The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-04-10
TIE PROPOSED REPEAL OF
TIE ELECTION Law.
Speeches by Garfield and Judge
EaOul.

I GSCNNlASb W OA[A - - Y
EaOuh.
General Gar6eld's great speech last
week placed before the country the
utterly untenable position of tn
Democratic leaders in Congress
The following condensation Of his re
marks is from the Washington cor
respondence of the New York Times;
Garfield showed the revolutionary
character of such a demand for the
surrender of Executive power to a
dominant party in Congress. He then
reviewed the theory and methods OF
our Government, after which he com
pletely demoralized the Democratic
side by showing from the Record hat
the law they now sought to repeal
had been introduced by Mr.. Powell, Of
Kentucky, a Democratic Senator, and
passed by a united Democratic vote in
both Houses, against quite a formid-
able Republican opposition. He
showed that Speaker Randall, Fer
nando Wood and other prominent
Democrats now in the House, and al
70 George II. Pcndleton, now in the
Senate, had voted for it, while ne had
opposed 1t. These facts greatly dis
concerted the Democratic side, and IL
number of the leaders sent for the
Journal and Record of the Thirty
eighth Congress, and spent much
time in studying them. Mr.. Pendlo-
ton, who sat near Mr.. Garfield and
gave earnest attention to his remarks,
was especially diligent in trying to
find in the Record some excuse for
bis action. They got no comfort from
the effort, however, and none of those
referred to, except Mr.. Wood, tried
to explain, and he made a dismal fail
ure. His explanation was that he vo-
ted for this measure to prevent nor
obnoxious legislation. After Mr.
Garfield had made this telling point,
he followed it up by declaring that
their position now was, that unless
they could repeal, in a violent man
ner, the law they lad themselves
made, they would Starve the Govern
ment 10 death. He then made the
most interesting point Of his speech
by asking the Democracy to go back
to 1851, when they said, Elect your
President, and we will shoot the Gov
eminent to death Lincoln was elec-
ted, and they left their seats and
threw down the gage Of battle. That
was said he, brave and honorable ac-
ton; but now you open the book Of
your domination again by turning
down the first chapter Of your history,
wherein you threatened to shoot the
Government to death, and maufully
tried to do it, and begin the second
By an unmanly assault upon the life
Of the nation, by declaring that IN
less certain laws are passed in the
manner you direct, you will starge the
Government to death This passage
was delivered with great force and
emphasis, and was applauded by the
Republicans.
"Referring to the position Of the
Democrats in opposing the granting
of authority TO the United States
Marshals to keep the peace at the
polls, Gen. Garfield showed that this
had not always been their position.
In the pursuit Of fugitive slaves bIar-
shals were clothed with authority to
pursue the fugitives into the house
of every citizen, and the citizen who
refused to assist the Marshal in cap
turing the fleeing slave, that he
he returned to bondage, was
liable to the severest penalties. Mar
shals could not only, under the old
regime, call upon citizens to assist
them in hunting fugitive slaves, but
u Democratic Attorney General of the
United States had put on record an
official opinion in which he held that
Marshals were authorized to call
upon the army and navy to join in
pursuit. If, Tor the purpose of re-
turning men rc eternal slavery, the
Democrats could 10 such a thing, he
them with what grace they
could now stand up and say that the
same Marshals shall not be clothed
with authority to protect citizens in
the exercise Of their highest rights at
the polls"
Mr.. Houk, Of Tennessee, followed.
He was Southern born, and sympa-
thized with that section; but, he said,
when the President had offered peace
and Cancellation he had been answer
ed with bloodshed and riot. TO day
it was o we'll known fact that the ma
jority Of the Southern States were
Republican, if an honest election
be had, and yet he looked about
him and saw but three Republicans
the Southern States. lie placed
opposition to the present meas
are on the broad ground of its merits.
If permitted to stand on the statute
IL. 4 go. - ! r.