The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-06-04
ELECTION SUPERVISORS.
Passage Of Bill In the Senate Limiting
Their Office Tenure and Changing
the Manner OF Appointment.
Strong Speeches by conklng and Edmunds...
Some Sharp Verbal Sparring.

winch were very amusing, COnkllnB,
Hoar and Edmunds sustaining the brunt |
of it Oh the Republican side, and Voor-
hees, Thurman and Mcdonald on the
Democratic. Conkling and Edmunds
were at their best, and displayed more of
wit and humor than is their wont. The
bill is as follows:
BE 1t enacted, etc. That the term of Office of
chief supervisors of election provided for in
section 2,O25, revised statutes. shall be two
years. Such term shall begin the first day Of
May OF each even numbered year. The terms
of those now in oflic shall expire the first day Of
May. 1880, and their successors shall be ap-
pointed from among the qualified electors of
the pr per judicial district by the president Of
the United States, by and with the advice and
consent of the senate.
The debate began by Conkling's re-
marking that he supposed the bill would
be amended rs regards the time ut
which the terms of the present supervis-
or's would expire, as the time named i'll
the bill is already passed, but that it
would still he such as to get them out of
the way before election. Bayard pro-
posed to make it the first of July. Hoar
asked how the supervisors could be APP
pointed when the senate is not in session.
Bayard replied that they could be APP
pointed under the tenure of Office act,
and their names be sent to the senate
when it should meet. HOar embodied
this in an amendment which he offered
as an additional section of the bill.
Bayard explained the object of the bill to be
not to affect the powers OF these officers III any
way, but provide for q regulation Of the tenure
of their Office Under the constitution none but
judicial officers hold life tenurcs. These Off
GERS were appointed in 1871. Many Of them
were still in office, and there was no provision
for their removal for cause. Their Office could
be vacated only by death or resignation.
IIoar asked Bayard Oh what theory the ap-
pointmcnt of supervisors was to be placed in
the hands Of the executive instead OF the courts,
while deputy marshals were appointed by the
courts.
Bayard said there was q wide difference be-
tween temporary quasi police officers and officers
having a long tenure and the great powers and
functions possessed by supervisors.
Hoar said that the senator from Delaware the
other day had insisted upon the desirahiity of
having deputies appointed by the courts i'll order
to secure non-partisan appointments. Now
comes the supervisor, judicial officer OF court,
and the senator from Delaware turns around
and transfers judicial function to the political
power of the government. The inconsistency
was not evadcd by the senator's explanation,
Co.lkling said on February last this bill was
ushcred into the senate by the chairman of the
Democratic caucus CWallace.) Notice was thus
given, ut least TO him (Conkling), that any OPP
position to it would De futile. Therefore, the
few words he should say against 1t were more
formal than hopeful. He wished he could adj
dress himself to two auditores outside the
senate-the president, who could smite tins bill
with his veto, and those people throughout the
country who might infer from the quictness of
ify lI,ri., bp
nant party had undergone change Of heart.
He wished he could point out the link this bill
constituted III the chain of legislation intended
to nuliify the laws guaranteeing free elections
and place them at the unbr1dled behest of apolit-
zeal majority. The old supervisors were to be
removed and new ones appointed only by the
consent of the Democratic majority Of the SEN
ate. Democratic chief supervisors would
recommend Democratic supervisors to the court,
whose function i'll this respect was simply con-
firmatory. The result would be the whole super
vision in the hands of one party. These meas
ures mean business. One is q bill depriving
marshas and general deputies of all police
power touching election andregistration; another
| enthroncs the election of officers, no matter
what they may do, beyond the power OF the
courts and police to interfere. One Is a bill un-
! der which Judge of election allowed one man
in one of the southern states to deposit 744 It's
sue ballots, and although seen by the public, no
! power could lay its hands upon the board of
officers or the individual officer guilty Of
such offcnsc; another is bill under which all
! spectators, rioters, invaders and ruitans having
| nothing official to do with the election may do
rs they please and stalk with impunity at any
election, all peace officers being absolutely for
hidden to lay q finger upon them, unless they
| have time to visit some court or some magistrate
to make the requisite affidavit, comply with the
necessary forms and obtain a judicial warrant.
