, 1879-07-19
THE EXTRA SESSION.

\
ffOH OF the Democracy.
The extra session Of the congress is at
an end. The sm Ike has not vet cleared
away from the conflict between the two
great parties, and it will remain for
maturer discussion before the people to
determine accurately in the public Judy
ment the full significance IF the contest
which cansed ths extra session, and which
marked It's progress and close. In the
hat If the battle its history cannot weil
be written. The p -ople at large do n, It
read the report of the congressional de-
bates, and the only impression conveyed
to many thhusan Is Of read rs of news
papers, touching the nature of this ses-
sion of congress, is that i. has been a
convention Of confederate brigadiers
assembled for the purpos. If running the
country. Discussln:., Eili. sanish this I'M
pression,- aud this extra session will be
liked like has-relief in the history of the
country, marking a memorable and un-
pi ecedented contest in the story of civil
liberty on the continent. The struggle is
without precedent in the United safes
Certainly there was no similar contest
prior to the civil war. Before 1861 no
party ever dared whisper snch heresies
as have become United Stats laws since
the var closed No party in the ante
bellum day ever ventured to utter. even
beneath i:s breath, such doctrines as have
heen openly proclaimed 10y the republican
party in this extra session, emphasized by
five republican vetoes. The democracy
| c,urf fba f,,u - 1,s.,,ss;o,, baf,ra tbo
people of this session, and the eompletest
explanation of its meaning 1t has
brought the Two great parties face to face
upon several commanding questions,
piaoed them upol rec ,rd, and VII n the
light is shed upon that record the country
can judge which Of the two parties is the
friend of civil liberty. 1t should be re-
membered that We are now legislating
after fourteen years of peace, and Eow in
the middle of war, where there was only
one dominant thought-the Uninn. This
is peace legislation. New + before in tine
of peace has a party dared take stand
in favor of juries packed by law III
favor of the army at the polls either to
keep the peace or for any other purpose
in favor of prostiruting the courts of the
United States and their officers to parti-
san political service in favor of using
the federal treasury for the brazen cor
ruption of suffrage in the interest Of ths
party in control of the executive These
are the ISSUES that provoked the extra
session, that prolonged it, that elected
five vetoes, each one Of which was stab
a. popular freedom, that have composed
an important chap ,cr in the country his
tory.
What, briefly, has the extra session
accomplished It has wiped out the rest
oath for ilrors This test oath forbade
the intelligence and integrity and democ-
racy of the southern states To enter the
jury box. Prior to the session Post
master General Kew, though he could sit
in the cabinet of President Hayes, could
not SIT Oh a iury in a federal cnnr;. No
lraa wi.n h;.l even loaGsd blanket to 4
cpnfade,5.:e solder wa:s eligible t" b. u
;urvalan in a cnurt If the Cnitoti s ares.
1t is not G.iiicult to kaaw hoW, under snch
a statute, jnries wnl.!i ac composed i'll
the federal caUrts In the s::nthern states.
They could he OF bu; oi,e party; ln;ei;i-
p"rtant rights as - person aid properly
might rs well be trusted t. ireet:lAtS.S
AS to iurics ST. conSti uted This stain has
been removed from the statutes, and this
Was one nf the things for which the
democracy ip the las: congress cnn;ended,
one Of the iSsues which provoked the
extra Session
The session has practically prevented
the USE of the army st the polls. The
republicans, some of whom are keen to
: detect public sentiment, saw thai they
had taken posit,on IN which the Amerl
can people woui1 not support them.
They aro!oyized, said that they never
meant to Use the army at the polls, had
never done it, would never do it, and
thou.h they originally voted against the
bills wh,ci' simply said they shouldn't,
and were sustained hy Tie republican, setn
power, the army bill, as it finally became
a law contains this prohihiti"n
THAT money appropriated in this act
is appropriated or shall be paid Tor the
subsistence, equipment, transportation or
compensation Of any portion df the army
of the United States 10 be used as pol 'ce
force to keep the pace at the polls at any
election held within any state. Ihi, IN
effect, accnmpiishes that for which the
democrats contended in tn army bill IN
the last congress, which was the bill on
which the conference committee hung,
and which was the immediate cause OF
the extra session.
The use If United Staies deputy mar
sbals officers appointed under the au-
spices q. the federal courts, as an elec-
tioneerins force for tie republl can party,
with the privilege of paying an unlimited
number Of them City dollars head out
Of the federal treasury TO vote and ei1c'
tioneer for the republican party, and was
third issue between the parties. ANY
statute authorizing such an outrage Is
monsrrous. The republicans knowing tho
value of such corruption fund, used IN
tbs name of the United States, fought
most tenaeiously, aided by two vetoes, TO
ra,.;u this law. The struggle ended in no
a,nronria,ion at all for United States
niarshals, 1t was the federal purse be-
hind the deputy marshal law that the
democrats feared, and one result OF the
extra session is that the republican party
. i cnt off from the powers to Use the
wonevs Of the United States for this
nartisan purpose. Not deputy marshal
can be paid. The power for harm Of
a uuty marshals who know that they are
working for nothing is, at least, being
gr.atIy abridged This is the third great
aJvantaue gained by the xtra session.
. The democIats in congress have de-
m.nded nothing in this extra session not
in harmony with the principles of civll
~ The renuhIic.ns have opposed