Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-05-08

quired for that end.
But that part of section six OF the bill
which is significant and vitality important is
the clause which If adopted will deprive the
civil authorities of the United States of all
power to keep peace at congressional cleo.
district in very important sense are
justly q matter of political interest
and concern throughout the whole country.
Each state, every political party is entitled
to share of the power which is conferred
by legal and constitutional suffrage, It is
the right of every citizen possessing the
qualification prescribed by law to cast one
unintimidated ballot and have his ballot hon.
estly counted. So long a. the exercise
OF this power and the enjoyment Of this
night are common and equal practically
will be accorded Loyalty and cheerfuliy and
the depart ments OF the government will feel
the true vigor of the popular will thus ex.
pressed.
Two provisions of the constitution author.
ize legislation by congress for the regulation
of congressional elections. Section 4, of
article l, of the constitution declares :
"The times, places and manner of holding
elections for senators and representatives
shall be prescribed in each state by the leg.
islature thereof but congress may at any
time by law make or alter such regulations
except as to the places of choosing senator -
The 18th amendment of the constitution
is as follows.
"seetion 1.-The right of citizens of the
United States to vote shall not be denied or
state, on account of race; color, or previous
condition of servitude.
"Sectlon 2.-Congress shall have power
to enforce this article by appropriate legls.
The Supreme Court has held that this
amendment invests citizens of the United
States with new constitutional right which
is within the protecting of power congress.
That right the court declares to be exemp.
ton from discrimination in the exercise of
the elective franchise on account of race,
color, or previous condition of servitude.
The power of congress to protect this right
by court of national legislation to provide
safeguards for free and honest elections is
necessary; as experience has shown, not
only to secure the right to vote to the
enfranchised race at the south, but also to
prevent fraudulent voting in large cities of
the north. Congress has therefore exercised
the power conferred by the constitution,
and has enacted certain laws to prevent
discrimination on account of race, color or
previous condition o servitude, and to
punish fraud, violence and intimidation at
federal elections.
Attention is called to the following sec.
tons of the revised statutes of the United
States, viz: Section 1904, which guarantees
all citizens the right to vote without dis
tinction on account of race, color or previ-
GUS condition of servitude; sections zoos
and zoos, which guarantee to all citizens
equal opportunity without discrimination
to perform all acts required by law
as prerequisite or qualification for voting;
section 2, O22, which authorizes the United
States marshal and his deputies to keep the
tons; section 1924, which expressly au.
thorizsd the United States marshal and his
deputies to summon posse comitatus when.
ever they or any of them are forcibly re.
sisted in the execution of their duties under
the law and are prevented from executing
their duties by violence; section 5,5C2,
which provides for the punishment of the
crime of interfering with supervisors of
elections and deputy marshals in the dis
charge Of their duties at elections of repre-.
sentatives in congress.
These are some of the laws on this sub.
ject which it is the duty of the executive
department of the government to enforce.
The intent and effect of the sixth section of
this bill is to prohibit all civil officers Of
the United States, under penalty of fine
and imprisonment, from employing
any adequate civil force for this
purpose at the place where their
enforcement is most necessary, name.
~, at the places where congressional
elections are held. Among the most valua.
bic enactments to which have referred are
those which protect the supervisors of fed.
eral elections in the discharge of their
n OF $ho h.
ton should become law there is no power
vested in an officer of the government to
protect from violence the officers of the
United States engaged in the discharge of
their duties. Their rights and duties under
the law will remain but the nation
al government will be powerless to enforce
its own statutes. The states may employ
both military and civil power to keep the
peace and enforce the law at state elections.
It is now proposed to deny to the United
States even the necessary civil authority to
protect national elections. No sufficient
reason has been given for this discrimina.
national authority. If we'll founded
objections exist against the present national
election laws all good citizens should unite
in their amendment. The laws providing
safeguards Of elections should be impartial,
just and efficient. They should, if possible,
be so non.partisan and fair in their opera:
ton that the minority party, out OF power,
will have no Just grounds to com.
plain. The present laws have in prac.
tice unquestionably conduced to toe
prevention of fraud and violence at
elections. In several of the states members
OF different political parties have applied
is the right and duty of the national gov.
erument to enact and enforce laws which
will secure free and fair congressional cleo.
tions. The laws now in force should not
be repealed except in connection with the
enactment of measures which will better
that important end.
Believing that section six of the bill
before me will weaken if it does not alto
gether take away the power of the national
to protect federal elections by
civi! authorities, 1 am forced to the con.
clusion that it ought not to receive my
approval: That section is however not
and Independent measure, but is, as has
been stated, attached to the bill making the
usual annual appropriation for the support
OF the army. It makes vital change in
the election laws of the country, which is
in no way connected with the use of the
army. 1t prohibits under heavy penalties
any person engaged in the civil
service of the United States from
having any force at the place of any
election, prepared to preserve order, to
make arrests, to keep the peace, or in any
to enforce the laws. This is alto.
gether foreign to the purpose Of an army
bill. The practice of lacking
to army appropriation bills meas.
1res not pertinent to such bills
did not prevail until more than forty years
after the adoption of the constitution. It
has become common practice. All parties,
when in power, have adopted it. Many
abuses and great waste of public money
have in this way crept into appropriation
bills The public opinion of the country is
against it. The states which have re.
Gently adopted constitutions have generally
provided remedy for the evil by enacting
that no law shall contain more than one
subject, which shall be plainly expressed in
it, title. The constitutions of more than
half of the states contain substantially this
provision. The public welfare will be pro.
noted In many ways by a return to the
early practice of the government, and
TO the true principle of legislation which
requires that every measure shall
stand or fall according to its own merits.
If it were understood that to attach to All
q measure irrelevant to the
general object of the bill would imperil and