The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-08-23
Lawless Democratic Hopes.

The following official report, forwarded 10
Washington by w. C. Osborn, United States
marshal for the middle district of Alabama
shows how the Democrats of that State not
only resist the United States laws and officers,
and the warrants issued from the United States
law and courts, but how they expect, if Han
cock is elected, to have the United States
stripped of all authority which any white
Democrat is bound to respect in the South:
SR:-In accordan ,e with your instructions,
took the warrants for sPenton and others of
Andalusia. in Covington county charged with
beating and intlmidating United States wit
nesses and destroying processes from the Uni
ted States court. proceeded with three dep
uties on the 18th inst, to Andalusia, in Coving-
ton county. arriving there on Monday morn
ing at daylight. l found that they had been
notified of our approach, and had collected
force of from % to so men armed with double
barreled shot-guns and pistols, AMI had gath
cred in bar-room belonging to and kept by
Penton. went into the room and notified
Penton that had a warrant for his arrest and
that he would have to go to Montgomery with
me. The crowd Immediately gathered around
me, and Penton declared that he would not
submit to an arrest, nor go to Montgomery
until he was carried by force / told him that
he would be compelled to go. and that my ad-
vice to him was to go quietly and obey the
law His reply was, 'Did you come here ex-
pecting to take anybody with you that justified
the force you have got?'' abiding to the dep
uties / had with me- I answered that where
law and order prevailed it was unnecessary to
have any force at all, and that the frequent
declaration that the county was peaceable and
inclined to obey the law, had led me to believe
that they would submit without resistance.
He replied, 81 will fight you to the last ex-
tren,ity before you shall take off any one from
here to-day. When we elect our President,
Hancock, this id foolisbness will stop. The
II TT
this county and its matters" 1 then said to
him, "If you contemplate resistance to the
death, am not prepared to fight such force
as you have collected here, and l will return
until better'prepared' to secure obedience to the
law" ] then returned, and submit my report
for your consideration, Very respectfully
SAM d. OLIVER
Deputy United States marshal in charge
Deputy Marshal Oliver is not carpet-bag-
ger, nor a scalawag. He was colonel in the
Confederate army, and is brave and true
man, says the marshal, in his letter. The ex-
preston made use of by Penton, that ''the
United States has no right to interfere with
this county and its matters declares the gen.
eral Democratic stare sovereignty theory
which prevails in the South. His declaration
that, when Hancock is elected, and the Demo
cratic party gets into power, these attempts to
Enforce United States authority and laws in
the South will stop, is also an expression of
the general Democratic belief and intention in
the South The offenses for which the war
rants were issued were beating witnesses who
had testified before United States courts, and
destroying processes issued by United States
courts This is high offense, and one that no
government can possibly tolerate Armed re-.
sistance TO legal officers, armed with regular
warrants, is also high offense, which no gov.
ernment can tolerate without FORGETTING all au-
thority and respect. Every Democratic vote
is understood by thousands in the South to
mean that such crimes shall not be punished,
and that the United States laws, courts and
officers shall no longer have any power or
respect,