American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-10-04
DAN. w. VOORHEES,.
The stall Sycamore of the Nabash'
Excoriates the Republican Party,
and Severely Arraisns its Principles
and its Methods.

and its Methods.
Hon. Daniel w. Voorhees, addressed
a large audience in the city of Hamil-
ton, Ohio, on the evening of the 18th.
He began with Il denunciation of the
Republican party, saying that it was the
first political party to join issue against
free elections; it was the first to i'm
peach the virtue and intelligence of the
American people, thereby pronouncing
free government failure; it was the
first to clamor for an army at the voting
places of the people, for the fixed bayo-
net ut the polls, for the bullet to regu-
late the ballot; it was the first to ask
for Supervisors at elections, appropri-
ately known as overseers, in the die
tionaries; it was the first to call in these
overseers, together with Marshals and
United States Commissioners, and other
appliances of Federal force with which
to coerce and dictate the results of
election. Mr.. Voorhees, continues,
You all heard the furious outcry of the Re
publican press on the subject of the recent eX-
ira session of Congress. There was stimuli
taneous, prolonged, agonized, historical
scream from Republican sources all over the
country against the Democratic party because
we asserted our faith in the capacity of the
people to govern themselves, and our deter
mination that they should do so without let or
hindrance from military power This was the
head and front of our offending, more and
no less. We were true, absolutely true, to the
bedrock principles of the Constitution, while
the leaders of the Republican party, as all the
world knows, proclaimed on the floor of both
branches of Congress do9trines so snbversive
of the Revolution would have been ashamed to
own them: Does this sound to some of you
made merely for political effect? If so, let us
examine for few moments the extent to
which the Federal Government has already ar
rogated TO itself the right by law to seize upon
every species of local elections, control them,
1x.fr
minorities Are You aware that there is now
n law of Congress, enacted by the Republican
the control of the Federal Government and
the jurisdiction of the United States Courts
tion that can possibly occur in any State
or Territory, In any district, county, city,
or other territorial subdivision, if any other
can be found? Such is the fact. Federal
power has clutched control of every voting
/ precinct in the States and Territories. In
proof of this, allow me to read in your hearing
section $500 of the Revised Statutes of the
Every person who, by any unlawful means,
binders, delays, prevents or obstructs, or COM
| delay, prevent or obstruct, any citizen from
doing any act required to be done to qualify
him to vote, or from voting in any State Ter
ritory, or district, county, city, parish, town.
ship, school district, municipality or other ter
ritorial subdivision, shall be fined not less than
$500, or be imprisoned hot less than one
month. nor more than one year. or be pun
ished by both such fine and Imprisonment
What kind OF election escapes the pro-
! vision of this section?
| 1t has been asserted over and over again, in
Congress and elsewhere, by the Republican
leaders and newspapers, that the power of the
Federal Government has been applied only at
times and places where Members and Dele
gates in Congress were chosen. This is all
false, as the section just read conclusively
proves. IL you were holding an election for
Mayor of this city, for councimen in its
various wards, and one person should by any
rel ' on the street, hinder or delay another in
voting, the person so offending is, by the ex-
press terms of this section, made liable to a
fine of not less than $500, or to imprisonment
not less than one month nor more than
one year, or TO both such fine and inn
4 Clerk, an Auditor or sheriff. or any other
county officer of Butler county the same
insolent interference by the Federal Gov
ernmcnt is provided for by this law. You are
not free from its aggressive and inquisitive
power, even in the humblest details of your
local affairs. In the language of the law itself,
an election in a township or school district is
subject TO- the domination OF Federal rule,
strous and disproportionate punishments of
tGdc ,I, Courts Are ynn in f,ty9r of this aws
view of yourselves that you feel the need of
the restraining and penal influences of such an
that you cannot trust yourselves: that you
are wholly incapable of self-government; that
Peace, or the Trustees of your townships, or
the officers of your school districts unless the
supervision and threatening authority of the
Federal Government is extended over your
Have the American people, in fact, sunk so
low "a as MS Havs the people OF 1nS % mt
Republican party say you have; Charles Eos.
have Thew u saw mat this Ssurpation AGAINST
local seh-government shall stand; that this
legislative insult to you, this enactment Of dis.
main permanently in the statutes of your
country. l say it ought to be repealed, ex-
. plunged, torn from the pages OF the law with
every circumstance of indignation and abhor-
renee. What do you say? Do you believe in
yourselves or do you want q MASTER
That is the exact issue. 1t is a very old one
and yet it sounds new in our times. Those of
age your local affairs, unless the club of the
Federal Government is welded over your
heads by United States Marshals, District At
torneys and partisan Judges on the Federal
bench, will, of course, and with entire consist
ency, vote the Republican ticket-vote fol-
Foster, who has the same opinion of you
that you have of yourselves. Who do you
suppose would vote with you if they were herei
Every tory of the Revolution. Not one OF
them believed in the natural rights of man tc
govern himself without a master. The odioas
would be stalwart Republican in this con
test; and the old imbecile King himself, 4
known principles of his long and tyrannica
reign, be for Foster, and strong centralized
Infamous graves all those who sided with
Great Britain against the principles OF Jeffer
would fail to sustain the high prercgative Of
= the Government in stamping out local ant
popular sovereignty, # every pestid1ns St !,
throne could be exhumed to-day, they would
l on this issue, zealously support the Republi
| can party. All such, in an ages, as have dis
: believed in human freedom, and individual
n responsibility; all the biood-stained monster,
who have cursed the earth with war to crush
the aspirations of the people for home rule
: and civil liberty, would if here, contribut.
. to the campaign fund of the Republi
5 can party, subscribe for its newspaper.
and vote for its candidates. All THU
| things. 1t was reported not long ago that
very rich man of New York, by the name O
JAY Gould, blurted out his willingness ant
| rn mil 81 n
high centralized powers, Government no
n dependent upon the popular will; n Govern
, mcnt which would govern, Coerce and hold II
subsection the people, instead of allowin,
them, according to the Constitution of thei
4 | ply IL somewhat indiscreet but very accurate
proclamation of the spirit and purposes o
n the Republican party. 1t has the sanction o
all such leaders of that party as are withou
:, faith in mans capacity and right to govern
himself: of all such rs are rich and prosperous
and desire no possibility of change; of al
= | retired capitalists whose investments are eat
ing up the mortgaged lands and labor of tn
people, like incurable cancers wrecking tn
THefe Wa hard struggle at the very be
ginning of our Government over this yer,
question. There u party then verl
e Formidable in talents, and very considerable
i'll numbers, which had no faith in the people
and boldly declared its infidelity TO popula
institutions. The Republican party, with it
Supervisor, its Marshals, its Commissioners, il
| spies us Federal Courts, and its deep distrus
OF the American people, everywhere, i'll town
ship. county and State, is the revival of tn
old despotic Federal party under differen
e name, but with similar ideas. The circle i
almost complete, and the enemies or FREE
y most reached the point which the,
began their nefarioms schemes nearl,
and hear Alexander Hamilton now quoted a
: an acceptable authority ON the principles %