The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-03-10

rh. <rcis.ous rendered BY the supreme
Want a. the United States on honoay VI
ssver,, c,,es involving the ccnssstutioua'ay
~ me election laws IRE another stfioe 10
The march Of our Government tew~us !.
rsosolidxtcd centrSl dcspotism. Tho piiei
.a,,cmeut 10 our issue a YESTERDAY OF tue
.0sc. ar substsscc Of thcse decisions tells
enough 10 eusbse every one familiar WIN
The matters "a dispute TO draw correct con-
illusions cosccrnipg their na'ore' i"e'
provide way for s,fbiec'ing even TOE 'e'
ci>,stures a the several States totne super.
vIsorv mower Of Congress, and ultimately Oh
sn. snn.v~re Court Of the Usited States
The court in its opinion quotes as SUM
Client Justification for its decisions the Tor
lowing provision Of the Constitution OF tue
mTne times. place., aud manner OF hola-
g.. .a..,io,s Tor senators and representa-
,;v.< shall be- prescribed in each State byrhe
re~islature thereof: but the Congress my
NJ spv time by law nl:ske or alter swch regu-
Istions. except as 10 the place OF choosing
Seaators."
lis easy 10 see ttat II Congress may APP
poiut supervisors Of election to oversee tue
Sta,e officers III the discharge OF their duties
~her they are conducting esections Tor
representatives In the lower house Oh oou'
xresS. chat body may also appoint super
v;sors To oversee the election OF United
states senators By the Legislatures OF TIE
.evrral States. The provision which the
court quotes te prove The powered Congress
IN the one case is framed in soch woros as
A. make II contain all tsat any Judge
I'm The 'heuch OF the supreme Court
vou,d have It contain, seeing that IL
expressly declares that Congress sbali nave
no power 10 name or change ~the place OF
choosing senator's" IL is evident, thec,urt
viii say whenever the question shall arise
before that most potent 81 all the judicial
tribuuais iu the wide werla, at Is evident
that Congress has power to make any pro-
vision concerning the election OF United
Statesfenators which 1t can make concern
ing the election OF members OF t5e House
OF Representatives, except as TO tue pace
of choosing senators. Now, as we have
ALREADY decided over aad over again that
Congress may provide for the appointment
of officials to supervise the election OF the
representatives, II necessarily follows mat
Il may provide for the appointment OF OH
cjals 10 supervise the election OF united
States senator's"
nut the decision goes even further: Ii
holds that Congress may provide for the
punishment OF STATE officers who fail to per-
form such duties as Congress may choose to
impose upon them In connection with the
discharge OF their duties as State officers OF
election, conducting elections for members
OF Congress. or course, then. 1t may I'M
pose similar duties upon the Clerk, the
Sneaker, the tellers, and the sther State
officials in the Legislature who may be In
office when United States senator is to be
elected. Mr.. Speaker LACY may be sent to
the peni.entiary, as were the State officials
In Cincinnati and Baltimore who failed to
perform certain duties imposed upon them
by Congress in tue manner In which part!-
san JUDGES thought they ought to be per-
formed.
And vet, as we said about the decisions Of
last week, so we may say of these, that the
..n.shAr"- -nennle will applaud the court
that rendered them. E~ou the New York
World, nominally Democratic paper. said
last week that il could see nothing wrong
IN the former decisions!
What hope, we repeat, Is there for the
country None at all, unless the Empire
shall be kept of by the election next No
vember OF Democratic President and a
Democratic Congress.
Who In Virginia will dare to stand up
for an unpledged electoral ticket under cir
cumstances such as those IN which the
country now finds itself