American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-08-02
DEPUTY MARSHALS,
The Great Radical Scheme for Plunderfn
the Treasury for Partisan Election Pun
poses.

|
the Treasury for Partisan Election Pur
poses.
| New York SUM-
There are two classes of Deputy Marshals
known respectively General and Special
the former being regularly attached to thu
MarshaPs office, and the latter appointed, Al
the name implies, for special service. Tn,
| law makes no limitation as to the number
OF these deputies, and therefore a partisan
Marshal, sustained or directed by Fraudu
lent Administration like the present, or by
an extreme partisan President, regardless
| OF decency, like Grant, could appoint what.
| ever number might be needed to carry ar
election in any particular place, where this
| force could be concentrated.
They receive five dollars day each when
employed, but they are limit ed to 10 days
| for election service. Therefore, it would be
competent, as the law now stands, for every
deputy to receive $50 for that duty alone, il
the Marshal thought proper to exercise his
discretion: The usual practice, however,
Is to multiply the number Of these official
partisans, which practically means buying
so many votes and SO much influence at the
public cost. 1t is notorious in the great
cities that these special deputies are mainly
chosen from among the criminal classes,
such as former convicts, DULLES, keep
ers OF low groggeries, prize fighters, and
the like.
They are not only billeted on the Treas
over the persons and liberty of citizens, who
are taxed to support them, as the following
extract from the Revised Statutes shows:
SEC. 2.022. The Marshal and his General
Deputies. and such Special Deputies, shall
keep the peace, and support and protect the
supervisors of Election in the discharge of
their duties. and immediately to ar
rest and take into custody, sUith or srithous
pr OF on
lenses prohibited herein, or who commits
sny o6ease against the laws of the United
How far this unconstitutional power may
be carried was illustrated by the thousands
of arrests ordered by John 1. Davenport In
this city last fall. These Special Deputies
tense upon which they make arrests without
process. And thus it comes to pass that
felons who have served terms in the Peni-
Tertiary, and others who ought to be crack
ing stone In striped suits, are the chosen in
struments Of this infamous partisan statute,
to drag respectable citizens to prison upon
charges made by themselves and executed
by themselves!
All inquiry as to the exact number of
these General and Special Deputies, and the
amounts paid to them, has failed to bring
out the exact facts. The accounts are pur-
posely kept in manner to exclude this in
formation. The returns are made in q lump;
sometimes they are held back or mystified,
and instead of specified items, by which each
payment Of a deputy might be traced to the
individual, the accounts are stated in gen.
sral terms, so that there is no real check on
the Marshal.
When this subject was before Congress in
the last week of the late session, Mr.. Atkins,
Chairman Of Appropriations, sought to get
he addressed to Mr.. Devens, that are en-
bodied in his answer Of June "a, 1879, from
which the extracts below are taken:
az. What number of General Deputy Mar
shals were employed during the fiscal year
which ended June 30. 1878, and what number
have been employed during the present fiscal
year?'
There are means at my command for an
sacering this question 1t is not made the duty |
they appoint as General Deputies. Indirectly, |
where any of these Deputies earn TESS, they
are reported through the Marshaps accounts. |
These can be ascertafned from the account
ing officers, but soold not include all the General
"2. What number of Special Deputy Mar
period?' |
I am not able to ans,cer this inquiry
90 and 5. What is the highest number of |
General Deputies in any district. and tor how |
&c hey se5se1 spd give the
For reasons heretofore stated. am unable |
10 give the highest number Of General Deputy Mar
'hH' &" any district or the number es distviets
The de tdctO Attorney General, who re-
turned these answers, is the official who au-
.hOriZed the appointments and approved the
accounts Of the Marshals in question. He
pretends to know nothing about either the
General or the Special Deputies, and yet he
1oes know that over a quarter Of a million
IF dollars was paid out of the Treasury last
Of Mr.. Devens shows conclusively that the
department. is either culpab!y or stupidity
gnorant in regard to this large expenditure,
or which there is no safeguard beyond the
discretion of the Marshal. He has license
o do what he peases. without any protec-
ion for the Treasury.
When one of these Marshals presented an
bill for political services last year,
he Comptroller refused to allow it, because
ome of the charges were unsupported by
wen the formal vouchers that are SO fire.
luently and easily manufactured. But Mr..
Oevens approved it, with the single remark
hat there was perhaps ga little too much
ugar in the BILL"
In order to keep up this corrupt machine
y, and to manage elections by a campaign
und drawn from the Treasury by
PARTISAN Marshals, the fraudulent President
etoed the bill which appropriated 5000 900
or the service of the Courts. He demanded
he electioneering deputies, and defied Con-
ress.