The daily gazette., 1880-04-02

y LAWS.
From the Herald.
WASHINGTON, April 1, 1880.
THE IMMEDIATE DEFICIENCY BILL
PAssRD BY THE sENATE-CHARAc-
TER OF THE FEDERAL ELECTION
LAws--ExAMPLRs OF THEIR OPERA
TIoNs.
The elections marshals clause in the
Deficiency bill was not, after all, much
delayed in. the Senate, its only oppo-
mont to-day being Senator Edmunds,
who, to tue disappointment of good
-fmany. of his friends, squarely opposed
not. merely the amendment but all
!, change in the Election laws. 1t was
supposed that the Republicans would
! resist the amendment on the ground
that it would evoke paralysis and
emasculation of the elections law, ridi-
caled the proposition that these cleo
tions marshals ought to be non-parti-
ssen and seemed to think it of no i'm
portance thar they should even be men
, of good moral character. He spoke OF
the amendment as part of revolu-
tionary reaction, and attacked on the
same ground several bills which had
!. been brought in by Mr.. Bayard and
Mr.. Wallace, amending other features
of the federal elections laws which have
been found in practice to work in an
=. unjust manner.
~ woRxINa OF THE ELECTIONS LAWS.
That is to say Mr.. Edmunds, as the
spokesman for the Republicans, de-
: % ares that these laws ought to stand
> as they are, yet under them it has
been shown beyond dispute that the
elections marshals had been chosen
Z very largely from among the yilest OF
the community, many of them being
Of the habitual criminal class; thai
they have been habitually not merely
partisans but party electioneering Of
fcers; that they have in very many
cases misused their extraordinary
power to arrest without warrant Oh
process of law for the undisguised pur-
pose of worrying voters; that in New
AFotk, Philadelphia and other cities
they have dragged voters away from
the polls and imprisoned them until
the polls were closed, and then dismiss
ed them without charge or complaint.
No one who has knowledge OF the ev-
fdence taken on this subject can doubt
that the present federal elections laws
ought to be carefully amended in thu
interest of justice and peace and OF
fair elections.
AMENDMENTS NEEDED. -
,.-r They contain very grave faults. Fol
- Instance they give the federal elections
officers power TO arrest if they please al
the State officers of election, and tbi.
was actually done in Philadelphia IL
1878, the federal officers, after havins
thus removed the State officers, coollI
counting and reporting the votes them
selves. Now, il is clear that either they
Is ought not to have such powers, or they
ought not to be par,isans appointed b.
the party in power, which has already q
sufficient preponderance in the vigorous
action as electioneers of its numerous
: Office holders. In New York there
were cases where poor men, amonl
them men formerly soldiers of til,
Union, were arrested by the marshals
and released on their promise not I,
vote. In one city the federal supervis
ors were instructed from headquarters
to supervise the vote for Governor, ano
did so, though the federal law, o
course, covers only federal elections
III In other cities it was shown that II,
elections marshals were present in re-
: publican precincts where repeating was
.rried on dd libitum. The law as II
stands is disorderly law, which puts
very great, and, indeed, unlimited power
in the hands of large number of mel
on election day who are selected becaus,
= they are partlsans, and, as a rule, from
among the least scrupuous and orderly
Of the party. To say that the law.
ought not to be amended, or, as Mr..
s"Edmunds asserted to-day, that the at
tempt to make them better is "a system
of revolutionary reaction" is simply u
say that because the large cities are pre,
ponderantly democratic, therefore tn,
republicans will re sist the Just amend
meDt Of laws which in the course OF
n years have been shown to work to th,
great advantage of the republican party
WHERE ELECTIONS MARsHALs ARR
80 USED.
1t must be remembered that elections
marshals may be employed only in tn,
larger cities, and they are, in facl
authorized in sixty-four Northern ano
ten Southern cities. The wrongs an,
abuses which Mr.. Edmunds would,
therefore, perpe:uate, and the utter abate
ment o, which he resists, are dlrecte,
against Northern and not Southen
voters. The Democrats ought to b.
entirely satisfied with his speech to day
for the only meaning of it is that th
republican leaders desire and intend t,
use federal power to control elections il
the great cities in a wrongful and unjus
manRer and by the most scandalolr
Instruments. Mr.. BayaId has show
himself in this matter a wise and ius
statesman, Tor he has from the begin
ming urged the republicans to consell
TO the amendment of thse laws on til,
ground that no party, his own no NOR,
than the republican, is fit to be truste,
with such powers as these laws give
that they are dangerously liable IL
abuse, and that, as their perpetuation i,
certain in time to bring new part,
into power, wisdom and prudence a
well as justice required that both parte,
should come to a speedy agreement
> upon such amendments as would a
least prevent wrongs and grave an,
dangerous abuses.