The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1879-04-24
NATIoNA. CAPITAL.
The Tall Sycamore Of TIE Wabash
Uses His Silver Tongue in
the Senate.
MIR. Kelly States His Conclusions to
TIE House.
Mr.. Teller Tells Gree nback
Tale.
SENATE.

& SENATE.
WASHINGTON, D. c., April l7-Oa tn
expiration Of the morning hour the appro
: priation bill was taken up.
Mr.. MORGAN said that hereafter he in
II tended to speak in vindiction OF the attitud
of southern memb ers of Congress who hs,
}. been the object of much unjust ssper-iun
I: The South was not responsible for the exis
= tence Of the question now agitatiDg th,
!. public. He had considered il bsst at pre-
I emit to yield to his friend IRON Indiana
Mr.. VOORHEES, called attention tc
e what he feared was not generally realized
namely:
That Federal interference extended no,
only to congressional but to ali State and
: local elections, and that American citizzrs
! by thus having overseers put over them
were reduced to the condition OF slaves.
The protection of the ballot box had been
wrested from the proper local officers and
given to corrupt federal officials The
| spirit that dictated this law a distrust
of the people and their cspscity for self-
government under free elections. The
whole power Of the constitution was thus
perverted. The people would resent this
insulting tyranny when the ,cts should be
clearly presented TO them. and a righteous
spirit OF resistance would spring up IN their
breasts There was no American who was
not liable to arrest for M other Jason III an
hat existing in the mind- OF the supervisor
or deputy marshal. By thus placing every
persons liberty at the m-rcy Of par
ty malice or hate. every ruff IN act
ing in such capacity was to determine
a mans right at the polls Tie constitu-
lion plainly guards a cirizsn in all his
personal rights, but that Instrument is violat
ID by the arrest and imprisonment of cItI-
zens on an insult lent warrant by malic-
lous spies and infprmers. II the constitu-
lion sanctioned such practices, it would be
| proof that those who framed it were not in
,erested in Tree government, and that the
fathers who ACHE we'd our independence had
failed OF their great purposes. ii history
-howed the d anger aud Injustice Of leaving
means for usurping liberty on the statute
| books
In order to show the sbuses committed
| IN suffrage. he referred to the city of New
York, where acts had been committed tn at
brought shame and di-gr-ce 10 the whole
| country. John Davenport was chief SUI
pervisor, the autocrat Of the ballot box
| He, with his cohorts, intimidatsd voiers
from going to the polls and thousands
remained away, rather thsn place them
| selves in the way of lswlrss prosecution.
The deputy msrshals and supervisors were
federal Ku-KluN, orgsuizsd to intimi-
date freemeu and cheat them OF their
rights. What happened in New Yors
might occur elsewhere. No man
would say that such a statute should
longer continue in force. Mr.. voorhees,
lmplored the American people not I" forget
that their Liberties are trampled under foot
in scorn and contempt. He then proceeded
TO another branch of law on the subj of
popular Election, the President in certain |
cases being authorized TO employ land and |
naval forces at the polls under vague pre-
tense OF keeping the peace. The President |
"a Commander Chief of the army and |
navy could give such orders a. would tend |
to crush the liberties OF the country |
after the manner Of C@'ar, Napoleon |
the Great and Napoleon the Less; like them
AZ president, could send out his ennis aries
to stir up trouble in the South and thus a
pretext WAS found for the EN- ployment of
troops. In that section the president was
Judge of the number of the troops he would
employ, and under the present laws he
might order the troops to New York and
New Orleans on election day to overawe
people, simply under pretence Of keeping
peace at the polls. Mr.. Voorhees, then
alluded to the Civil Rights Bill of 1869,
under which he said the president could
use the army anywhere under the pre- ense
Of enforcing Its provisions, thus being plsc
I'd under the power OF the president range
Of subjects as extensive "a the
rights OF man under free constitution
In the vast scope this Law placed abso-
lutely in the power and in the hsrd+ of
one man, there was a natural PHASE of
human affairs in the states and territories
that could not he interfered with by the
army Mr. voorhees, read other laws to
show TO what base use the military power
might be applied in controlling elections
States commissioner, could call upon the
military aud naval force to support him
in his proce diugs
Mr.. TELLER followed Mr. Voorhees,.
He said the Democratic party had hereto
fore sustained the exercise Of the veto
power by Democratic President; and he ! I
could not recall single instance to the
This law had existed fourteen
years without being objected to by the op- |
posite party, and If it was unconstitutional I
he thought it strange that the fact had !
just been discovered. The proper place TO {
test the validity OF a law w.s in the courts 1
Of the country, and all parties should be {
willing to submit to such arbitration. He,
himself, deprecated the Use Of the army TO I
snforce civil processes, except in 1
extreme cases; but the Democrats 1
lad not always been SO afraid OF the mill.
airy power as they now are. Mr.. Beck |
mad yesterday quoted from speech made Q
" Mr.. Seward in 1856, protesting against ]
he use of the army, but Mr.. Teller pro- /
Dosed TO show that on that occasion Mr. Z
seward was earnestly combating the Dem u
,cratic plan to send the army into Kansas v
o enforce certain odious laws OF the terri I
orial legislature Among other things i
hese laws denied to men conscientOusly u
opposed to slavery the right to sit on II
uries in cases where the right to
lold slaves was in question compelled ter /
itorial officers to subscribe to an oath to a
Import the fugitive slave law; made it a C
riminal offence 10 assert the illegality Of q
lavery; TO introduce into Kansas any pub e
ications touching or limiting at that doc Ii
rine, or to assist slaves to escape Mr.. d
,ewsrd had denou need these laws subver- Il
i've of the right OF free speech and free IL
'ress, but not a Democrat voted with him to "
eep the army from enforcing them. Mr. v
Kelley said the Democratic party seemed to Ii
e for full ballot. All frauds on the bal d
OF for the last thirty years, he said, ema- a
ated from or had been 10 the advantage O
I the Democratic party. He cited the "
rauds in Kansas in 1852, and 1854; in IL
.ouisisna in 1874; and in New York City n
q 1865. He did not desire to misrepre- II
ent the South, but would only state the u
acts in regard to that section, which, in
is opinion, made federal su-
ervision necessary TO fair cleo
ion. He then reviewed, at considerable ;.
angth the testimony taken before The :,
of which he was chairman, de. =,