The daily gazette., 1880-04-15

POLITICAL RIDERS OR TROOPS Al
THE PoLLs.-The people of this coun-
try and OF all other civilized countries
where men exercise the right of suffrage
are opposed to the interference in the
elections with troops at the polls. The
only party that has attempted their use
at the polls being the Republican party
Of the United States. That that party
did nse troops at the polls is known, and
that it intended so TO use them again as
TO keep itself in power cannet be doubt
ed after the determined hostility II
has made to the exclusion of troop,
from the polls. The bill which was be
fore the House of Representatives ap
propriating money for the Army wa
passed on Tuesday with a "rder" ex-
cluding the use of "Troops al the Polls,
by strict party vote; all the Republicans
voting against supplies for the Army be-
cause the bill provided that none of the
money should be used to pay for the
transporting of troops to be used at the
election polls. Mr.. Ewing, OF Ohio,
made the closing speech on the Demo
cratic side in favor of the bill. He
said:
"The republican party In the House OF
| Representatives has for twenty years,
session after session. put political riders
on appropriation bills. Every one re-
members the political rider that was
placed upon the Army Appropriation
bill, which deprived the constitutional
commander in chief of the army of his
right TO command, and gave him the
alternative of abandoning she arIry or of
surrendering his executive constitutions
prsroRatiye. In twelve years the repub
lIcaD party has placed on appropriate on
bills 387 political riders. The gentleman
from Connecticut tMr. HaNley) arraign-
ed the democratic party TOR placing
riders nm appropriation bills. That geb-
tleman had been mem ber Of the Forty
third Congress, which had backed forty
tour political riders on appropriation
bilis--forty -four rebellions In one Con-
gress. tLanghtert He (Mr. EwinR) was
not much of au advocate of riders on an
propriation bills, but he did not trem BILE
at the idea that the republican party
wenld arraigu The democracy before the
people This tall for putting riders on APP
pronriation bills.
What were the riders? In whose in
.eres,? In the interest OF monupoiies or
tyranny? No. The democracy had nut
on three riders. The frst had been the
prohibition of the degrading use to
which the army had been put, of dispers-
leg 1t into little squads all over the
country and putting each squad at the
beck aud call OF deputy marsbals. The
next rider had been the proviso that a.
long ~ marshals were to be used to in
vest the polls they shoald at least be
chosen by United States Judges, whose
high character would give the country
assurance that the marshals would not
ba used as mere instruments Of party
triumph. Many republicans had voted
tor that rider. Their most distinguished
leader had framed It with his own hand
and mad declared that he would vote for
II If he was tho only man Who did So
But, under the pressure of party exi-
gency, when he felt that his party must
get up little political claptrap and sec
tional agitation, that gentleman when
the roll had been called had been found
voting against the amendment which he
had framed and swore to stand by. The
| third rider was contained in the pending
amendment. Would the republicans 20
| to the country on this amendment which
had already received every republican
vote but twelve. He was willing to con-
irast the political riders which the demo-
craric party had put on appropriation
bills with which the repubhsAn party
had placed upon them"