Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-03-13

PrOGecG1Om TO the BaAlOt-BOX.
Tits notorious fact that the Democratic
party, as political organization, have
always opposed every effort on the part
of the old Whig party, and of the later
Republican party, to secure a fair and
honest election of candidates to Office
The reason of this unjust opposition is, |
that they are unscrupulous as to the means |
they may use to obtain their ends, and |
laws that would throw guards around the |
ballot-boxes, sufficient to thwart their OBJ |
jects and secure an honest vote, seems to |
be regarded by them as an interference
with Democratic rights-the right to
elect their candidates by the use of the
vilest means they can call to their aid. If
this is not so, why do they always oppose
a registry law? Why do they always op-
pose the provisions of the United States
election law relating to the appointment
and the duties of supervisors of elections?
There is a reason for this, and no other
reason has been shown for the wish to
repeal this law, by the Democrats in the
present Congress. The provisions of this
portion of the law are as just and fair for
one political party as the other; unless
we adopt the Democratic theory that the
Democratic party was born to rule, re-
gardless Of the sovereign rights or hon
est suffrages of loyal maiorities,
There can be nothing more fair for all
political parties, who wish to secure and
maintain the purity of the ballot-box,
than the act Of Congress which author
ICES supervisors of our Congressional elec-
tions; and yet, in order to secure its re-
peal, our Democratic Congress, knowing
it had not in itself merit enough, as &
separate bill, to receive a sufficient
vote to secure its repeal, tackled
it upon the general appropriation bill a
a rider, hoping to get it through Con
gress on the back of the most importan
bill before that body. The Republicans
very properly, refused to be driven int
the repeal of the supervisors law by an.
such improper strategy, and, of course
voted against the appropriation bill. Tn
Democrats persistently refused to allov
this repeal rider to be stricken from tn
appropriation bill; had this been done
the appropriation bill would have passe
and become law, as the Republican
were anxious to vote for the bill, if it ha
with this repeating clause of the superv
sOrs' law.
The result of this unmitigaged cusset
ness ON the part of the Democratic ms
1ority is, that the President has been force
to call an extra session of Congress, c
the 18th of this month, to provide NEAR
tor the support of the Government an
the different departments thereof; whel
tits quite likely, that every measure pr
posed to make necessary appropriation
will be loaded down with riders of an il
relevant character. We hope the Repu
1icans will be firm in their resistance
every attempt to pack riders on the gel
eral appropriation bill.
It is high time that every measure, bo
in Congress and in our State Legislator
should stand upon its own merits, and n
be smuggled through upon the back
some measure that is of superior mel
and Importance to all other measures
be legislated upon.
In order that our readers may see al
know what the provisions of Supervisor
law, sought to be repealed by the Dem
cratic Congress are, we publish them
another column of so-day's HERALD.