National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-03-21
Work for the Attorney.General.

Work for the Attorney General.
If the people voted directly on any is
sue last fall. it was that every man should
have the right to vote just as he pleased
and to have his vote counted as it was
cast. To ensure this the laws concerning
elections of Congressmenm must be enforced
in all the States The Democratic party is so
bitterly opposed to those laws that In the
last Congress its leaders resorted to reYo-
lutionary methods for their repeal. These
laws harm none who are for far
ballot and an honest count. The
main issue between the two parties con-
tinues to be that question. Upon that
issue the Demo1eatic party is dividing
in every Southern State. In that region
honest Democrats by the thousands are
rebelling against longer continuance of
the infamous methods whereby majorities
are suppressed. The Republicans and
these law-and-order Democrats are all
equally earnest in support of the election
laws. The so-called regular" or more
properly the Bourbon, Democracy stand
by the law-breakers. All the tricks
whereby ballot-boxes are juggled, with
all the Justification of the votes after they
are cast, all the bull-dozing and cheating,
are done by that party. 1t has in the Sem
ate and House representatives who stand
by these violations of law in season and
out of season.
The Government of the United States
ought to stand by its laws and protect
its citizens The people, as we said at
the outset, voted last fall to do this. viii
it be done? If so, who will do it? Not
the law-breakers nor their representa-
tives. Grand juries must indict, and dis
trict attorneys who are not in sympathy
with the offenders must draw the indict-
ments and advise them. They must
see to the empannelling of the petit
juries, and must prosecute with
vigor, honesty and courage Offenders
must be arrested and witnesses found
when subpenaed. These things will not
be done if the marshals are friends of the
offenders. In short, the United States
SoStiiSb sSio hi<RiSiiStio W NC
pointed in the Southern States, where the
election laws are defed, ought to be for
those laws and not against them, and
against the law-breakers and not for them.
In the selection of these officers the
President must mainly rely upon the
Acknowledgement. But the Attorney
General must seek information as to the
fitness of men who are named to him for
the places. Upon the sources of his in
formation must depend the question
whether he will be governed in his choice
by the friends or the enemies of the laws
If he should heed the recommendation
of tried and trusted law-and-order
men, We should know that all
would be well. But if he is
to submit their recommendations to
Bourbon Senators who represent and
apologize for the very criminals sought to
be punished, we shall know that all is to
be lost for which we contended at the
polls. If the Attorney-General should,
in the selection of a district attorney
or marshal in bull-dozed
State, call upon the Senators from that
State, who usurp seats in the Senate by
reason of crimes committed against the
election laws, then we think the Presi-
dent ought to be appealed to and re-
quested to direct that law-and-order men
only must be consulted in the appoint
ment of men to execute the law.