The daily gazette., 1879-03-03

There were carmen who had left their
horses standing in the public streets; men
whose situations depended upon their
speedy return; men who wished to leave
the city on certain trains. Every imagin-
able vexation, Inconvenience, injury and
wrong which the mind san conceive,
existed in their cases, so that it was pal n
ful for the counsel, who were endeavor-
ing to secure their release, to approach
sufficiently near the railing to hear their
piteous appeals and witness the distress
which they had no power to alleviate
And over all this pushing, struggling,
complaining crowd Mr.. Commissioner
John l. Davenport sat supreme, with q
sort of oriental magnificence--calm in
different to everything but the single
fact that no man who was arrested was
allowed to vote.
AHd what had these men done? These
warrants we're all issued before they had
voted. They were simply in possession n
Of what were said to be Illegal papers,
Aud when they were arrested and
brought before Davenport what was
done with them? Let me quote again
from the same argument, being the state
ment OF an eyewitness:
As these men were brought before the
three comm ssioners who sat in judg-
ment they were asked il they had voted.
If they had not, they were required to
promise that they would not do so. If to
escape the terrors of Ludlow-street Jail
they surrendered their rights M Ameri-
can citizens and made the promise thus
exacted, as the great majority of neces-
sity did, they were released upon their
own recognizance. II they did not they
were held TO bail. II they had voted
although 1t not naturalized such vote
was an additional offense instead of a
| v,al fafi iaY f,, fha nj N ,ct
them they were Immediately released
After sundown, when the polls were
closed and 1t was too late for any one to
vote, the doors appear to have been
thrown open and all set at liberty.
All these infamous proceedings against
innocent naturalized citizens (for the
court subsequently decided in test case
that they we're innocent) were instituted
under and made possible by the laws we
now propose to repeal. Not one OF
these men was afterward tried or con-
victed for illegal voting. Their whole
crime consisted in being in possession of
naturalization papers which had been
issued to them as far back as 1868, and
upon which most OF them had voted an
nually from that date to this, and all OF
them innocently and unsuspectingly.
1t will scarcely be believed, but 1t is
an admitted fact, that an "iron cage" Ca
pable of containing number OF prison.
ers was kept for John Davenport's uses,
and that in 1t, in this free country, num-
bers of naturalized citszens were confin-
ed for the crime of devotion to the
democratic party. 1t was sought to
invalidate their papers by proof that the
court which issued them did not Keep a
regular record. And those poor natu-
ralized citizens were treated as criminals
because the judge of some court ten years
before had not performed, it was claimed
his duty. A test case was made, as ]
have said; the court decided that the
papers were regular; but how many In
nocent men had been humiliated aud
degraded ny being dragged into court as
common felons! And, strange to say,
they were all democrats.
To accomplish this Infamous work In
the southern dis rict of New York, Da-
venport had the help of twelve hundred
and twenty-five supervisors Of election
and thirteen hundred and fifty deputy
marshals; and the cost to the Govern
ment amounted to the sum OF S59, ,267
We are now expected to pay these bills
Let us say, "nevsr.'
What has been the expense of this
system ofpreserving the purity of elec,
tions to the people of this country How
much have republican officials levied
upon the United States Treasury to helI
them corrupt elections and harass the
citizens?
have before me the official figures,
to be fou d in the report of the Attorney.
General to one of the committees of this
House.
In 1876 there were 4,S63 supervisors,
at a cost of Sl06,4l9; and 11,6lO deputy
marshals, at cost of $lll,612. Total
cost, including certain fees, in 1916
S275, ,296. This money was expended in
| the following States: