Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1879-06-05
No. 26.

/ aiS OuI1 dDJuI tilIi) III tIlc CiaiC
of North Carolina, and asks tho
Senators from that State if they aro
afraid of that number of soldiers.
Passing over the obvious fact that
within thirty days ten thousand
could be sent there if desired,
answer that we do fear them, be-
cause they represent the power OF
the United States government and
the cnmity of the Republican party
which wiclds that power; we fear
them as the Hollandcr fears the first
small leak in the dikes which bear
back the waves of the ocean from
deluging the meadows of his homes
stead we fear them as the physi-
c;an fears the first speck of gan
creme i'll the system of his patient
we fear them as the sailor fears the
piling OF the storm clouds upon the
horizon, knowing that their dcccp-
tive beauty covers the fierce desc
lation of the tempest /; we fear them
as the shepherd of the mountain
fears for his lambs at even the fit
ting OF a shadow athwart his path,
for he knows it to he the shadow OF
the eagle, the remorseless tyrant of
the air; we fear them as Charlie
magne feared the rude wooden ships
of the Morse Vinkings on their first
appearance in the seas of his en-
plre; we fear them as all patriotic
Romans feared the crossing of the
Rubicon by Caesar, the passage OF
which with arms in lis hand mark
ed him as the enemy of Roman
| liberty.
Even so we fear and believe that
when an American Executive
crosses the Rubicon of his constitu-
tional powers and appears at tho
place of choosing our rulers, armed
either with the sword or with illcg
al powers of arrest, he thereby
proclaims himself the enemy of the
liberties of onr people. A fragrant
illustration OF the justice Of this fear
is to bo found in the various orGers
Of the War Department directing
the concentration OF troops III tho
States of South Carolina, Florida,
and Louisiana on the occasion Of
the election of 1870. The excuse
that the soldiers were not intended
to interfere with elections or to be
placed at the polls, but only to DC
sufficiently near to keep the peace,
is not sustained hy the facts of that
reign Of military violence, nor will
it be if tried again. / quote from
an order dated headquarters De-
partment of the South, Columbia,
South Carolina, October s, 1876,
issued by General Ringer:
, Should the barracks or camp in any
case be SO far from the place of voting
that prompt assistance could not ON "c-
casion arising be rendered the civil off
GERS, the commanding officer will SO blacS
| his command or Il sufficient part thereof
that such assistance if required may 'e
promptly given. No troops. however,
will be placed actually at any poll of clrc-
ton except upon requirement to that effect
dy the marshal or his deputy.
So it seems that the discretion as
to whether the law should be VIC
lated or not was vested in a deputy
marshal! ! In fact they were Sn il
legally disposed ard used, in a
hundred instances. The President,
as appears by the order Of General
Townsend to General Emory, dated
October 81, 1874, seemed arxious
to have the troops placed at the
polls without the appearance OF
doing so. In that order he pro-
pounds a physical problem or CON
r undrum to General Emory which
that officer had to give up. He
says:
E Cannot points be selected near pulls
where attempts to overawe voters. likely
to sesult in riots, may be made, and
troop stationed there day or two be-
foI ehand? 1t would not be desirable to
have soldiers at or too near the polls, as
| all appearance Of military interference. cT-
cept TO secure Uotcrs their right TO cote, should
be 0G0ioled.
Not to "keep the peace" mind
you, bnt 10 secure voters their right
to vote Now, this was hard
:. problem to place troops so far
from the polls AS to avoid all ap-
? pearancc CT interference with the
! elections, and yet SO pear AS to ac-
tually interfere by securing all men
in their right to vote. QuOd est
, de7aanstrandum. It was too much
!, !, for General Emory--in fact, it was
: to much for common sense and
common honesty. All these orders
show palpablc and shameless de-
= termination on the part of the Ex-
ecutive to control both the elections
! and the counting the votes OF
> presidential electors, as well as
the organization OF State gov
ernments. The manner in which
the troops were shifted ahont trou
one to the other of these three
States, on which the presidcntia
1t election depended, exhinits the ami
C ,,,,,e of tl,ic fa,1oue transaction in :