Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-03-20

amendment was agreed to- yeas o. nays IL,
the Republicans refraining from voting, saying
the Democrats might fix it up to suit them
selves.
MIR. Ewing said hat the election laws having
been declared constitutional, they must be 80
treated pro teniporc. The people had been i'm
pressed by former decision of the judges of
the supreme court, the electoral commission,
with the fact that the fire of craftsmanship burn
ed beneath the ernine as strongly IA beneath
the jacket of the people. But for time these
laws must be treated constitutional. He
did not mean that the representative of the peo'
pie must vote any sums of money which
might DO demanded for the execution of the
laws which they believed to be utterly subver-
sivc of the liberty of the people. The Jaws
might be amended by striking from them
partisan features. That was the proposition
coming from gentlemen on the other side,
Garfield, by way of compromise. Should the
Democratic side accept, Or shOuldi 1T tread the
perilous edge which it had trod at the extra
session? Should it stand on its rights, right
indicated by the nOblest names in American
political history? The Democratic party had
been taught by the lesson of the late elections
that it must place itself above cavil, above
clamor and above Misrepresentation which
had formed the whole stock in trade of the Re
publican party for ten years. The majority OF
the people North were tired Of the Republican
been instructed by frequent elections that it
had lost confidence of the Northern people, but
it held on to POWER. How? By the clamor
about Southern brigadiers, by its statements
that the people OF the South meant to renew
their opposition to the constitutional govern
ment If not openly by secession, secretly by
notification. If we now, he said land turning
and addressing his side of the House, refuse
to strip these laws of their partisan
character, if we choose rather to exercise that
extreme, but heretofore acknowledged right, of
representatives of the American people to with
hold appropriations from vicious laws, We Will
find the cry of notification government
in the next campaign from every hilltop and
valley in the North and will find ourselves I'M
able to make an appeal to the judgment OF the
people on whom may rely with confidence,
provided that their judgment is not swallowed
up in passion. l appeal to my Democratic
friends to take the compromise now to nulllfy
those bad laws and make them noDpartisan IN
character, SO that we may be able ere long to
wipe them from our statute books and return
to good ways.
MIR. Hawiey arose and in an excited manner
declared that there was no compromise, that
no compromise had been rendered by the Re-
publican eide, and that he excoaiOted and repu-
dated the amendment.
MIR. McNahon-I hope the gentleman from
Ohio, Garfield, will be sent for.
Mr.. Williams, of Wisconsin, declared that he
would consent to vote for no compromise in re-
gard to the laws however sweetest sugar
coated, until be was prepared. No better de-
vice had ever been conceived by man for Great
ing election riots than the pending PROPOSE
ton. Party strife was to run high and it was
not;the time to abate on lota or little OF the
constitutional legislative power which Congress
Possessed over the election laws.
Mr. Frye remarked that in the absence of Dir.
Garfield the amendment offered by that gentle
man had been by several members on the other
side of the House referred to as a compromise.
He, Frye did not SD regard it, but simply
looked upon it an amendment offered to the
amendment proposed by Springer. No man on
the Republican side of the House, as he Frye,
understood it, proposed to offer an amend
ment or proposed to accept an amendment as
con- promising or anything else on the pending
deficiency bill, whatever might be the purpose,
when distinctive and independent LEGISLATION
should be offered. Mr.. Randall said, the issue
between the two parties, to his minr,
was being narrowed down by the discussion to-
day. This law is tie statute
book We believe it is unconstitutional The
object Of the amendment offered by the gentle
man from Illinois (Spriugcr) is to take from
that act partisan administration of its powers.
On the other side of the House it ia distinctly
asserted by several members who have adj
dressed the House, that they will not be salts
fed with any compromise or any change / 1 the
existing law.
Mr.. Hawley-Not on an appropriation bill.
Derisive laughter from the DemOcrats.) Dis
cuss the election laws all next week on dis
tinct bill and we are with you.
MIR. Randall-We arc ready to meet that
issue. ("Au right from the Republican side.
We say that if marshals are to be used at cleo
tions, whatever may be the cOnstitutiOnality
of such law, the marshals should be divided
between the two or three parties contending at
such election. We will not vote money for
any partisan purposes. We don't want this
money to be used for any party end whatever.
MIR. Robeson-For no party end, does
the gentleman say? Did not the gentleman
from Ohio, Ewing, say ten minutes ago that
he wanted this law for party ends and that
he would take it now Cd account of tho ad-
vantsges which he could get, and that after
ward having attained these advantages, he
would strike all the e.ection laws from the
statue book. applause on the Republican
side.)
MIR. Randall-I take no mans word on
either side of the House. l take the acts
of the party, who have the officers to execute
this law in contradiction to the words of any
body. You have administered this law in an
outrageous and unjustifable manner.
Mr.. Reid-Not 30. (Excitement).
Mr.. Randall, continuing-And We ask no
more to-day than that the statutes shall be
made SO that its powers shall be exercised on
all alike, and those who administer the laws
shall be drawn from the great body of the peo-
pie without regard to party associations or af-
fliations. applause on the Democratic slde.)
MIR. Garfield rose to reply, prefacing his
speech with the remark that all members pres
ent were equal and that no member
had Iany authority to bind anybody
but himself. He therefore spoke for
himself. as he always did. The
first object which he tried to have before
his mind in legislation was to be right,
and on this question of the election laws, after
a long and heated session of debate in which
all sorts of accusations had been made against
them, there had been made but one Judgment
in his mind unfavorable to the election laws.
There had been one charge made by the other
side, and in SO far that charge was true. He
considered it a just objection to those laws.
The charge was that the election laws had been
used, or were capable of being used, for filling
an election precinct with men of one party
whose time could be used at the public ex-
pense for party eng ineering and electioneer-
ing purposes. If the laws were capable
of being so used 1t was in that event an unjust
law. Expressions of approval on the Demo
cratic side.) At all times and on all proper &C.
casions he had expressed himself and did now
express bimself as willing to modify the law
so that the alleged abuses should not take
place. Applause on the Democratic side