Mexico weekly ledger., 1880-03-25
CONGRESSIONAL.
HOUSE.

q ""' euo uoob Interesting {
:: the present congress, the debate
being both inspiriting and exciting
The House had gone into committe
OF the whole on the deficiency. bill
The pending matter was the amend
ment offered by Mr.. Springer, ex
VI tending Mr.. Garfield's substitute. a
amended by Simington, to genera
deputy marshals. This, if adopted
- would leave the substitute in tn
y words of Mr.. Springer's amendmen
% with the addition of an amendment
: from Mr. Weaver, providing that /
Is there be o than two political par
it ties in the field at any election, three
70 deputy marshals shall be appointed
no two Of whom shall be of the same
4 political party. Messrs. Siminetou
ana Calkins supported the amend.
O ment, and Mr.. Whitthorne called the
attention of Democrats . to the fact
that If the election laws were not
' modified the administration could in
: the coming presidential election ap-
p, point deputy marshals al infnlu,n.
f and could so pack and stock the cleo
+ ton as to secure a majority in the
next House, and said that when a
conservative Republican tenders a
compromise on this question. he
thought it ought to be accepted, in
order to secure a free and fair cleo
: ton. Mr.. Reed remembered that at
tie extra session fifty gentlemen on
the Democratic side had declared
these laws unconstitutional, and vet
the supreme court decided that they
were constitutional. He only stated
this to show how little the supreme
court knew about law.
Mr.. Springer's amendment was
then adopted. Yeas, So; NAYS. 81
Judge Buckner entered his protest
against the heresy uttered on the floor
that congress was Invested of power
by decisions of the supreme court.
He was opposed to Mr.. Springer's
original amendment, because it ap.
pears to recognize that pestiferous
heresy. Mr.. Hawley agreed with
Judge Buckner to a certain extent.
Mr.. Ewing said the election laws
having been declared constitutional
they must be SO treated pro tempore.
because the public mind never rested
on a constitutional question if it was
obtained by a party division of the
tribunal. The people had been i'm {
pressed by a former decision of the ,
judges of the supreme court, the
electoral commission, with the fact
that the fires of ~partizanship burned i
beneath the ermine, as beneath Jack
cts worn by other people. But for a e
time, these laws must be treated as 9
constitutional. He did not mean that =,
the representatives Of the people must t
vote for any sum that might be de- y
manded for the execution of laws q
which they believed TO be subversiye :,
OF the liberty of the people. These !.
might be amended by striking ~
out partisan features. That was the q
proposition coming from the other f.
side, from Mr.. Garfield by way of n
compromise. Should the Democratic +,
party accept, Or should it trample
under foot what had been offered, +,
md tread again the perilous edge of ~
the preclpice which it had trodden a, ..
The extra session.? The Democratic u
party had been taught by the result II
the late elections to avoid taking q 81
for right even where it was g
% misinterpretation and misrep- II
'esentatlon was the stock in trade of \,
he Republican party. We had better hi
lccept the compromise and divest Ia
hese laws of their partisan character cl
nd after a while we will be able to Fl
ylpe them Off the statute book. MIR. A
1awley here rose in an excited man. NJ
Ter and declared no compromise had p,
,een offered and that he repudiated W
wUId. ',
Mr.. Mcmahon: I hopeu Tie gen phl
lernan from Ohio (Mr. Garfield9 h.
would be sent for. Mr.. Williams IN
declared that he would consent to no df
compromise, however sugar coated, ar
'ntil he was prepared to repeal the n
laws. Mr.. Frye said that in in
he absence of Mr.. Garfield his a
mendmeut had been attended to by tb
he other side rs a compromise, but ar
le regarded it as an amendment only, or
Mr.. Randall: The issue between NJ
he two parties has been very much Y,
larrowed down to-day by the discus th
This law is on the statute On
ook. We believe it is unconstitu- w
lonal. The objecto of the amendment liz
itered by the gentleman from Illi- mi
ois, Mr.. Springer, is to take from an
ne act a partisan administration of to
provisions. The other side of the an
louise, it is distinctly asserted by aft
everal Of its members that have adj IN,
ressed the committee, will not be 10
with any compromise or any
hange IN the existing law in that re- Phi
pect. w
MI. Hawiey: Not On appropria-
Ion bills. Laughter from Demo-
rats. Discuss the election law all on
ext week on q distinct bill and we -
re with you. III
Mr.. Randall: We are ready to ye
,eet that issue. IAN right, from "a
ne Republican side. We say If ~
aarshals are to be at elections, what u
yer may be the constitutionalitv of ye
UGH q law, they should be divided -
eeween the two or three parties con- No ~
ending at such elections. We will III
OF vote money for partisan purpo- wa
es. we do not want this money Nc
for any party end whatever.
Ar. Robesons For no party end. oe