Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-09-09

House. after being greatly aulthueu anu
anlar,,ed was passed by both houses
and approved by the President on May
SI $50 II is entitled AN act to en-
force the right OF citizens OF the United
states to vote i'm the several States OF
thiS Union. and for other purposes; and
Il contains not less than 23 sections.
have no time tonight TO speak OF this
Law in detail. l can only say in general
way that il assumes TO control the action
Of the election officers of the States when
performing their duties under State laws
and 10 punish them by indictment IN
the Federal courts and by numerous
other penalties for any violation OF the
act.
Having passed this act, the Radical
leaders next turned their attention To
the subject of naturalization. They
passed through the House OF Repre-
sentatives, at the same session, bill
No. 2,2Ol) to amend the Naturalization
laws and to punish crimes against the
same. In the Senate the bill was re-
ierred TO the Committee on the judi
ciary, who reported a substitute for 1t.
To some of the provisions OF this substl-
tute, which was earnestly pressed Tor
adoption. want 10 call your attention,
for OF all measures ever introduced into
the American Congress hostile TO the
foreign-born citizen or denlzen, tins
substitute was the worst.
Now, il may be asked, why do L dwell
So much upon this bill, or rather the
substitute of the Senate Judiciary Com
mittee, since that substitute failed 10 be-
l.. I Il, 40 fAr rt4lZnrlS.
Fist. 10 show what kind of a measure a
large number OF the most distinguished
Republican leaders were anxious TO
adOpt; and in the next place, 10 show
that the election laws oi which
we complain and this know-NOth-
ing Anti-NaturalizatiOn bill were
twin brothers; for then YOU will be bet
ter able To comprehend how it Is that,
i'm tho execution OF the election laws,
they have been turned principally
against the naturallZed citizen.
At the next session OF Congress the
Radical leaders returned 10 the charge,
and BY the act approved February -,
1871, containing twenty sections, set up
the vast machinery OF Federal interier-
ence i'm the elections of the people that
now exists. This act provides Tor
chief supervisor of elections, for two
other supervisors in each district or vOt-
inc precinct i'm any city or town having
upward Of 10000 inhabitants, all TO be
appointed by a Federal Judge; andlt
then cOniers upon the United States
marshal, on the application OF any two
citizens Of any such city or town, power
to appoint "a many special deputy
marshals as he shall see fit,
TO aid and assist the suPervi-
sors of elections 10 keep the
peace, to support and protect the super
VisOrs i'm the discharge of their duty, to
prevent fraudulent registration and
fraudulent voting or fraudulent conduct
upon the part of any officer OF election,
and with power To arrest and take into
custody, with or without process, any
person who should commit, or attempt
or offer 70 commit, any OF the acts or
otfenses prohibited by the act, or any
otfense against the laws OF the United
States; provided that no person should
be arrested without process for any
OtTense not committed in the presence
OF the marshal or his general OF special
deputies, OF either OF them, or oil the
supervisors of election, or OF either Ot
them. And for the purposes oil arrest
or the preservation OF the peace, the
supervisors OF election, and each OF
them, should, in the absence OF the
marshals' deputies, or, il required, To
assist such deputies, have the same du-
ties and powers as deputy marshals.
The tremendous power conferred by
Il th,l.. .,ff
ors, marshas and special deputies
cannot be understood without a refer
enCe to the entire statute and the null
titude of OtfenSes that IL creates. Ii in
terieres with the registration OF voters
aud with the election, and Undertakes
tO punish the State Registrars and the
State Judges of election for numerous Of
fenses declared by the act, and in some
instances 10 require them, under pains
and penalties, 20 disregard the state
law they swear to support. And 1t
places every one Of these State officers
at the mercy Of the irresponsible dcpu-
ties appointed BY the Federal marshal,
and who, according 10 the experience
we have had of the act, have generally
been men Of the haSeSt and most de-
graded characters that could be found;
men who have served terms in the pen
itentiary; men who were notorious
thieves; men who kept houses Of in
famous resort; in a word, the most
deSpiCah!e characters that could be
raked up in the great cities of New York
and Philadelphia, or elsewhere. To
these wrctches isciven the power To take
the Judges OF election from their seats
by an arrest without warrant, 10 arrest
any, the most respectable voter in the
city and thereby 10 prevent him from
exercising his right OF suffrage and to
terriiy whole bodies Oi voters by threats
of arrest and by outright violence This
il no overirAWn picture. 1t is not drawn
strongly enough. Whoever will read
the testimony taken before committees
oi investigation ot Congress in regard 10
the elections i'm New York, especially
the election Of last year, will be amazed
at the detail of cuOrmitlcS almost too
shocking for belief, committed by these
supervisors and deputy marShaiS. Their
great object seems % have been To pre-
vent naluralized citizens from voting
ami for this purpose hundreds OF arrests
were made, and the persons arrested
held in custody until they surrendered
their naturalization papers or agreed
that they would not vote. Among the
hundreds Of arrests actually made, and
the thousands Of persons against whom
warrants We're prepared, it is difficult To
find, 50 far as have been able 10 dis
cover, the name of an American-born
citizen. Indeed, the execution OF
the law was regular Know
Nothing crusade against naturalized
citizens, and it has been estimated with
apparent reason that at least five or six
thousand of such citizens were deferred
from voting last fall, in the single city OF
New York, by this persecution. OF the
cruelties practised on those who were
arrested, OF their confinement in sort
Of cage in the office of the chief Supervi
sOr, OF the sutferings they underwent
while thus confined, have no time to-
night TO speak. | wish you could all
read the testimony that details these
matters, for | venture to say that there
is not an honest or humane man in
this audience who would not be shocked
al the recital. The truth is that this