The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1879-09-20

|
most respectable voter in the city,
and thereby to prevent him from
exercising his right Of suffrage and
to terrify whole bodies of voters by
threats Of arrest and by outright
violence. This is no overdrawn
picture. lis not drawn strongly
enough. Whoever will read the
testimony taken before committees
OF investigation of Congress in re-
gard to the elections in New York,
especially the election of last year,
will be amazed at the detail of
enormities almost too shocking for
belief, committed by these supcrvis-
ors and. deputy marshals. Their
great object seems to have been to
prevent naturalizcd citizens from
voting, and for this purpose hun
dreds Of arrests were made, and the
persons arrested held in custody
until they surrendered their natu-
ralization papers or agreed that
they would not vote. Among the
hundreds OF arrests actually made,
and the thousands Of persons
against whom warrants were pre-
pared, it is difficult to find, SO far
as l have been able to discover, the
name of an American born citizen.
Indeed, the execution of the law
was a regular Know-Nothing cru
SADIE against naturalizcd citizens,
and it has been estimated with APP
parent reason that ut least five or
six thousand of such citizens were
deferred from voting last fall, in
the single city Of New York, by this
persecution. Of the crueltics prac-
ticed on those who were arrcstcd,of
their confinement in 4 sort OF cage
in the Office ofthc chief supervisor,
of the sulfcrings they underwent
while thus confined, l have no
time tonight to speak. wish you
could all read the testimony that
details these matters, for | venture
to say that there is not an honest
or n humane man in this audience
who would not be shocked ut the
recital. The truth is that this elcc-
ton law, or ut least SO much Of its
provisions as authorizes the APP
pointment of supervisors and dep
uty marshals, is Il mere scheme to
buy voters by appointing them
deputy marshals, and to employ
Republican c!cctioncerers and Re-
publican despcradoes to control
the elections Of the people and 10
pay them out of the Treasury Of the
United States. When the bill was
under consideration in Congress, it
was said that such u law was nee.
cssary for tho protection Of the
freed men of the South; but the
truth is that the law originated in
the Union League Club of the city
Of New York, and was made espcc.
tally for that city. \ y
But it is time for me to pass to
another theme.
Tho Republican speakers and
Republican press arc Growing lusti-
ly about what they call the resump-
ton Of specie payments. Behold,
say they, We are on the eve of pros
pcrity; resumption brought this
about, and we brought about re-
sumption; ergo, you should all
support the Republican party. My
friends, it requires no great powers
Of analysis to explode this soph-
istry.
In the first place, have We specie
payments? Do any Of your debt
ors pay you any in specie unless
the debt be five. dollars or less?
Do the hanks pay their creditors
in specie? Try and see if they do.
Collect as many bank bills as you
can and assert them. Out Of $l0,-
OOO, you will have probably not
over 800 on the National banks of
Columbus. The remaining $500
are Of banks scattered all over tho
Republic. To present them Mt the
banks that issue them, would re-
quire you to travel thousands Of
miles and issue hundreds of,lollars
Of expense. To present them Mt
the Treasury Department in Wash.
ington would cost less, but yet
would be onerous and expensive.