Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-05-28
PETITION
OF THE
Democratic senators and Representatives
Of Pennsylvania.

The petition of the undersigned
members of the Legislature OF Penn
sylvania, executive officers and citizens
of the State at the seat OF Govern
ment respectfully represent; The
course of recent events has excited in
the minds Of your petitioners very
serious apprehensions for the stability
OF our institutions and the peace OF
the country.
Our Government is supposed to be
administered by agents OF the peoples
choice and therefore periodical elec-
tions are necessary. No honorable
citizen can doubt that these elections
ought TO be free and fair. Nor can it
be denied that implicit obedience to
the popular will when legally express.
cd by the vote of the majority in the
plainest of our moral and political du-
ties. Yet it is perfectly certain that
these fundamental principles have been
grossly and systematically Violated for
many years last past. Physical force,
together with all forms of fraud and
every species of corruption, have been
used without scruple to carry State
elections and to falsiiy returns. We
do not mention these facts for the in.
struction of Congress. They are
known to all men and to none better
than your honorable bodies. You
yourselves collected and laid before
the country the evidence which proves
without doubt that the present execu-
tive administration claimed and got
possession of the Government not by a
vote of the people or their chosen
electors, but by manifest fraud, false
pretenses and forgery:
We have much reason to fear that
these dishonest practices will be re-
peated. The successful fraud OF 1876
has emboldened the perpetrators for
= stronger effort Of the same kind in
1880. Another cheat will compel us
to choose between two of the most
frightful calamities which can happen
TO any people, civil war, or tame sub
mission TO Government hopelessly
rotten.
For the sake of the public peace ant
in the interest of common justice, tc
promote the general good and to Sc
: cure the blessings of universal liberty
out of due regard Tor the memory o
our fathers and natural solicitudo fol
the welfare of our children, we beseecl
, your honorable bodies to take this sub
iect into your careful consideration
and make such regulations thereupor
as will guard us in the future against
outrages like those of the past. TC
accomplish that end it is necessary il
the first place that certain provisions
Of existing statutes should be repealed
We refer to those acts of Congress
which authorize the presence of mill
tary force at elections other acts re
quiring test oathsto be taken by juror
in political cases, and stillothers which
4 gave to Federal Supervisors and
aarshals the powers which they now
exercise. Whatever was the intent Of
these enactments it is obvious thai
they may bo used by corrupt admin
istration tor improper, unjust and op
pressive purposes nay, it is certain
that they have been 80 used, and Sc
long as they continue on the statut,
book we cannot hope for free anC
fair elections. We cordially ap
prove the resolution of your honora
BILE bodies to incorporate the repeal ol
these iniquitoustous laws in the Appro
priation bills, and we cannot sufficient
ly admire the firmness and fidelity
d with which you have upheld the right
of your constituents, Notwithstanding
all threats of revolution from the enc
mics Of liberty and justice.
But the repeal which you propos
to effect in this way will not, in ou
Judgment, meet all the requirement
of the times. There should be som
other measures enacted to secure u
against the fraud and violence, whicl
in the absence of preventive legisla
tion, will without doubt be attempted
, If you shall be Of tho opinion tha
State elections for members of Cor
gress can in any case be overseen o
the State laws enforced by Fedora
officers consistently with the constitu
ton, we cannot object to q system G
supervision which promises to checl
false voting or expose false returns.
The appointment by the FEEDERS
courts Of good, honest and lawful me
:. as Supervisors of election at place
where they themselves have arlgbt t
vote, and with powers properly limit
ed might result beneficially. But W
protest against all laws which plac
= the right Of suffrage at the mercy {
unprincipled hirelings, set upon th
voters by corrupt agents of the ger
eral administration, to promote it's il
tercsts.
The necessity OF subordinating th
military to the civil authority is uni
versally acknowledged as a funds
mental principle of all free govern
ments. The intervention of the arm
in elections, no matter on what pr,
tense, can hardly fail TO compass tn
death Of popular liberty sooner O
later. II should therefore be made
high criminal offensc for any militar,
officer to usurp the functions of a civ
magistrate, to interfere with the pre-
ceedings Of any court or legislativ
body, to bring any organised force I
to a polling place, toassumc the powe
of deciding a contested election, to in
stall or assist in the installation Of
State officer not duly elected, or an
way whatever to interfere with th