The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-10-09
RcltMea1.
THE ARar w THE POLLS.

b
Senator Blaine appears in Ohio, deny
ing that tlse army has ever beenusedat
the polls fnlhis country. 1t was hewho,
in the Senate, endeavored to prove that
the Uniled States army could not be a
thing ol danger or of Influence in cleo
lions because the army was small and
the voting places in the United States
we're numerous, and if the army were
spread out oyer the country at all the
voting places Il could easily be overcome
by the people. The President said in his
veto messages that the army hadn't
bean used, couldn'tbe used, wouldn't be
used at the polls; but he and his party
cling to the ylght to use it with suspicious
tenacity n shesame, The Republicans
an DENY tliht they have ever used the
asnv at he polls, and assure us that
lbeF caisbt and never will 80 use the
s's6 Ddt they insist on using the pow
ep W ne the army ITO keep the peace at
polls, Just as though it we're import
snt To them. The statement that the
army has never been used At the polls is
false, as has repeatedly been shown on
the floor Of Congress and elsewhere,
fDHrihg the extra session it was proved
that the army had been used in Indiana
to influence elections. Senator Pendle-
ton in his speech at Edenton, pointed
out how the army had been used in Ken
lucky to absolutely overawe and intimi-
date voters. Other instances are not
lacking, But in our State, at least, and
in one of the least of States, the matter
has been made the subject of official leg.
islative investigation. A committee OF
three members on the part of the House
Of Representatives of the State of Della
ware once examined into the interfer'
ence OF United States troops with the
elections in that State. The committee
examined l24 witnesses, resident in diff
ferent parts of the States and represent.
ing both political parties. Delaware was
not in rebellion against the authority of
the Federal Government There was no
insurreCtion or domestic violence within
her borders. No application had been
made, as The Constitution commands, by
the State authorities for troops of the
United States, and no such force was
necessary. But the committee reported :
That the testimony of the witnesses
proves that the miLitory at The polls did pro
Iuce 0redt intimidation and dLnrm; did re
s,tn in favor of The Republican party and IN
the injury of the Democratic party; did pre.
cent a free and fair oppression of DubhC sen
timent; and did secure the election Of Will.
liam Cannon as Governor of this state (of
Delawarp) against the known Di8heS of a
large majority Ofthe legal UOterS of the State"
The report further says: "A careful re-
view of the testimony sufficiently proves
that in all the hundreds in Kent and
Sussex counties, to which troops we're
sent by the General Government, they
were placed under and made subject to
absolue control Of partisan Provost Mar
shals, many of them entirely destitute of
character, and capable of being infuenc-
ed by designing partisans to the com.
mission of any act of outrage or violence
which might become necessary to the
Accomplishment Of their ohject-the car
rving the election in favor of the Repub
Iican ticket. That the Provost Marshals
did, in violation of the constitutional
and legal rights of the citizens Of the
State, use the military force under their
command to intimidate and deter Dem
ocratiC voters from the explession of
their opinions and the fair exercise of
the elective franchise; that in some hun
dreds they arrested unoffending citizens
and kept them in confinement for hours,
and in others they frightened the vo'ers
from the polls, and caused them to flee
to the woods to avoid arrest in Bati'
more and Broad Creek Hundreds they
required most respectable citizens and
large property holders to take test oaths
as a condition of voting and in Dover
and some other hundreds they caused
the troops to charge bayonets upon quiet
and peaCeable citizens, knocking down
and tramping under foot old and feeble
men, Cripping some, piercing the gar
ments and in some instances the persons
of Others and in every huljred in the
State where troops were present their
effort seemed to be to intimidIte and
alarm Democrats and encourage Repuh.
licans. In some hundreds Inspectors
we're compelled by the military to take
illegal votes and refuse legal votes. 4
Tne testimony fully proves that in
number Of instances citizens were com
PEELED to vote contrary to their known
and expressed sentiments"
All OF this and much more than this is
sustained by the testimony cleaned from
the one hundred and twenty four wit.
nesses summoned before the committee,
and much of the testimony is lar more
emphatic and shocking in detail than
any of the statements of the committee
in mOking their summary.
The report with the accompanying ev
idence, is conclusive proof, not only Of
what may be, but of what has been done
by the army at the polls, Involving the
grave fact of actual interference by the
Federal Government with the most sa-
cred right of the people of the State"
And the Republican party, notwith-
standing all of its excuses and denials
and subterfuges, still cliDgs 70 the power
to do these things in the name Of Keep.
ing the peace at the polls ~