The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-12-13
THEFEDERAL ELEcTIoNL1

We have shown that these laws
by the language Of
c Constitution, the intention Of its Fl
ers and the accepted interpretation
the duties and powers of Congress q
the beginning Of the government d.
to 1870 During the late war, the
thority Of the general government
strained under pretence that it
necessary to put down what in Rad
parlanee was called the rebellio
and though the pretended occasion
pissed, with the return of peace,
party then and ever since in power,
insisted upon the same rule of admin
tering the government. The electi
laws are in accord with it, general P
icy, They have been the agency
the grossest oppression and infringem'
upon the rights Of citizens.
Section 2021 Revised Statutes of
United States provides that wherev
an election at which Representatives
Congress are to be chosen, is held in an
city Of 10000 inhabitants or upward
the United States marshal, who is
partizan of the President, may appoI
as many deputies as he pleases, all o.
his own party, with power to attend the
polls, oversee elections, and to arrest
with or without warrant any person
whom they may suspect of improper
designs. These deputies are to serve
ten days and are to be paid SIS day
| for their services. It will be readily
seen how such a power lodged in the
hands of active and unscrupulous par
tizans may be en- ployed TO control elec-
tions against the will of the voters. In
the city of Philadelphia, few years
ago, as many as 700 marshals were ap-
pointed for special service in elections.
These officials were proven before a
committee of the United States Senate
to be most desperate and debased
characters, DULLES and rowdies, who
shamefully abused their trust and were
guilty of the most outrageous excuses.
In New York, it was worse. There
$500 deputies were appointed, of like
Idespicable character, with like results
Among the wrongs which they perpetra
ted was to compel several thousand nat
uralized voters to surrender their certif
Gates, under threat of prosecution, and
on election day hundreds were arrested
and locked up like beasts upon charges
trumped up for the occasion. The OBJ
ject was to keep thousands of .lega
voters away from the polls. These dep
uty marshals are appointed for the pur
pose of acting as bnlldozing force tt
} destroy free elections.
In Mississippi, previous to the lat'
election, proclamation of an intimi
dating character was issued by authority
Of the Attorney-General of the United
- States, by the supervisor of elections fol
the Northern District, and severa
: pretended deputy marshals attended the
: voting polls in Marshall county ant
: were guilty of acts OF interference il
the election wholly unwarranted by th'
law itself-such as Selling the ballo
box and terrorizing the voters. These
! so-called deputies were usurpers, be
cause there is no city of 20, 900 inhabi
tants in the ID Congressional District
and for cities or towns Of less number
the appointment of deputy marshals i:
unauthorized. The persons who assumed
to act in that capacity are themselve;
intimidators aud conspirators against
the right Of the voter to enjoy his cleo
tive franchise, and they are liable to
the severest penalty which the law pro.
yides for such offences, as they are
guilty
Section Poll authorizes the Judge OF
the District Court of the United States
to appoint two supervisors of election
for each voting place to witness the
proceedings, challenge voters, ETC., and
though they have no right to make ar
rests, nor to perform other duties than
to be in the immediate presence of the
officers holding the election, they are
really intended to act as spies and in
formers and to be witnesses in case of
such prosecutions as they may be able
to instigate. The object of their ap-
pointment is to terrorize the voters, and
the service they are required to per-
form is as violative Of the spirit of the
free institutions which constitute the
basis of our government as if they were
armed with the power to make arbitrary
arrests.
Laws so entirely at variance with the
Constitution, and which are, the convent
ent instrument for interfering with free
elections, and the vindictive punish
ment of citizens for partizan ends,
should not be permitted to remain on
the statute books. They should be re-
pealed. The government should be
brought back to first principles.
IT affrouts common sense to assume
that the Supreme Court ever intended
by any decision it has rendered, to furn-
ish ground for denying the power and
the duty of Election Commissioners to
correct mere clerical error in their