, 1879-03-23
WASHINGTON.
a Formal Joint Meeting of
the Democratic Caucus
co{{nmittees.
The Majority Favor the
"Modifcation'' of the
Election Laws.
And viii Attach Such Amendatory
Clauses to the Appropria-
ton Bills.
The Modification to Consist Of tho
Abolition Of The Chief
Supervisor,
And the Appointing OF Election Off,
GERS Who Shall Have No
Authority.
The Whole Scheme in the Inter-
est OF the Rouglls and
Thugs.
The Whole Scheme in the Inter-
est OF the R0ugls and
Thugs.
4 Favorable Decision Expected in tho
Fitz John Porter Inquiry.
TIE PROGRAMME
AGREED UPON IN THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS.

TIE PROGRAMME
AGREED UPON IN THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
Epectat Dispatch to 7ae Tribune
WASHINGTON, D. c., March 22.-The joint
Democratic Caucus Committee, after session
Of FIVE hours to-day, agreed upon 4 policy with
regard to the Appropriation bills and the re-
peal OF the Supervisor law. The agreement is
not one which promises q short session. The
talk of compromise has been to 10 purpose SO
far as this Committee goes. In some respects,
tue programme decided upon to-day is even
more violent than the action Of the last Ccc.
gress. Briefly, the plan is this: That the
following sections Of the Revised Statutes shall
be Internationally repealed, the repeating laws
to be incorporated in the Appropriation bills,
viz: Secs. eco to 2,021, inclusive, and Sec.
5,523. Tie difference between this proposition
anl that Of the last Congress Is, that the repeal
proposed then extended from Sec 2,01t to Sec.
$780, inclusive. The new proposition does nos
suggest the repeal Of Sec 2,011 to Sec. 2,0l9,
but OF Sec. 2,02S to Sec. {, ,030, inclusive Yet
this agreement to-day;
GOES VERY MUCH FURTHER
than the scheme Of the last Congress, In that
the repeal OF Sec 5,522 is proposed.
The meaning of this will be more clearly seen
from IN examination Of these sections. The
sections which it is proposed to retain in the
laws are those whicE authorize two citizens it
any city of over 90, 600 inhabitants, OF teu
citizens in any Congressional District,
prior to the registration of voters, to
petition the JUDGE to have the registration
guarded and scru:;nized, TO petition fof the au-
pointmcnt OF tWo citizens, OF different political
parties, abl:: to read 2al write the English
language as Supervisors OF Election. The re-
quirt .lent is that the Court
SHALL BE ALWAYS OPEN
kor the transaction OF business under this juris-
diction; the section prescribing the duties OF
Supervisors, to challenge, to verify the lists to
inspect and scrut;nizc the registration ami The
like, to attend at the polls until the votes are
cast and counted, to scrutinize the manner Of
the yotln. and the method OF checking, to
personally scrutinize and count each ballot,
and to have the authority to occupy such posi-
tions at the polls as will best enable them to do
this There the Democratic Joint Caucus Com
mittce propose that the power OF the Federal
Government shall end. The two Supervisors,
not the Chief, arc permitted to be retained,
but they arc deprived Of a1l their police powers,
aud are to have ,
oSLY POWERS OF INSPECTION AND oBsEnvA-
TfON-
Sec. 2,020, which provides the method for
publishing those who molest these Supervisors,
and gives the Chief Supervisor power to hold
court to determine this, is to be repealed. Sec /
2,0ol, which authorizes the appointment OF
Special Deputies is to be repealed. Sec. g ,022,
which prescribcs the duties ct Deputy Mari
shals, and the following sections, which
give power to make arrests and to call.
upon tue bystanders, are all to be repealed !!
In addition TO that it is proposed i
to repeal Sec. 55'222, which provides the penal
ties for interfering with Supervisors OF Eicc-
lions, Marshals, or Deputies on election-day-
The repeal Of this section would, in fact, repeal
the law which provides any punishment what
ever for fraud and intimidation or crimn
against the elective franchise. In short, thaf
joint Democratic Caucus Committee proposes to:
permit two Supervisors. one OF each party, to I
remain without any powers Us
MUTE, HELPLESS, AND MASACLED SPECTATORS
to represent the General Government, with due
notice given to the roughs, thugs, and repeat
ers that any act OF violence committed against i
Supervisors rs such is not crime, and will not
be punished, and that the United States has no
power to protect these officers In this act OF |
supervision, or to punish anybody for the crimes
which they may discover and report.
This much Was decided as to the negative
icct whether there should be any affirmative
legislation to take the place Of the sectious
of the Election law which it Is proposed to re-
peal. 10 determine that question a sub-cotn- !;
mittec was appointed with Instructions to re-
port again to the General Caucus Committee on
Monday. This Committee on the part Of the
Senate consists of Thurman, Bailey, Herman,
and Salisbury. and on the part OF the House Ut
Chalmers, Carlisle, Atkins, and Springer.
In the Springer bill there is affirmative leefs-
lation to protect the ballot After considerable
discussion it was decided that these radical, vio
lent, and revolutionary provisions should not be
sent first to the President in separate bill, but
should be
ATTACHED TO TUE APPROPRIATION BILLS
as threat. The two branches OF the Caucus
committee found great difficulty In coming to
conclusion on the subject OF general legislation,
and finally they agreed to disagree The House
Committee was very persistent that before
these appropriations could be introduced in the
House, and after they had been sent to the
Senate, the House should be permitted to en-
gage in am legislation which the majority should
agree to take up.
AMONG TIE BILLS MENTIONED
as Of pressing necessity arc the Yellow-Fever
bill, the bill relative to the cattle disease, and
similar measures. The House Committee
favored this general legislation By vote OF
s to 2, Phelps, the eleventh member, being Ill
and not able to be present. Clymer,
OF Pennsylvania, and Bicknell OF Indiana, arc
understood to have been the two men who op-
posed any general legislation.
In the Senate Committee, however, every
member except Thurman opposed any general