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

of the Revised Statutes, the one whose
amendment he vetoes, Authorizes the
United States Marshal and his Depu-
ties to keep the peace and preserve
order at the elections named in that
statute, viz: general or special elec-
tions, and, of course, in the manner
named in the statute, TO wit, by the
use of troops The power to appoint
these Deputy Marshals is without Inn
it, and they may be paid $50 head
out of the Federal Treasury, and, in
addition to this stupendous system of
Federal bribery, the Deputy Marshals
are to have unfettered power to use
troops or the Army Appropriation
Bill shall not pass. If we can not
have an army save on these terms, let
us economize. We can save twenty
five millions of dollars year by doing
without an army. The frontier States
can protect themselves with the money
they pay for the support of the army.
1t is clear, and it is decided, that the
Federal Government has no police
power on election days which it has
not on other days; and. besides, the
claim Of the Message that civil officers
Of the United States are prohibited by
this bill 'from employing any ade-
quate ciUG force to take charge of the
polls is false. II is troops which the
civil officers may not employ. The
President well says that the State
may employ both civil and military
power to keep the peace and to enforce
the laws at the State elections He
might have added that this was done
for three-quarters of a century in thit
country. while Federal muskets at the
polls were unthought of, and the peacs
was kept. 8..s $50
The President desires earnestly t6
urge upon the House of Represents
tives a return to the wise and whole
some usage of the earlier days of the
Republic in which wish we cordially
Join. Some of the early formal intima.
tions we have of the opinions of the
Fathers of the Republic on these ques
tions, are found in, the Declaration o
Independence, we commend some ex
tracts once more to the notice o
the President: =
| "He has refused has assent to lasc
the most soholesonae and necessary fo,
the public good.'' 't'1f
''He has Kept among as sn time oj
peace standing armies so5thout the con
sent of our Legissature.' is-z
"He has affected to render the nsiti
tdyy Independent Of aud superior t.
the civil poscer."
OF course it is idle to look over thu
precedents of half a century and veto
an Appropriation Bill because legfsia-
tion is attached to it. 1t is worse thar
idle, it is hypocritical. When Pres
ident descends to excuse veto of .
bill in distinct terms before him by
quoting from the Congressional de-
bates, basing his veto, not on the bill
but on the debates, he degrades his of
fee and abuses the veto power. When
in addition to all these things, Presi.
dent Hayes attempts to coerce Con.
gress into obedience to his own ca
prices he forgets the words of the
soldier President who preceded him
Il shall have no policy to enforce
against the will of the peoples When
q President may veto bill simple be.
cause he happens to think it is not
needed, bills will presently be vetoed
because of their punctuation, their or
biography or their length, or theii
English style. This power is not to
be SO lightly exercised. When such q
veto, under such circumstances,is sent
to Congress in the name ofs the peace
all the world knows that the veto is q
lie. When such President, in such
a veto message, talks of the unchecked
and despotic power of the Congress-
his action becomes almost that of an
usurper. We are willing to believe
that the President is possessed of good
instincts, but he is in the hands of au-
dacious men; and this step is one steE
toward the time when there shall be
none but soldiers at the pells.-l En-.
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