The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-09-13

ntdtec. 'OutQ laws De ffame,l more
unrepubltcang You will mark that the Super
visors are appointed by the United States
courts and are limited. The Deputy Ms shals
are appointed by the Marshal Of the district
and are unlimited. All are paid. SIS n day for
their services-the money to bestaken out of
the Federal treasury. This law is the gross
est abuse OF constitutional and per
sonal liberty. It is worse than disgrace
on the pages of our statute books
1t Is crime to let IL remain
there These Deputy Msrshsls are always par
tsans, most frequently bad characters taken
from the lowest classes of society, and some
times criminals. They do nothing toward keep
ing the peace. but are generally unknown per
sons working for the election of the party in
whose employ they are The evil would be
Just as glariug il the Democratic party was in
Federal power. Can any one conceive of a
more mcnstrous wrong against the liberty OF
the citizen; subjectng him, no matter how re-
spectacle, even the officers of the election, to
arrest and imprisonment, without warrant or
process, on the suspicion, belief or pretended
belief of one OF these low Deputy Marshals
drawn from the lowest purlieus Of society; to
be hurried on to Jail, or TO a United STATES Com
missioner for hesring and thereby suffer hui
initiation and disgrace, to say notbmg of the
loss OF his votet And all for the pretense OF
securing the purity Of elections and to guaran-
tee the right to vote. Guarantee the right to
yote They do nothing OF the kind, bu. the
tNii Is tDat VI Just tllt uDDOtlte-pfpNoniH de-
cent and reputable citizens from voting. They
do not facilitate the right of suffrage, but sup
press the elective franchise The Supervisors
remain around the polls, and, by challenge or
otherwise, impede the electors progress to
the ballot-box. while the Marshas protect
the Supervisors In their work, arresting and
bearing off the voter, II the shilowest pretext
can be found for 30 doing, the voter uniformly
being OF the opposite politics to the officers.
The MARSHALL and Supervisors being of the
psriy in power the law resolves itself into
machine for partisan purposes, paid out Of the
common treasury, from funds collected from
both parties. This has been the practical work
ing OF 1t 1t has borne most heavily on nat
uralized citizens, and its passage was meant as
a blow TO them, although at the time the law
WAS enacted it was claimed to be for the os
'ensible purpose Of protecting the freedmen in
the South from the Ku-Klux and White
Leaguere- But 1t was shown by Judge Thur
man, in his speech in the Senate on Tho 18th Of
May last, thar these infamous enactments had
their origin in the New York Union League
Club, and their purpose was to control the cleo
tioils In the cities OF the North by using the
Supervisors and Marshals as q body of cleo
tioneerers in the interest OF the Republican
party and TO be paid out Of the public treas
ury The history of the elections in Northern
cities since, notably in 1876 and 1878, and the
report of the investigating committees In the
cities of New York, Philadelphia, St Louis,
ana lhbely III Snow now well tney
have served their purpose. ~
In 1876 there was paid 10 these Supervisors
and Deputy Marshas out of the Federal treas
ury s2S5, 92l 81; of this amount the single
State of New York received $3.50, 02l 50, while
all the Southern States received but S4S, 7l9 Sc;
aud vet IL was claimed this law was passed to
protect the poor freedmen in the South against
tho Ku- Klux outrages. tell you that the in
tent ofthe law was and it's use is to elect Repub-
lican members Of Congress from the North,
and while doing that to interfere with all local
and State tickets or elections in our State; for
all elections are held on the same day, and the
name Of the Congressional candidate is printed
on the Same ticket with candidates for other
Offices. both State and county. ,-t
The Federal expenditures in payment of
Supervisors and Deputy Marshals in 1873
amounted TO s222, 71424; OF this all the South
ern States received $ls, 24l06, leaving for the
North s204, 473.18 This large sum was main
ly expended in the cities of New York, Brook
Ign, Jersey City, Boston, Philadelphia, and
Chicago. In Cincinnati, for the first time ! be-
lieve, there was expended S2,0782 o.
Now, these vast sums arc uaed for party pur-
poses and in the most corrupt manner. And
firmly believe that, il not prohibited by law,
the Republican party, in order to carry the
next House Of Representatives and the country
in 1880, will spend millions of the peoples
money under these laws. In their desperation
to retain power they will do 30: and this s tho
reason of their great opposition to the repeal OF
these measures. On this law aud the use OF
the army they have staked all Take away
from the Republican party the power OF sword
and purse, and the day Of its ascendency will
soon be ended.
Congress sought to repeal these odious Elec-
ton laws, and first attached the repeating
measure to the Legislative, Executive and Ju
dicial Appropriation bill, afterward to bill
making appropriations for certain judicial ex
Of Tho Government Int the Praeidant
interposed his veto to both bills.
Finally, Congress having made all legitimate
appropriations for the ensuing year, except for
United States Marshals and their general Dep
uties, bill for this purpose was prepared pro-
viding, however, that no part of the money APP
should be used to pay Supervisors
and Deputy Marshals to attend elections. For
the fifth time the President exercised the veto
power, and again he thwarted the will Of the
majority Of Congress by returning this bill to
the House without his approval Then Con-
In the Presidents message OF May 30, We
toing the first bill to which was attached the
clause repeating the Election laws, he uses the
following language:
If this bill is approved, only the shadow OF
the authority Of the United States at the ma
tonaf elections will remain-the substance will
be gone +t'
Again: fTf aaiaera
@The passage OF this bill has been urged upon
the ground that the election of members OF
Congress is q matter which concerns the States
alone; that these elections should be controlled
exclusively by the Statcs that there are and
can be no such elections as national elections;
aud that the existing law Of the United States
regulating Congressional elections is without
warrant in the constitution"
And again:
-The constitutional authority to regulate the
Congressional elections, which belongs to the
Government Of the United States, and which it
is necessary to exert to secure the right TO vote
to every citizen possessing the requisite qualif-
catioDs, ought to be enforced by appropriate
legislation.s
The President in this last message ~ lie did
in Others discusses the subjectof national cleo
TONS" arguing that the civil and military au-
thoritiy Of the Government should be retained
and used to control and protect them, and con-
sequentiy these bad laws permitting the use OF
troops at the polls, and Supervisors and Deputy
Marshals to control elections should not be re-
pealed- II be were right in his premises his
conclusions would not necessarily follow. But
we deny the proposition and assert that under
election. The Federal Government has no
voters of its own creation. Every man has
right to vote because of State laws and under
State author. 7, not national Suffrage is under
the control o. States. The Federal Govern
ment creates no voters. How, then, if there
are no natiohal voters, neither can be, can there
be national elections? Can you have elections
without voters-the first element of an cleo
ton? Certainly not 1t is claimed that the Fiji
teenth amendment to the constitution gives ad-
ditoDal rights 10 the citizens Ut the UnitedStates
1t only provides that the right of citizens of the
United States shall not be abridged on account
of race, color, or previous condition Of servi-
tude" The right OF suffrage is not given. The
decisions of the Supreme Court are conclusive
in this regard In the United States VS.. Cruik-
shank, Q Otto, $751; the Supreme Court reafirms