The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-05-08

stitution, make the military superior
to the the civil power. This is thu
philosophy, the Significance of the
veto, How does the President defend
his position?
= 1t is very kind and conciliatory on
the part OF the President to say that he
would have approved the bill had il
contained no other provision than the
naked appropriations of money. He
Us to believe-and when
we speak of him we speak more of his
party than of him, for he has been
forced to do a hateful thing-that he
will permit Democratic Congress to
appropriate money to execute Repub.
lican laws. The Message recites the
statutes Congress asked leave of the
President to amend, aud tho amend
ments Congress begged permission Of
the Executive to make. 1t will be
plain to every reader that the effect OF
the proposed and vetoed amendment,
would be to deprive persons in the
Federal service of the privilege OF
keeping Federal troops of armed men
at the polls. This is all that Congress
proposed, and this is all that is vetoed
The President argues that there are
already in the statute books laws ssuf'
fclent to prevent military Interference
at the polls,' and he quotes the stat
utes. If the proposed legislation il
only a duplicate of lave already in
force what excuse is there for q veto
Why cling so tenaciously to those
eight words, 'or to keep the peace Al
the polls. if they are of no consequence
What President ever vetoed q bill sim
ply Because it was tunnecessary'-be
cause the same provisions were found
elsewhere in the law7 But the frs
grand objection the President has te
approving -tAis -biif is that under e1.
,sting lasos, there can be no military
interference soith electionsP He ex.
ercises the high Veto power, and for.
bids the annual appropriation tor the
support of the army because there i
no necessity for the enactment Of Sec
tion, six of the bill before him to pre-
vent military interference at elections.
Who shall Judge of that necessity
Congress or the President7. Has Il
come to this, that the Government
must stop simply because the Execu.
tive thinks q certain clause in an Ap.
preparation Bill unnecessary The
President says that there has been nc
case of such military interference, and
by the eternal, while he is President
there shall not be. q This, if true
would be the best reason in the world
for signing the bill, and the worst ir
the world for vetoing it.
But the President says that the part
of section six of this bill which is sig
nifcant and vitally in.portant is the
clause which, if adopted. will deprive
the civH authorities of the United
States of all power to keep the peace
at Congressional elections This, also
is the part of the veto message in which
its hypocrisy is most plain and it's rea
purpose most significant. The Presi
dent had just said that there had been
NO military Interference at the polls
and that there should not be any. The
only inhibition in this bill is to pre-
vent that. The bill before him only
said that No military or naval officer.
or other person engaged in a civil,
military or naval service of the United
States, shall order, bring, keep or have
under his authority or control any
troops of armed men at place where
any general or special election is held
in any State, unless it be necessary te
repel armed enemies of the United
States. g.. e.. ...,...1.. s. ;.~-.s.,5
This is all. And having said thai
there were other laws ample to pre-
vent military interference at the polls
and that there never should be any
military interference at the polls, hs
vetoes bill because it fOrbids tcivi
authorities of the United States te
use troops at the polls What matters
it, if the Federal Government is to uss
troops at the polls, whether the troops
are commanded by military or nava
officer, or by civil officer Of the Gov
ernment7 1t does, however, matter
1t would be far better if the troops al
the polls were commanded, by sol
dier rather than by . polititian. This
fight is made to retain the power o.
the Federal Government to use troops
at the polls through sits civil that is
its political, its Republican-agents
This is tile essence Of the veto. A
Deputy Marshal must have power tc
summon,4a whole army to single
ballot box, adding, in this cluster ol
infamous laws, the unrestricted FEEDER.
al bayonet to wholesale Federal bri'
berry TO s,keep the peace at the polls.
What have tho civil authorities of tn,
United States to do with elections
Tho United States have no voters
The u United States are not q polio,
force. The highest Court of the Unitet
States has settled this question. Th'
Supreme Court has decided (Minor VI
Happersett, '21 Wallace, l7S that the
Constitution of the United States doe'
not confer the right. of suffrage upor
any one.' The same Court has decided
Omitted States vs, Reese. 2 Otto, 217.
that. the Fifteenth Amendment does
not confer the right of suffrage upon
any one. The Court also said. in the
former opinion ..a.f.7.,.7 .ft
"The United States has no voter'
in the States Of its o,on creation. Zht
.elective officers of the United State.