Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-09-13
RANDALL ON THE STUMP.
Marshals at the Polls-Civil Service
Government Economy.
Fraud to be Rebuked and MADE For
ever Odious In h Election
OF 1880.
fFromths Philadelphia Times, Sept.

vi
Justsas many a country fair has
the attendance of President Hayes,
so was more than ordinary impor-
lance attached to preliminary meet
ing ofMontgomery county democrats
held In Norristown yesterday after
noon, because it had been announced
that N Of the orators upon the oc-
casion would be the speaker Of the
national house of representatives,
whose. address might be looked to as
the opening gun of the campaign in
the eastern part Of the state.
The meeting was held in accord
ance with = time-honored custom Of
the county democracy to have a pre-
Himinary gathering for the purpose
of starting organization, placing in
the field q number of persons from
whom the nominee or nominees
would be selected at the convention
subsequently, held, adopting a decla-
ration Of. principles and otherwise
preparing, in order 10 tighten the
labors Of the convention. Yesterdays
meeting, held in the courthouse, dur
ing q two-and-a-half-hour recess of
the court granted by Judge Ross for
the purpose, was one of the largest
of the kind ever held in the county.
The spacious room vas thronged
with man, and there were about a
dozen women, too.
THE ISSUES OF THE DAY.
Mr.. Randall began by saying that
before entering upon any subject of
public discussion he desired to re-
turn his thanks for the honor confer
red upon him by the county commit
tee in their invitation to have him
among the democrats of the county
upon this occasion /; and in q brief
and desultory manner he would ex-
press his opinions in regard to some
of,the questions which, he believed,
were now uppermost in the public
mird.s Ee,then went on 10 follows:
The democratic state platform is
so clear in its expressions, has so lit
tie ambiguity in its terms, and ia
Withal so comprehensive III it's decla-
ration of principles that I might safe
lily rest the issues of the coming con-
test on what is therein said. By
these issues this contest is to be de-
cided. Upon them the democratic
party places its sole dependence, and
1t is of happy effect that u candi-
date has always shown aud now
shews,both by his public aud his pri-
vat0 life, that he is in exact harmony
with those principles. He has said,
moreover, that they shall be his guide
aud his rule Of action.
i. THE ARMY AT THE POLLS. q.
/ 1t Seems to me, therefore, that when
we are appealing to the voters Of this
commonwealth, all we have to do 10
to refer them to what the state con-
vention has said. It may not be i'm
appropriate, however, TO go a little
further and elaborate upon some of
the leading points at issue. The
great and overshado wing issue be
tween the two ~contending parties is
whether or not the army shall be
Fused to subvert the will of the peo-
pie. The democratic party has de-
clared that no longer shall the army
be used to control the depositing aud
receiving Of ballots at the polls, but
that the elections must be free, and
no man shall be hindered from exer-
cising his sovereign right in casting
his ballot. =
1 need not 60 back to ancient his
tory to look for proof of the danger
to be feared from q standing army
nor need | turn over many Of the
pages in modern history 1t is unne.
cessary to look further back than our
own history as an independent nation
reaches. In the declaration of indie.
pendence complaint was made of the
use of q standing army against indi.
vidual right, and it protested against
its further maintenance among the
people without their consent. Mr..
Adams gave the country to under.
stand that there was more to feal
from q standing army than from any
other encroachment upon a peoples
rights, and Mr.. Hamilton carefully
avoided in every sentence OF hi
writings anything that could be con,
strued as giving the least encourage.
ment for the comforting upon the ad,
ministration of power to use a stand
Z ing army i'll time of peace for sucf
purposes as controlling the polls dur
ing all election.
MILITARY AND MARSHALS,
We are at direct issue with the re
8 publlcans i'll this respect. They ar,
: the aiders and abettors of this unlaw
. ful use OF the army, and it ls thei
only hope. The American people
seeking an economical government
!. have determined upon a change il
i the administration Of public affairs
0 and the last resting place of the re
g publicans is the use OF the armv. Thi
issue we are bound to stand upou
We have said that the army shall no
come near the polls; the militar
shall not be allowed to interfere wit
the sacred right of casting a fire
a ballot.
g We have said more. 1t is our d.
= termination that the appointment {
United States marshals with n
IL other object than to hinder either
,; from exercising their constitution,
ID rights shall no longer be submitte
to. 1speak from personal experient
3, when l say that at the last ell .ctio
t. seven hundred and fifty of these de-
uty marshals were appointed in til
-.