Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-09-13

they now seek, by a cor
rupt and tyranical execution OF the
election laws, to throw every posi- |
bic obstacle in the way of the nat
uralized citizens right to vote. The
purpose to thus use election laws |
disclosed itself the moment the sub
stitute bill of which / have spoken |
was defeated. That, as | have said,
was proposed as an amendment to |
the House bill. As soon as it was
voted down, the Senator who had
the bill in charge moved two adj
ditional sections to it: one pro-
providing for Supervisors of Elec-
tons, and the other providing as
follows: "And be it further enact
ed, that in any city having upward
of twenty thousand Inhabitants, it
shall be lawful for the Marshal of
the United States for the district
where such city shall be, to appoint
as many special deputies as may be
necessary to preserve order at any
election at which Representatives
in Congress are to be chosen and
said deputies are hereby authorized
to preserve order at such elections,
and to arrest for any offense or
breach of the peace committed in
their view"
The bill, thus amended, passed
both Houses, and was approved by
the President July IA, 1870. This
bill was the entering wedge for the
enactment of the Voluminous Con-
gressional election laws that have
since passed. 1t introduced the
United States Deputy Marshals
upon the scene, under the pretense
of preserving order at the elections,
but it stopped far short of the pow
ers conferred upon them by the sub
sequent acts, to which ] will shortly
refer.
AT the next session of Congress
the Radical leaders returned to the
charge and by the acts approved
Feb. q, 1871, containing twenty
sections, set up the vast machinery
of Federal interference in the cleo
tions of the people that now exists.
This act provides for Chief Super
visor of Elections, for two other
| Supervisors in each district or vot-
ing precinct in any city or town
having upward of twenty thousand
| inhabitants, all to be appointed by
a Federal Judge; and it then con-
fers upon the United States Marshal,
on the application OF any two citi-
szens of any such city or town, pow
er to appoint as many Special Depu-
ty Marshais as he shall see fit to aid
and assist the Supervisors of Elec-
tions to keep the peace, to support
and protect the Supervisors in the
the discharge of their duty, to pre-.
vent fraudulent registration and
fraudulent voting, or fraudulent
conduct upon the part of any officer
of election, and with power to ar
rest and to take into custody, witt
or without process, any person who
should commit, attempt or offer t.
commit, any of the acts or offenses
prohibited by the act, or any offenst
against the laws of the United
States; provided that no person
should be arrested without process:
for any offense not committed il
the presence of the Marshall or hi:
general or special deputies, or eithel
of them, or of the Supervisors O
Election, or either of them. AnC
for the purposes of arrest or thu
preservation Of the peace the Super
visOrs of Election, and each of them
should, in the absence of the Mar
shal's deputies, or if required tt
, assist deputies, have the same
duties and powers as Deputy Mar
shals. And it is further provided
: that the compensation of Deputy
Marshals shall be at the rate of five
dollars per day for not exceeding
ten days. The tremendous powers
conferred by this law upon these
officers-SupervisOrs, Marshals anC
special deputies not be under
stood without reference to the en-
tire statute and the multitude o
offenses that it creates. 1t inteferes
with the registration of voters and
with the election, and undertake.
to punish the State Registrars anC
the State Judges of election fol
numerous offenses declared by the
act, and in some instances to re
quire them, under pains and penal
ties, to disregard the State law they
swear to support. And it places
J every one of these State officers al
the mercy of the irresponsible Dep
uties appointed by the Fedora
Marshal, and who, according to the
experience we have had of the act
have generally been men of the
; basest and most degraded character
, that could be found ] men who have
served terms in the Penitentiary
men who were notorious thieves
men who kept houses of infamous
resort; in word, the most despica
BILE characters that could be raked
, | -, nj Of
| Philadelphia, or elsewhere. TIC
J these wretches is given the poWel
, to tear the Judges of election from
J their seats by an arrest WithOu
: warrant, to arrest any, the mos
, respectable voter in the city, anC
/ thereby to prevent him from exer
r cising his right of suffrage and t,
/ terrify whole bodies of voters by
| threats of arrest and by outrigh
/ violence. This is no overdrawl
: picture. 1t is not drawn strongly
? enough. Whoever will read teSti
? mony taken before committees o
+ Investigation of Congress in regarl
to the elections in New York
! especially the election of last year
. will be amazed at the detail o
} epormities, almost too shocking 70
2 belief, committed by those Super
Visors and Deputy Marshals. Thei
/ great object seems to have been t.
: prevent naturalized citizens from
1 voting, and for this purpose hun
! dreda of arrests were made, and tn
4 persons arrested held in custody I'm
= til they surrendered their natural
f ization papers or agreed not to vote
Among. the hundreds of arrests act
uallY made, and the thousands 0
: persons against whom warrant
= were prepared, it is difficult to find
/ so far as ! have been able to dis
, cover, the name of an American
r born citizen. Indeed, the execu
ton of the law was a regular Know
t Nothing crusade against natural
, lied citizens, and it has been esti
: mated, with apparent reason, tina
: at least five or six thousand of sucl
r citizens were deferred from Votins
5 last fall in the single city of New
t York by this persecution. OF tn,
/ cruelties practiced on those wht
were arrested, of their confinement
in a sort of cage in the Office of thu
Chief Supervisor, Of the suffering
: they underwent while thus confined
: / have no time tonight to speak
: / wish you could all read the testi
mony that details these matters, fol
l venture to say that there is not al
honest or humane man in this audi
ence who would not be shocked a.
, tho rocitaI Tho trIJth iC tbo+ +I,it