The daily gazette., 1879-03-22

bill (and especially the supervisor and
marshal clauses) was meant to benefit
Mr.. Conkling in New York city at the
expense of the country at large. The bill
did indeed, In effect, attempt to legalize
the very acts which John l. Davenport
has since done without warrant Of law,
and particularly in requiring all naturali-
zaIion papers granted after July, 1, 1865,
to be renewed. Senator Morton declared
he would not vote for the bill the pres
ent Secretary of the Interior denounced
1t; many other republican Senators and
al! the democrats declared that 10 ought
not TO be acted upon because there was
not time to discuss It. Finally July WAS
set to take vote on 10, and, after hot
discussion, in Which Senators Bayard,
Thurman and Vickers were active assail-
ants of the hill, as being subversive VI tue
rights of natural z,.d citizens, the vote
w9s taken, and the Senate substitute Mr..
Conkhng's) rejected. The Senate then
passed the origin House bill, but, at MT.
Conklings urgent solicitation, added to
1t the two last sections Of his amendment,
covering the provisions for SUPERVISORS
and deputy marshals in cities Of over 70, >
600 Inhabitants.
The bill in this shape was about to pass
the Senate when Mr.. Sumner insisted
upon having his amendment, that neither
color nor race should act as bar to
naturalization, appended to the bill. In
order, as he said, to carry out the Decla-
ration OF Independence. The Pacific
coast Senators at once amended the
amendment by proposing 10 except the
Chinese from naturah zation; hot dis
cussion spIaDg up and was adjourned
TO the 4th of July, on which day one OF
the most memorable debates in the his
ory Of Congress occurred. Such was
the bitter feeling involved during this
discussion, which covered q very wide
range, thai several times in the course OF
the day the bill, supervisors, marsbals
and all, came within an ace OF being de-
feat.d. Mr.. Conkling's personal interest
IN the matter was, however, so strong
that finally procured the reconsideration
and defeat of Mr.. Summers amendment
and saved his bill, which thus became n
law, being approved BY the President
July IA, 1870. The two obnoxious clauses
which have caused so much trouble and
confusion were scarcely under discussi IN
during all the debate, and were appar-
emily not understood in their entirety by
any member of the Senate. 1t was in
this way that this legislation was first
procured. and the case shows how care
lessly and ecklessly measures SO vitally
important to the institutions Of the coun-
sry have now and then been adopted.
The supervisor and the deputy marshals
clauses were Eot left long in their un-
natural position on the naturalization
law.
On February %, 1871, an amended
form of the enforcement act OF May 81 -,
1870, was approved by the President,
and in the body of this measure was in
corporated, in an enlarged and concen-
trated form, all the substance Of the tive
clauses which were then repealed so far
as they stood As sections 4 and of the
act of July IA, 1870. In all the votes to-
ken upon the passage of this outrageous
bill, with its seventeen sections and its
violent pains and penalties, all tho re-
publicans voted for It's adoption and all
the democrats against its adoption. 1t
was, therefore, in no sense of the word
an act Of Congress TO prevent frauds in
elections, but to all intents and purposes
a partisan measure, designed TO secure
ttt political supremacy Of party, in
spite OF the changes in popular sentiment
then threatening or anticipated in the
reinoter future. As such, The republican
minority still struggle To retain it upon
the statute-book.- Bait. San.