The daily gazette., 1881-01-14
'FRIpAY. IANUAR1 I4. Issl.

sssx, FRIDAY. JANUARY IA. issl.
SOD 90 TIM Morning News takes exception
Seal o the resolution offered in the Stat
10 81 Senate by Mr.. McWhorter authoriz-
oieq ing the Governor, in his discretion. t.
no1s employ counsel to defend persons now
~ under Indictment, or who may hereaf-
-ia1e Ter be Indicted in the District Court Of
IS the United States, of this District,
slla Charged with interfering with United
a1us States Marshals on the day of the last
Il I general election, and who were on that
.apoi day acting in the capacity of peace Of
-. hcers. THE resolution presents grave
1854 qnest ion. 1t is to protect men who
80. 80 we're acting under authority of the
sat State government, and we presume its
ase full intent will appear more clearly
as it is discussed on its passage before
y ~ the body in which it has been present
~ ed, But it must be remembered that
:. the Federal election laws are new to
aaa this State, and that the people have
= been accustomed to holding elections
without the intimidating restraints
Naa Of the U. S. Deputy Marshals recent
ly sent to the polls, as is generally be-
s2a lieved and assen' ed to by men in both
..I..s PARTIES to control the election for the
oiA, party in power.
.,sf,,,, The matter is rendered more COM
plicated since the men indicted were
9 acting by autho rity of the State, and
1.-THE question arises whether they
=, should be made to suffer for doing
what they deemed their duty. In fac
"-t the duties on neither side have been
a. u clearly defined; and the interference
in our State elections by Deputy Mar
o. shals savors SO much of species of
Federal interference and tyranny to
which all the people of the States OF
the Union had been educated to de-
by, spise, that men on duty on both sides
are embarrassed.
The States were held to be indepen-
beo dent governments having sole control
b, ,,, Of their elections, until these Federal
tla election laws, to hold the Republican
since, forced through Congress by that
party. Such being the case the W isest
thing that the Federal courts could do
would be to dismiss all such cases
where no actual criminal offepse had
been committed. The cases, IN the
: main, are trivial and mostly arose from
misunderstanding in regard to the du-
- ties Of the respective parties. In fact
the Federal laws are not understood.
Even the lawyers do not profess to
s-, understand the full scope of the Fed
eral election laws here or anywhere
else in the couLtry; nor do the United
States commissioners fully understand
them, hence the difficulty that has
arisen in their enforcement in every
part of the country. Aside from par
tisans the Federal laws are regarded
as oppressive, expensive, and an uu-
necessary infring ement upon the rights
of the people. This is the opinion al :
:. vanced by the Independent press as
well as some of the more conservative
Republican newspapers. We feel sure
y that the Judiciary of the State hold
the opinion that these laws should not
be enforced with rigor and oppressive
violence, from the very causes which we
have mentioned. The prosecutions
SAVIOR SO much Of the tyranny of the
> old monarchial COVE nments that their
enforc ment finds very few advocates
anywhere outside of political circles.
e Had the Democrats elected their Pres
dental candidates all such tyrannical
laws would have been repealed.
REPU BLIcAN REVOLT IN PENNsYI.-