The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-05-27
Report Of the Republican Minority on
Political Assessments.

The Republican minority of the Wal
lace Committee of the United States
Senate have submitted report on the
subject of political assessments, and
criticising the bill recommended by the
majority of the Committee. After
quoting its full text they say:
This IS, in short, proposition to prohibit
any employe or person holding Office under
the overnment of the United States from
contributing money or other things of value
for political purposes, either with reference to
states. II is based on the theory that the use
Of money contributed by certain class of
citizens (oHfccholdcrs) i'm a political campaign
ofiicchoIders and used for the same purposes
is n9t crime. IL this bill shall pass, no mnn
holding 9 public Office can be connected with
the public political press; he cannot contrib
ute to pay ordinary and perfectly legitimate
expenses of political meeting. This class of
and distribution of political documents; cam
not contribute money to form and support a
political club society for the dissemination
Of the most wholesome political tcnets CON
corning the rights of man. The establishment
and support of Il reading-rOom stocked with
treated in the same way rs that of contribu-
tion OK money to corrupt voters and destroy
class Of CITIZENS he derived Of n nririlene s
conceded to all othersr Is there more danger
in contributions of men in Office than from
those who are striving to get in? This bill is
indefensibic on any principle. 1t is abhorrcnt
to all ideas of right, and is in violation of
rights of the people granted them by the or
ganic laws of the land The purpose of the
bill of the majority is not to prevent contribu-
ton of money to eniigatcn people on political
questions but to secure u monopoly of such
instrumcntality to men who are seeking Office.
and assail those VINO hold office. 1t should be
entitled "A bill to compel political informa-
ton to be paid Tor from u single barrel. The
Committee might have found on its file evil
dence of great abuses In connection with the
election of 1873. Ii might have found that
very many citizens murdered in
cold blood because they attempted to
vote as their Judgment and conscience direct,
on its files uncontradictcd testimony to show
that tricks, subterfuges, manipulation of bal
fraud, forgery, perjury, ballot-box stuifing
and murder were resortcd to I'm many sections
of the country during TINT election TO defeat
to correct these evils, directed not simply
against the purity OF the ballot, but against the
very existence Of the ballot s the Committee
the political party that has proiited by these
wrongs is the party to which the majority of
that so recently attempted to repeal ali laws
that had for their only object the protection of
voterf Such anxiety to save the people from the
evils of political assessment by a party that
has illegally refused TO consent to any legisla-
the making Of false returns, and various
frauds SO recently practiced to secure the
triumph of that party, subjects the Committee
to n wel-grounded suspicion of n desire to
make political capital and to prevent active
and intelligent officials of the Government
from contributing to the success of the party
that has honored them with Offices. rather than
to correct evils now existing, that there is
reason to fear may exist in future.
The minority report concludes by recon-
mending the passage of bill the provisions
of which are quite voluminous) prescribing
heavy penalties of fine and imprisonment, not
only for levying of compulsory political as
easements by Government officers upon their
employees. but also for a number Of specified
ofrenscs against the freedom and purity of
elections, including bribery and intimidation
of voters at National elections, and the bearing
of arms at any public meeting held for the
discussion OF political questions with reference
TO the election of Members of Congress or
Presidential Electors