They may lock up the door but not until the
horse is stolen.
And aft all that were not enough, now comes
provision sweeping out those officers appoint
cd by judicial courts and putting into the hands
of a majority of the senate the selection
of their SUCCESSORS. And then some
excellent man and keen student of events who
knows all about it, because he reads the public
Journals, goes out among his nefShbors and
saws, :" Let us all congratulate ourselves; every
thing is so pacific" II the Democrats felt now
as they did ut the extra session how alarmed VIC
should be: Low necessary to be on the alert; how
differently we all should act. But now since
they have all sunk to rest, since every Demo.
cratic representative and senator "wants to be
an angel and with the angels stand, what q
perfect and unexpected millennium it Is. How
secure, how full of repose. With what perfect
IMMUNITY every man may now buy farm OF
woke of cattle, or pursue the vacations OF peace,
knowing that neither the Democratic nor the
Independent party will do anything to make him
afraid. Laughter, in which Davis Qll.) joined.
If the minority of the two houses can quietly
without din or alarming the country, without
notoriety, put on the statute books the three
bills to which refer, and also that curious con
ception which appeared in one form generally
as rider to the deficiency bill-if they can Dc
all that, and, in the language of the race course
"get away with it," without being reviewed OF
clastised by popular sentiment, and with all its
language and intents being known III all nooks
and corners of the land, it will indeed be a feat
| xfarify irel III
history of parties. When this bill and its like
measures come to he understood, their inlluenc,
will be irresistible, which will tend to neutralizt
delusions in respect to party purposes under
which many men are laboring.
Mcdonald said that he did not believe
federal interference with elections III this
country was within the constitution OF
beneficial in its results, and he then went
ON to say that as they could not repeal
the election law, they intended to take
ont its teeth. He then denied that the
bill under discussion had been intro
duced as the result of Democratic
caucus, and proceeded to express the hope
thst the day would come when the whole
machinery now surrounding iederal
elections will be swept away-whlch II
frank, to say the least. 1t has always
been apparent that the Democratic
party opposed any machinery de
signed to protect the purity of the bal
lot box, but they have never before 81
plainly avowed it.
Teller alluded to the use of tissu,
ballots in the south, and ridiculed tn,
idea that the bill is i'll the interests Of I
pure election.
Thurman moved M amendment as follows
Crowded that no person now holding or VIII
has held the Office of chef supervisor OF cleo
tons shall be reappointed."
Edmunds-IIet us have that read again, !
sounds quite like the "Ohlo Idea. lLaughter.
II was read again.
Thurman hope it will be the idea of tn
: majority of the senate in very short time, ant
of congress and of the president. do not un
dertake to say that every supervisor OF election
who has been appointed heretofore Ii pa
at all, but l know there have been bad me
among them-one man 10 bad that think hi
: name will be infamous in the history OF TIN
. country and do not purpose that he shall
e a supervisor of electi nif can helpit.
: Edmunds asked il there was any precedei
n for congress to declare that certain person
:, should not hold Office because they have bel
some Office before. The Supreme Court ha
o even decided law unconstitutional which di
e qualified persons who had engaged in rebellion
g Thurman said there were precedents in Il
a constitution itself. An importer could not |
= appointed secretary Of the treasury. The'
y election laws said only one Of the commissione
I. of courts should be appointed supervisor. III
Y practically DISTINGUISHED everybody else.
n Hoar said this bill was part Of scheme
destroy liberties by sort Of dry rot. The go
J. ernment was not to be overthrow by blood al
violence, but by corruption Of the ballot box.
An animated running debate followed.
}. voorhees, then took the floor and demands
of those who had charged the Democratic sit