New-York tribune., 1879-03-24
THE DEMOCRATIC "COMPRONISE.'

Finding the repeal of the Federal election
law condemned by public sentiment and re-
sisted by the solid Republican minority i'll
Congress, reinforced by the President, the
Democrats talk of compromise. They will
let the statute stand with the exception Oi
the section authorizing the appointment OF
deputy marshals to enforce it. This they
are determined to wipe out. They are III
favor of the law, but opposed to its enforce
mcnt. They can get along with the leGisla-
ton against repeating, ballOt-bOX Stufling,
fraudulent registration and bogus ndturaliza-
ton, provided there is no way OF anostmg
the rascals who commit these offences They
are willing to admit that crime in the abstract
is bad thing, but they object to any inter-
ference with The criminals. Plenty of law but
no police is their idea of government
The provisions of the election law respect
ing deputy marshals have been grossly mis-
represented for partisan purposes. The mar
shals have not the power Of making arbitrary
arrests The law expressly provides that "nO
"persOn shall be arrested without process for
"any offence not committed in the presence
"Of the marshal or his general or special dcpu-
cites, or either Of them, or of the supervisors
"Of election or either Of them. Nor
"5hall any person, on the day of such cleo
"tlon, be arrested without process for any Of
"fence committed on the day of rcgistration.n
In this respect the powers of the deputy-m
sbals are similar to those of policemen. The
election laws must be openly violated under
their eyes or those of the supervisors before
thev can interfere and take the offenders into
custody. Furthermore, the appointment of
deputy -marshals is restricted to cities of over
twenty thousand inhabitants. In the country
and the smaller towns election laws are
enforced and the purity of the ballot
scared by the watchful interest of the large
body of good citizens. Where everybody Is
known to everybody, fraud is difficult to com
nit without instant detection. But in large
cities the majority of the voters in every pre-
cinct are strangers to each other. few men
outside of the professional politicians take an
active interest in the conduct OF elections, and
frauds are easily perpetrated unless there are
special safeguards provided. The deputy
marshals stand in relation TO the Federal
election law IN the position Of policemen
to the general laws against crimes and misde-
meanOrs, and there is the same reason for
their appointment that there Is for maintain
ing a police force. Their presence at the
polls is a restraint upon 10 honest voter, but
il is a terror TO rascals Of all sorts. 1t may be
that there have been instances Of deputy
marshals abusing their power; but so there
have been of policemen and all other ministers
Of the law; yet who proposes to break up the
police system
Ii the Federal election law is wise and need
full then the machinery for enforcing it Ought
to be retained. In proposing 10 abolish tn,
machinery while retaining the body of tic
law, the Democrats give away their ease and
put themselves in n position that is absurdly
illogical. First they insisted that the Who'll,
law should be repealed because it infringeC
on the rights OF the States. The choic,