The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-10-13
Davenport's Tactics.

The New York Herald. in the course OF |
q long article on the Davenport registrs-
ton papers outrage, says relative to the
unwarranted conduct of Davenport that
1T is his duty Immediately to revoke the
obnoxious clause of his instructions or to
exhibit to the community legal warrant
for its issue. A careful examination OF
the federal election laws and of the statut- |
es and legal decisions with regard toI
certificates of naturalization does not dis
close to Us any lawful foundation for 1t.
The decisions of the courts are uniform
that certificate of naturalization IN due
form, issued by q court of competent
jurisdiction. has the character and attrl-
bates of Judgement, and is equally con-
elusive. 1t cannot be impeached and in.
validated on an inquistion eonduced by 9
federal super visor in the summary manner
which Nj, Dayenport,s order contem plates.
It imports verify on its face and can only
be impeached By proper judicialS proeeed-
ipgs even for fraud in its procurement
The mere belief of federal supervisor that
it is tainted with fraud does. not entitle him
to take it forcibly from its possesscr. 1t
it gross insult to the Judiciary to.assume
to subject the question whether such
certificate was Improperly granted" by
the court to the arbitrary discretion of
such an officer.
In the third place, as to Judge Blateh
ford. Itis his duty to GUST MIR. Davenport
promptly from the Office Of iefsupervisor
of elections if be shall refuse or neglect
to revoke the instructions in question. The
Statutes invest the judge with power to
remove the supervisor for lack Of faith
fulpess" or of : capabihtg." Surely the
issue Of an order unwarrauted by law and
adapted to provoke iFioiense. and perhaps
occasion bloodshad at every polling place
in the city of New York, justihes
suspicion of the lack of both qualities in
the officer who devises such mandate,
and If this officer, having his attention
summoned to its impolicy and iliegality,
does not revoke it, the suspicion forthwith
ripens into certainty. Mr. Davenport
being thus distinctly Judge Blstchfords
subordinate. we respectfully suggest to his
superior that if this affair is suffered to
progress to rioting he cannot escape
responsibility in his own conscience or in
the esteem Of his fellcT citizens, There
Is no time to be lost in putting an end to
this dangerous game which MIR. Supervisor
Davenport is playing with the good order
and good name of this great city, the
liberties of its voters and the exercise of
their electoral franchises. It may be sport
10 the politicians, bat it is sporting with a
fire that easily may involve the whole
community in flames.
The day has come for plain and posi-
tive language. We warn Mr. Davenport
republican sponsors on the one side that
they are severely strainiug the credit Of
their party among independent voters by
tolerating his despotio course. He is their |
puppet. What he does in his important
Office is done for their partisan advantage |
not for the purity of the ballot box. His
dealings were thousands OF citizens at the |
election of l87S-arresting and imprison |
ing them on charges which never we're
brought to trials conclusive that the
design in their arrest and imprisonment
was to withhold their votes from the bal
lot box arbitrarily because it was believed
that they would be cast for democratic
candidates and not merely because it was
believed that they we're not entitled to be
cast at all. That was an outrage which
must no be repeated in 1880. On the
other side VIC exhort the democrats sof
rev York to remember with shame and
humiliation that it is the naturalization
frauds that were perpetrated By their own
leaders during the booming time of Tweed
which have afforded the occasion and the
presext for Mr.. Dayenport's doings, and
we warn them against being seduced or
betrayed into condoning those frauds in
the course of their resistance to a repeti-
ton OF the outrage. or into alternating the
sympathy of impartial citizens By resort
ing to violence either of word or of deed.
1t is the Obvious design of Mr., Supervisor
Davenport to encourage his .adversaries to
rut themselves in the wrong In order To