The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-05-29
Speech Of Hon D. w. Vorheee

Rssdfsg & the eloquent speech Of Hon
Daniel ". voorhees,, Of Indiana, upor
the outrages perpetrated In New Yori
City, under the miserable so-cailed
election laws, at the hands of Deven
port, will convince any fair minded
man Of the dangerous precedents un-
der Republican government that these
laws furnish power to establish. Sen.
ator voorhees, SAID:
"John I. Davenport 10 chief super
visor Of elections in the city Of New
York, appointed by the Circuit court
Of the United States. He is also the
clerk Of the United States Circuit
court, and . United States commits
sionsr. With alf the powers Of these
manifold official positions combined
in HE own person he has indeed been
the autoorat Of the ballst-box. In the
elections Of 1875 he had under hlm
one thousand aud ssvesty supervis-
ere, twenty-five hundred deputy
marshals an indefinite number OF
commissioners, at an expense for them
and for himself Of $04. .587. H
In 1878 he employed twelve hun
tred and twenty-five supervisors,
thirteen hundred and atty deputy
msrshals, and commissioners in pro-
portion, for Ill whose pay and expen-
sss he drew upon the money
Of the people in the Treasury.
In June, 1876, ~ clerk Of tho United
States Circuit court, he issued war
rants for the arrest Of twenty six hun.
drsd naturalized voters to be brought
before him - United 9tates commits
siouer snd chief supervisor for the
purpose Of making them surrender
their naturalization papers. Tho Fed
sral eourta themselves aftsrward held
that the naturalization papers in ques-
tion were ali legal and valid, bat the
desired result had been accomplished.
The terror inspirsd BY these arrests
intinAidassA -sAeaSaads from going t.
the psll& Ie bessns we'll known that
there Was 10 personal security in New
York In ooanectiou with the electione,
and the poor, the timid and the hum
ble staid sway. The same course Was
pursued in 1873. Daring tl,essummer
Of that year nine thousand four hun.
dred citizens were notified that they
would b arrested unless they surren-
dered their naturalization papers to
the head oserseer John /. Davenport.
In the messh Of October, 1873. thirty
one hundred persons held fraudulent
naturalization papers had already
been shown - be false. but 1t WAS
necessary 70 party suocess that an
alarm should be raised and . panic
created In the minds of foreign born
aud Of the poor laboring classes
gensrally. "
The movement was successful and
1t has been estimated that ten thoss-
and legal voters remained away from
the polls rather than risk the jails and
prison- pens Of the chief superv isor
and his chief snbordinates. But 1t was
reserved for the day Of election itself
to give free scope to the frightful
pewsrs with which this band OF Fed
eral ku-klux 10 Invested. Those who
brAved the dangers which envirened
the ballot-box, and approached it - If
they were still freemen, soon found
their mistake. They quickly ascsr-
tanned that the previous threats and
warnings which they had heard were
neither Idle nor unmeaning. As .
lpeoimen Of thousands of aimilar &C.
On election day, I quote .
statemept recently made by . member
Of the other branch Of Congress from
New York. 6peskisg from HE place
on the door, he said !:
A nsighbor Of mine, who had 70.
sided In the same distrioe for seven
tssn years and . soldier Of the Union
Army At that, was arrssted. / was
asksd to 20 - the Republican head
quarters In, IN adjoining district,
whittier he had been taken. The street
for An entire block was lined with
carriages, in which the, unfortunats
who had fallen into the hands
pf the Philistiass had been Or were to
b eeavsysd. When I entered the
building ] found the front room deco.
rated with the paraphernalia Of . po.
litical hssdQaartsra and filed with
Politicians. In the back
room I United States commiss,oner
Was holding court. The door was
slosed, watohed by Cerberua No
pus IVES allowed inside but the pris-
oners and tho Republican Managers.
After about half en hours waiting l
was Informed by the asorkesper that
The msa / was looking for was NO
longer there. Issked WHITTIER he had
bsen taken. '.Suppose to Fort Day
was tho lsconic reply.
Sir, most likely this soldier of the
Union Army was with Grant In the
at Cold Harbor, and 1t
Fetersburgh. Or perhsps he was with
Sherman in his march to the see, and
% colder Of the Army of the Ten
nsssee took part in the bloody battle of
Atlanta. Wherever he VA, however.
and On whatever field he was baptized
with fre. hs was assured he was Of
fering his life for tho preservation Of
she Union under tho safeguards Of
constitutional liberty. He was also
assured that human slavery should not
survive the triumph of the Union
cause, and he reioiced to believe that
his country would, Ia fact, soon be the
land only Of the free. What must
have besn his irsAsctions, therefore,
In Nsvember last TO fad, In attempt.