New-York tribune., 1879-05-23
THE cHlNPIOAS or TREE ELECTIONS.

/
| THE CHANPIOhS or FREE ELECTIONS
! The Congress that was specially convened
! for the purpose of passing the appropriation
! bills, which Il previous Congress controlled by
| the same political party neglected and refused
| to pass, has now been in session nearly two
months. To all appearances il Is no nearer
the accomplishment of its own purpose, or the
| object for which ii was called together, than
at the outset. Its attitude is that OF with
holding the appropriations necessary to carry
! on the Government, except upOn the condition
! tlIat the President shall give his approval
to certain legislation which they desire.
The Constitution has made for the contin-
gency which has arisen i'll this disagreement
between two departments of the Government
4 specifc provision thai no mere majority but
only q tw0-thirds vote of each House, shall
override the Presidential veto. The object OF
| the dominant party of course is to annul this
| provision-to compel the President to give his
assent 20 such measures rs mere majority may
mass. They have been fumbling over the YOcab-
| ulary for some less offensive name than reVolu-
| ton by which the transaction may be described,
| but have not succeeded. One OF their own
| organs says it Is something more than reyo-
! luti0n-it is ruin; aud the observation has the
merit of being accurately true Sull there
| they stand in threatening and defiant attitude,
each day making il more certain that their
conditions will not be compiled with, and
| increasing the difficulties and the disgrace Of
| the inevitable surrender.
OF course this cannot last forever. They
must presently either pass the appropriations,
or record final and decisive refusal and go
| home. Whichever they do, the constituents
| of these stubborn statesmen will naturally
| iuduile OF them as TO the merits of the con-
! troyersy. And orr Democratic friends will
say TO them. as they have been saying all
along, eve took cur stand for freedom Of
elections freedom from the presence and
{" Interference at the polls of Federal troops
or Federal supervisors. On that issue
.'we forced the extra session, and con-
a" fronted the Administration. On that
4" we appeal to tho people But will
that fire the popular heart Will the people
rise up in response and say, " Well done,
good and faithful servants" and proceed to
! give the Democratic party the absolute con-
| troll of The Government it is so eager for 7
| Win the unattached voters flocl; to the Demo
| cratic standard in such numbers such an
| ISSUE rs to bring victory with them 1t strikes
lis that to the cool and thoughtful voters of
! this class-as most of them are-the question
will occur whether, after all, there is any
/ such danger OF the use of troops mt the polls
| as warrants the dominant party in the
| extreme measures it has resOrted TO, or
whether the presence of Federal supervisors
! IL such an outrage that they must be put
| down at such cost. They will be very likely
! 10 inquire who the men are who manifest such
! solicitudc for thc freedom and purity OF cleo
! lions And we ask, in all seriousness, is there
| a Democrat in either House OF Congress with
such constitutional gravity of demeanor as to
be able to answer without his tongue in his
cheekl There are two wings or sections to
this Democratic party, which insists so strenu-
ously on freedom of elections One is the
| Southern, the other the Northern or Tam
many wing. And they are the champions of
| free elections.
Why, there is no fact more notorious in po-
| litical history than that, up to the period of
| Republican rule in the South, there had never
| been free election in those States never n
! time when an opponent of slavery could vote
| there according to his convictions except on
peril of his life Freedom of elections in
| deed Why, for ten years before the war, a
man could not express political opinion in
| the South, much less cast vote in opposl-
ton TO the slave-driving Democracy, without
being tarred and feathered, or perhaps hanged.
And these are the men who come up to Wash
ington and make all this pother about free
| elections, demanding in that behalf the repeal
of laws passed by the only party that
| ever gave the South free electiODs and
| passed for that purpose. too Who that