment in doing this keeps its Marshal
equipped with its mail-clad arm, at tn
place OF registration, and rejects th
voter qualified by the State just q
|, Davenport or the Marshal may dc
tcrmine. IlI.IfIl
Section 201S of the Revised Statute
provides that the Supervisors OF cleo
tions may personally scrutinize, coun
and canvass ballots. The secret ballo
used by Pennsylvania and many othe
States Of the Republic is thrown ope
to public gaze by the power of th
Federal Supervisors. The ballot iha
is provided by our law is interfere
with by the Federal power and Stat
: authority is utterly overthrow. "Pel
sonally scrutinize the count and car
yass." What is the power TO coun
and canvass2 1t is the power {
Judge, il is the power TO determine III
der what lawS The Federal powC
may determine under State law. |
: other words, the power that the Stat
of Iowa or the State of Pennsylvani
gives to its election officers shall be il
.. terfered with and broken down an
the vote rejected by the Marshals an
Supervisors if they in their judgmer
believe II not n proper vote, and thl
they may and do add to the qualities
, tions fixed by the Constitution an
! laws of the State their own judgmcn
/, , This Is an interference plainly an
,, clearly with the rights Of the Stat
|. and with the regulations and qualities
tions provided by the State.
Section 5,b22 is highly penal in I
I character. The State officer Of Il
election is subordinated to Federal Al
, thority. He may be arrested witho'
= process nay, the Federal office