The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1879-09-20


mentality is needed. The people
of the States have been able to pre-
serve the peace at elections cvel
since the Government was formed
as well, nay better, than it has evcl
been preserved in any other coun'
try of popular institutions. The
only effect of the law is to enable
the President TO ovcrawe the people
who are opposed to his Administra'
ton. 4 The Democracy al
the last session of Congress did all
that was in their power to repeal
the statutory provision authorizing
the uso Of the army at the polls.
For that purpose we passed bill af-
ter bill, but they were successfully
vetoed by the President and thereby
defeated. The General Approprla.
ton bill for the support of the army
was thus vetoed, the President, by
defeating it, declaring in effect that
he would let the army go without
support rather than lose the right
to use it at the times and places of
elections. Thus thwarted by an
unparalleled exercise Of the one
man power, We had nothing left for
us to do but to withhold appropri-
ations from the army when used at
the polls. But this remedy is, in
its nature, but temporary, and may
be too easily evadcd by a hostile
Executive to be securely reliedup-
on. Nothing shor. Of n repeal of
the obnoxious provision will suffice,
and the question. whether it shall
be repealed is ono of the great
questions to be decided by the peo-
pie. This issue is clearly made
and sharply defined. The Repub-
licans in Congress, as well as the
Presidcnt,arc opposed to the repeal,
as their speeches and recorded votes
amply show. The Democrats and
Nationals are to n man in favor of
the repeal. What say youP If
you are tired Of freedom and wish
tho ballot-box to be interfcred with
by the bayonet, vote to keep the
law upon the statute book. But if
you still cherish your liberties, and
wish to cast 4 free and untrammel-
ed vote, unawcd by military force,
vote TO repeal it. And do not i'm
aginc, my friends, that because YOU
have never seen the polls in Co.
lumbus surrounded by troops,
there is no danger to be
10 say nothing of
what has occurred in tho Southern
States, it is but a few years since
large bodies Of Federal troops were
in New York city, upon an
election day, for tho avowod pur-
pose of executing the law We seek
to repeal"
Upon the Naturalization and
Election laws Mr.. Thurman dis.
courscd at some length, which he
compared to tho Allen and Sedi-
ton laws Of an earlier period. He
said:
"When the Republican party af-
ter the first election of President
Grant had the most absolute con-
trol Of the Government that any
party ever posscssed-thc President
being Republican, nearly all, the
Judges of the Supreme and the
other Federal Courts being Repub-
leans, and over two-thirds of the
House of Representatives being of
The same party-thc Radical lead
Frs conceived it possible to once
more assail the rights of the natur-
Allied citizen. This time the at-
tack was made under the guise of
preserving the purity Of elections.
The object was to bring all cleo
lions under the control Of Congress
sional law and Federal officers, and
TO use the whole power of the Fed
eral Government and the Treasury,
too, to maintain the ascendency of
the Republican party. They began
by the introduction of a bill proies-
sedly to enforce the provisions of
the fifteenth article of amendment
to the Constitution, and that bill,
introduced in the House,
after being greatly amended and
was passed by both
Houses and approved by the prcsi-