Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-30

, and to punish fraud, violence anc
intimidation at Federal elections.
Attention is called to the following
sections Of the revised statutes of the
United States, viz. Section 2O04
which guarantees all citizens the right
to vote without distiction onaecounto O
race, color or previous condition of SER
vitude. Sections zoos and 2006, which
guarantee to all citizens an equal OPP
portunity, without discrimination, to
perform all acts required by law as pre-
requisite or qualification fer voting.
Section 2O22, which authorizes the
UnitedStates marshal and his deputies
to keep peace and preserve order at
federal elections.
Section 2O24, which expressly ac-
knowledges the United States marshal
and his deputies to summon a posse
comitatus whenever they or any of
them are forcibly resisted in the exc
cution of their duties under law, and
are prevented from executing their
duties by violation of section 5522,
which provides for the punishment of
the crime of interfering with supervi-
sors of election and deputy marshals
in the discharge Of their duties at the
elections Representatives in congress,
are some of the laws on this subject,
which it is the duty of the executive
department of the government to en-
force. The intent and effect Of the
sixth section of this bill is to prohibit
all the civil officers of the United
States, under penalty of fine and i'm
prisonment, from employing any ade-
quate civil force for this purpose at
the place where their enforcement is
most necessary, namely, at places
where congressional elections are held.
Among the most valuable enact
ments to which | have referred are
those which protect the supervisors
of Federal elections in the discharge
Of their duties at the polls. If the
pending legislation should become a
law there is no power vested in any
officer Of the government to protect
from violence the officers of the
United States in the discharge of
their duties. Their rights and duties
under the law will remain, but the
national government will be powerless
to enforce its own statues.
The States may employ both mill
tary and civil power to keep the peace
and to enforce the laws at State cleo
tons. 1t is now proposed to deny to
the United States even the necessary
civil authority to protect National
elections. No sufficient reason has
been given for this discrimination in
favor of State and against National
authority. If well founded objections
exist against the present National
election laws, all good citizens should
unite in their amendment. Laws
providing safeguards of elections
should be impartial, just and efficient.
They should, if possible, be so non
partisan and fair in their operation
that the minority party out Of power
will have no just grounds to complain.
Thepresent laws have, in practice,
unquestionably conduced to the pre-
v%ention of fraud and violence at
elections. In several of the States
members Of the different political
parties have applied for Safeguards,
which they furnish. 1t is the right
and duty of the national government
to enact and enforce laws which will
secure free and fair congressional
elections. The laws now in force
should not be repealed except in
connection with the enactment of
measures which will better accomplish
that important end. Believing that Sec
ton 6 of the bill before me will weak
en-, ifit does not altogether take away
the power of the national government
to protect Federal elections by civil
authorities. | am forced to the con
clusion that it ought not to receive my
approval.
That section is, however, not pre-
sented to me as a separate and indie
pendent measure, but is. as has been
stated, attached to the bill making the
usual annual appropriations in the
election laws Of the country, which is
in no way connected with the use of
the army. 1t prohibits, under heavy
penalties, any person engaged in the
civil service Of the United States from
having any force at the place of any
election prepared to preserve order, to
make arrests, to keep the peace, or in
any manner to enforce the laws. This
is altogether foreign to. the purpose of
any army appropriation bill.
The practice of lacking to army APP
preparation bills measures that are not
pertinent to such bills did not prevail
until more than forty years after the
adoption of the constitution. 1t has
become a common practice. All par
ties when in power have adopted it,.
Many abuses and great waste of pub
lie money have in this way crept into
appropriation bills. The public opiu-
ion Of the country is against it. The
States, which have recently adopted
the constitution, have generally pro
yided a remedy FOR the evil by enact
ing that no law shall contain more
than one subject, which shall be plainly
expressed in its title. The constitu-
tions Of more than half of the States
contain substantially this provision.
The public welfare will be pro-
noted in many ways by a return to
the early practice of the government
established by the constitution or by
the laws passed in pursuance thereof.
Their duties are clearly defined and
their support is carefully provided for
by law.
The money required fAr this pur-
pose has been collected from the pco-
pie and is now in the treasury ready
to be paid out as soon as the appro-
priation bills are passed. Whether
the appropriations are passed or not
the collection of taxes will go on;
I II