The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-09-23
q stnrn County Democrat Gauuu ohO ghnrsaag Sept

tiles. OF the character and acts OF these
deputy marshals appointed under the
pretence of securing to the people an
honest election, which they themselves
we're incapable of conducting, the fol-
lowing are specimens, as shown by the
evidence before the Senate Committee
John Homewoo1, marshal, Sixth Dis
trict Sixteenth Ward, drunk, and ar
rested voters without cause drew club
on a Democrat for challenging negro
repeater.
James Brown, deputy marshal, Four
teenth Division, Fourth Ward, convicted
in 1872 for illegal voting, he having voted
twice on the same day.
Philip Madden, deputy marshal Fourth
Ward, one of the most dangerous men
in the city, has been in prison twice
once for highway robbery and the sec
ond time for shooting Colored boy.
Enoch Baker, deputy marshal, Second
Division, Third Ward, arrested John
Carroll, legal voter, without cause, and
locked him up. Carroll was discharged
after a hearing
Fleming, deputy marshal, Sixth Divi"
sion, Eighteenth Ward, distributed Re
publican tickets and challenged voters.
A legal voter was rejected on his chal'
enge intimidated many Democratic
voters.
Such were some of tie deputy United
States marshals appointed at $5 day to
secure fair election in Philadelp phia.
There were many like them.
HOW THE LAW OPERATES IN NEW YORK.
Let us now see how it was in New
York. Some thirteen hundred deputy
marshals were appointed in that city in
1878, ard large number in previous
years. Among them were Jos. Frazier
of 270 Water street, thief and a con.
federate of thieves; James Miller, the
keeper of a den of prostitution in the
basement of 339 Water street Mart Al.
len, who served five years in the Con.
necticut State prison; Michael Costello,
bounty jumper during the war, and
many others of like character.
In addition to the supervisors and dep
uty marshals, the acts of Congress also
provide for the appointment of chief
supervisor of elections in each judicial
district. John l. Davenport has held
this Office in the Southern District of
New York since 1871. He is also Com
missioner of the United States Court.
Under his administration of the United
States election laws the greatest outrages
have been committed upon the rights of
citizens. Thousands of voters have been
arrested, and other tho lsands deferred
from Offering to vote, Prior to the elec.
tion of 1875 he caused the arrest Of 9 800
naturalized voters under the pretence
that their naturalization papers we're il
legal, because the clerks of the courts bv
whom they were granted had not, in his
opinion, made a proper record of them.
Just prior to the election of 1878 this
process was repeated by Davenport and
some three thousand more were arrested,
and their naturalization papers taken
away from them bv this man Davenport,
who had no more right to overrule h
cours and declare the naturalization
papers they issued fraudulent thar had
one of you, But few of the persons ar
rested on the charge of having fraudu
lent papers were ever brought to trial
and all who were, were discharged, their
naturalization papers being held val d the
courts deciding that all the records rs
quired had been made by the clerks,
and if it had not it was no fault of the
citizen who had become natural;zed, and
that he could not be deprived of bis
rights by reason of the failure of a clerk
to do his duty. Davenport, however
accomplished his object, and by his ar
bitrary and illegal acts prevented and
deferred thousands of lawful voters from
casting their votes. The scene before
this chief supervisor and Commissioner.
Davenport, has beer thus described:
From early mornlngtll after the polls were closed
his rooms were packed and Jammed with mass of
prisoners and marshals Not only were they crowd.
ed beyond their capacity but the halls and corridors
were thronged by those who were unable 10 obtain
mission, so that the counsel representing the prs.
and the bOndsm who were offered to secure
their release had the greatest difficulty and were
frequently unGuccessiul In obtaining entrance In
addition to all this was that deecable iron pen on
the upper floor, IN which men were crowded until 1t
they were kept for hours hungry thirsty and suffer
Ing every way until their case could be reached
with scarcely an exception these men had gone to
the polls expecting 10 be absent but short time.
There were carmen who had left their horses stand
ing ID the public streets, men whose situations de-
pended on their speedy return. Every imaginable
veXatiOn inconvenience Injury, and wrong which
the mind can conceive existed In their cases. And
over all this pushing, struggling, Complaining crowd
Mr.. Commissioner John /. Davenport sat snpTeme.
with sort OF Oriental magnlfcence, calmly indif-
ferent to everything but the single fact that no man
arFnqtan Vyaa a "a vrntn
Call you an election conducted under
such auspices free, fair, or honest2 And
to pay all these marshals and supervi-
sors, and for these unlawful arrests, the
peoples money is used. One hundred
and eighteen tn usaud, nine hundred
and eighty nine dollars and thirty.six
cents was thus used in the city of New
York alone, in connection with the cleo.
ton Of 1875. Some of this money went
to pay for the rent Of rooms, carriage
hire, and like purposes What think
you, fellow citizens, of being taxed to
pay the vagabonds, thieves. and peniten-
tiary Convicts employed by federal au-
thority to see that your elections are
honestly ConductedP
You may be surprised that such acts
as were committed by Davenport and his
deputies in New York should have been
submitted to by free people, but you
must not forget that, by an order from
the War Department, the army of the
United States, under Gen. Mcdowell,
was placed at the disposal of Davenport
and the United States marshals.
THE MORAL CowARDICE OF GARFIELD ON
THE ELECTION LAW.
At the last session of Congress a bill
was proposed in the language Gen. Gar
fl I'D had offered as an amendment on q
previous occasion, which provided that
these deputy marshals should be taken
in equal numbers from the different po.