The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1879-05-08

STAfes OnE,
OKoLoKa. Miss April Is, 1879
rnE usE 90 raE ARMA a ELKC-
TfoNS.
The Demo Gratis claim thal budef the
laws - they exist there i great dan.
ger that The ARMY wilI bo used 10 10.
timidale voters. aod that elections
oAnaot be free whefe troops are EN-
ployed 10 keep the peace At the polls
They have NOT been able to dad any
Instances where il has been thus en-.
ployed. but they say that elections
should be perfectly free Very good.
Tha, is what We al cay and We say we
are bound that the people shall have
free aud tsir elections, even il force has
70 be employed 70 secure i The laws
a. they stand provide the strongest
kind Of safeguard against intimidation
on the part Of the army, or on the part
u civil officers We quote a few Sec
tons Of the Law:
Section 2003 No officer Of the army
or navy OF the United States shall pre-
scribe, or fx by proclamation, order. or
otherwise. the qualifications Of voters
10 auy state, or 10 any manner interfere
with the freedom Of any election 10 any
state, OF with the exercise Of tie free
right OF suffrage 10 any state
Section $500 Every officer or other
persou IN the military aud naval ser
vice who by force, threat, intimidation.
order. advice, or otherwise prevents
OF attempts to prevent any qualified
voter OF any state from freely exercis
ing the right Of suffrage at any general
or special election in such state, shall
be fined not more than five thousand
dollars. aud Imprisonment at hard
labor not more than FIVE years.
Section $500. Every officer Of the
army or navy who prescribes or fixes
or attempts to prescribe or fix, whether
by proclamation, order or otherwise,
the qualifications Of voters at any elec.
ton 10 any state, shall be punished as
provided in the preceding section.
Section 553l. Every officer, or other
person, in the military or naval service,
who by force, threat, intimidation,
order or otherwise, compcls or attempts
to compel any officer holding an cleo
ton 10 any state to receive a vote from
person not legally qualified to vote,
or who imposes or who attempts 10
impose any regulations for conducting
any general or special election in a
state different from those prescribed by
law, or who interieres in any manner
with any officer Of any election in the
discharge of his duty, shall be punish
ed as provided 10 section $500.
Section 5532. Every person convict
ed of any of the offenses specified in
the four preceding sections shall, in ad.
dition to the punishments severally
described, be disqualified from holding
any Office of honor, profit or trust,
under the United States. But nothing
in these sections shall be construed to
prevent any officer, soldier, sailor or
marine from exercising the right OF
suffrage in any election district to
which be may belong, if otherwise
qualified according to the laws of the
state in which be offered to vote.
Thinking that the foregoing sections
might not be strong enough, Congress
in 1878 passed the following law:
Section l5 From and after the
passage of this act it shall not be law
full to emplow any part Of the army OF
the United States as posse comitatus
or otherwise for the purpose of execut-
ing the laws except in such cases aud
under such circumstances as such en-
ployment of said force may be specially
authoIized by the Constitution or act
Of Congress, and no money appropriate
ed by this act shall be used to pay any
Of the expenses incurred in the employ
ment OF any troops in violation Of this
section, and. any person willfully
violating the provisions Of this section
shall be deemed guilty Of a misdemean-
or. and on conviction thereof shall be
punished by fine not exceeding $l0,-
900 or Imprisonment not exceeding
two years, or by both such fine and
Imprisonment
The last section quoted really pro-
hibits the employment of the army to
preserve the peace at the polls o. any.
where else except at the call Of the
Governor of State. and the President
is right when he says there is no pos
sibe need Of any further repeats as far
as the army is concerned But look at
the question from the other side. Sup
pose the people who control 10 some
sections Of the country are determined
that there shall not be full aud free
election. Suppose some States will
not make or execute laws for foil aud
free ballot aud fair count. Suppose
several members of congress aud presi-
dental electors are chosen through
the fundamentally Of stuffed ballot
boxes and vote restricted to only one
class Of citizens through intimidation
Of the other class Ought not the
national government for its own pres.
ervation 10 have the power to insure
the right Of suffrage to all its citizens 7
What the Republicans wish aud what
they must insist on is that every legal
ly qualified voter shall be perfectly