New-York tribune., 1879-05-06
VHAT THEY WANI.

The campaign of the Democratic party
against the Federal election laws Is a cam
paign of false pretences. No Democrat in
Congress believes that there is now or, under
any imaginable circumstances, ever can be,
the slightest danger of interference by the
Executive with the freedom of the ballot; no
one believes that it is in the power Of the
President, with the whole United States Army
at his back, to intimidate single Ameri-
can citizen in the exercise Of the suffrage no
one can even conceive of a state of things in
this country wherein military force could in
fluence the result of an election, unless by
nsuring the overwhelming defeat of the
party that attempted to employ it. The cry
of the bayOnet at the polls" whateverit may
mean in countries where the army is the in
strument of irresponsible power, can be nothing
with us but a foolish and bOmbastic figure
of speech. In those days when the Demo-
cratic party used to sustain President
Buchanan in using troops to "enforce the
claws" in the Territory of Kansas, Mr.. Pen
dletOn declared that the clamOr about bayo-
nets at the polls was "the suggestion of a
"weak Imagination, and not the sober appre-
"hension of manly judgment" The plain
truth is that American voters are not afraid
of soldiers, and American soldiers, who are
mostly voters themselves, are not the enemies
of free election. There is not a Democratic
politician in Congress nor Democratic news
paper in the United States impudent enough
to assert that at the spectacle of q military
guard near the polling places-supposing such
grossly improbable sight-a single voter
would be frightened into changing or with
A. 1Io IL
truaut boys, who run away when they see a
policeman
But however harmless the soldiers might be
in the neighbOrhoOd of the polls, the posi-
bilty of their interference in elections has been
removed by the most stringent statutes. The
President and his subOrdinates are positively
forbidden to use the Army as posse conf
"tatus, or otherwise, for the purpose of exc
"cuting the laws, except in such cases and
"under such circumstances as such employ
"ment of said force may be expressly author
" lied 10y the Constitution, or 10y Act of Con-
gress." Violation of this prohibition is made
a misdemeanOr punishable by $4,000 fine
and two years. Imprisonment. 1t is absolutely
forbidden to all persons in the military, naval
OF civil service of the United States TO order,
"bring, keep or have under their authority
&" or control any troops or armed men at the
"place where any general or special election
Z" is held in any State, unless it be necessary
to repel the armed enemies of the United
Estates, or TO keep the peace at the polls"
The penalty for any infringement of this lawis a
fine of not more than $4,000 and imprisonment
for not less than three months and not more
than five years. A similar punishment is
provided for any officer or other person in the
military or naval service who may attempt by
order or otherwise 10 prescribe the qualifica-
tions Of voters, or to regulate the manner of
holding an election, or by force, threat, intim-
idatiOn or otherwise may prevent any qualified
elector from voting, compel an election
officer to receive the vote of q person not
qualified, or interfere in any manner with the
duties of election officers, OF the free exer-
else of the suffrage. The statutes are as
sweeping and comprehensive as it is possible
to make them. The penalties are severe, and
are directed not only against the superior
authority ordering violation of the law but
the subordinate officers and even privates
charged with the execution of illegal COM
mands. No loophole is left for the evasion of
these safeguards against military interference
with the suffrage; nor is 1t pretended that
they ever have been evaded.
What then do the Democrats wantf Every
body knows: they want free fraud. There
are certain States in which they control the
administration without possessing a majority
of the voting population. They have captured
those States by the most shameless violence
Their rifie-clubs have invaded the polling
places and driven off Republican citizens