Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-10-11

government, appropriations which the same
House and its committee had again and again
voted to be right in amount and necessary
unless the Senate and the President would
consent to the overthrow of such statutes a.
democrats chose to strike down. All this &C
Cured before the regular session expired,
and bile the Senate was still republican.
Senator Beck of Kentucky, bravely and
frankly told the Senate what would happen
if il did not Weld all the democratic caucus
had decreed. He said the Jury laws and the
Election laws must 90 down, and the President
must be stripped of the power to quell riots
and dispense mobs on election day, or else
the Congress should end without appropria-
tons being made to keep the government
alive Think of it a moment. \ partisan
majority of only one House, actually threat
ened, and until the end of the session made
good the threat that unless the President and
Senate would submit to the repeal of long
standing wholesome laws, every beacon-light
on the coast should be put out, the courts
should be closed, the mails should be stopped,
and the wheels of the government should be
blocked. The Constitution forbds all this.
The Constitution commands needed appro-
prations to be voted 1t leaves no discretion
to Congress on this point. Congress has dis
erection to ascertain and Judge of the amounts
needed, item by item; but when the amount
has been ascertained, the duty becomes abso-
lutte No power but usurpation and revolu-
ton can say that the peoples money shall not
90 to the objects for which it was paid. Yet
despite the constitution, such Il plot was con-
trived and executed last FEBRUARY, for the first
time in our history The session ended on
the 4th of March, and the government was
left to become helpless on the Both of June,
the end of the fiscal year.
The WORK OF PARTISAN CoNGHEs>.
The President promptly called the new
Congress in extra session. Then the demo-
Gratis took possession of both houses. They
changed the rules of the Senate The com
nittccs were made over, and majority of
them put in the hands of the South. In the
Senate and in the House a majority OF the
democrats came from the South, and had
been leading actors in the rebellion. Every
question of moment was decided by the dem
ocratic caucus, and here the majority was
composed of late Coniederates. In the SEN
ate there are ~ democrats-this is a ma oritv
of the Scnatc-and of this ~, % were actors
in the rebellion. Thus the democrats con-
troll the Senate, and the Southern Senators
are Il majority of the democrats. In the
House like conditions exist. All that Mr..
| Beck has toretOll came to pass al the extra
session, except so far H. the plot was batfed.
Appropriations were again refused unless laws
blocking the way to lawlessness and violence
were overihrown. The bills were contrivcd
and finished in the caucus, and we were not al
lowed to amend them even by correcting bad
grammar. After weeks and months of weary
struggle the plot succeeded in part and failed
| in part. jury laws, some of them of so years
standing were struck down, and in their
|
first time politics into the iury-box. The
Army was manacled; and one of the Appro-
priation bills was left to die by final adj
Journmont carried by demo ratio votes. No
appropriation was made to pay for serving
the processes or executing the judgments of
the national courts. This is n strange chap
ter of history. and the vote of the State of
New York this year will applaud or rebuke it
in all its dangerous revolutionary length and
breadth
The countrys attention should fasten on
two things First the object of this daring
usurpation; second, the argument made to
justify or excuse it. The object throughout
was to gain control of elections, and thus gain
control of the government. The argument
throughout was State rights. The election
of Representatives to Congress is one Of the
things Congress is authorized to regulate,
anu aDunudIl neeu Has DtSil 1Ounu LOT NOl1-
gress to exert its power.
In this State, as early as 1888, the Judici-
airy Committee of the Assembly investigated
and reported upon the fragrant frauds on the
ballot-bOx common in the city of New York.
The committee declared the abuses even then
prevailing too great to be endured. Repeat
ing, balot-box stuffing and false counting,
the report said, had come to control results.
These practices grew worse, till in 1868 they
eliminated in installing governor and State
officers and large body of legislators who
had not been elected. A Congressional inves-
tigation proved that in New York and Kings
counties he count had been falsified by add
ing 80, 900 to the actual democratic vote. In
some of the districts of New York the certi-
fed vote was greater than the whole popula
ton, including women and children. In the
Southern States the ballot-box had qecome
prey to equal or greater piracy. In 1870
Congress passed an act providing safeguards
against these wrongs. Supervisors of election
to be appointed by the court were authorized
to see that the registrations, the vote, and the
count were fair and true. Two Supervisors
one from each party, for each voting district
in the large cities, were authorized to see fair
play. Deputy Marshals were empower
ed to arrest aw-breakers Who would not de-
sist Under this election law the first fair,
peaceful election New ! ork had for many
years took place. and elections ever since
have approached fairness. What are the
hardships of such law? \ great deal of
clamor has been raised about the proceedings
in New York City of the Chief Supervisor.
Davenport. a committee of the Senate of
the United States was recently appointed to
investigate and reveal the alleged wrongs. 1t
was of course, democratic committee. 1t
came with much flourish of trumpets to New
York to begin its work. 1t had the purse and
the power of the nation in its hands to compel
witnesses to come forward and testify. What
did il do? Like noted army, it marched up
the hill and then marched down again. 1t
fingered for several days, it looked over the
field, it neither lighted nor flew but it hover
ed, it caucused and went away. Not a wit
ness was called, no day or hour was given to
Davenport or his accusers. After this 1t seems
that the dismal Davenport rectals onght to
cease, and yet they make up the whole allega-
ton against the election laws coming from this
State. In the South, it is notorious that MODS
rifle clubs and tissue ballots rule the elections,
and that without national protection there can
be no protection at all. Ydt was insisted that
thcpresident should be stripped of the power
which had existed since the time of Washing