The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1879-06-28
Extract Frsn the Debate o. the
Army Bill.

Mr.. Garfield. l do not know of
a man in this house who l. in favor
Of using the army Of the Uvited
States as al ordinary police force
to run elections. There are, l be-
licve, about forty thousand polling
places in the United States. flour
army roster was full. officers, SOL
diers and camp followers, we
would not have over twenty-five
thousand in our army. Aud il
there were a law for using the AZ
my as = police force at the polls
VIC should have about thrcc-fourshs
Of ono soldier At each polling
place.
Now, II anybody proposes to
deploy our army In that way l do
not know where the innate livcs.
I speak for myself, aud Of course
for everybody who thinks as do,
and for nobody else. ehold two
things; tlrst, that wo will not, II
VIC can help It, let vital and right
cous laws be repealed or nulliied
as the condition Of getting an ap-
preparation to support the govcrn-
meat. Nc have resisted, and will
resist to tho end, all such meas
urcs. Aud, il the second place,
even under tho pressure OF party
feeling aud party opposition, We
will do no act aud east no vote
that will place US really or appa-
rcntly In any attitude inconsistent
with the old aud rccoynisod prin-
ciplcs aud traditions Of English
aud American liberty, namely,
that civil, not military force, is
the usual, the safe. the American
method Of keeping peace at the
polls.
Mr.. Cox. / understand tho mo-
tive Of gentlemen. They want, n
possible, to keep the army for one
section end ior one purpose; and
they will do anything. they will
sacrifice all that they have said III
the extra Session, for that particu-
lar purpose. They know now that
hey cannot use the army in the
solid South. Thcy nrc willing 10
give up all that they have said ;
they retreat ingIuriously under the
shield vf the gallant soldier from
Ohio. But they supplements the
army North, and perhaps in other
placcst in the cities, with this rake
hcliy rcut of ragycd rascals---thc
All, sirs, you mean
in 1891 Yoa ilvxn TO cnr.y f1ie
then. You want tho aru.y
At ono point and the supervisors ut
You have 10 principle
at stake. You mcan to strike
down tho right Of the citizen 10
vote. You will do It either BY
force or fraud; force By the army
where you can use II, otherwise BY
fraud and "civil" force--nll sorts
Of masks aud disguiscs. BY all
tricks you propose to carry the
Ia 1880. | would not give
you either supervisors or army for
such o purpose. Election, II 1t
means an, thing, means tho free
will Of the people.
Tho gentleman talks hero about
our army not being very danger
Gus and great when distributed
among forty thousand voting pla-
ces. But could you not send them
all 10 one pIucoa It's true you
could not take twenty-five thous.
and men and distribute them am
ong forty thousand voting places.
You would have to make q vulgar
fraction of some soldier to do 1t.
That Is not the way you did II at
New Orleans. That Is not the way
you tried to do it at New York IN
1870, and afterwartl. That il not
the way you did IL South Caro-
lima. You struck with your army.
Even with your swaggerer. your
sword-knot, your cpaulot, with
the insignia Of the republic. Ar.
med with your federal legislation,
You brought The whole power Of
this federal government to bear
through the ormy at ccri ain places
for your purposes. Il not ono
State enough to carry the presi.
dental election under certain cir
cumstsmces7 Ono State did Il.
One county in one State might do
II; ~, one man in one county, Il
organized under radical auspiccs,
might do III All that 3 necessary
q ono vote
or eo6r6s, ~ ysar forty ihods-
usnd polling pIo6o9 cannot b rser
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