The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-10-29
The Deputy Marshal Must Go

An effort is to be made in Cincinnati to
punish some Of the deputy marshals and
the officials responsible for their despotic
aud unlawful action at the polls on cleo
ton day. Several prominent attorneys
who have investigated the case have ten
dcred their services gratis, and it is proba>
bic that a very interesting trial will be the
result.
In no partisan sense, but simply with a
view to the maintenance of popular gov
eminent. it should be the duty and the
pleasure of all good citizens to see to it
that such scenes as were witnessed in
/ Cincinnati at the recent election are not
repeated in this country Democrats hap
pen to be the aggrieved parties now, and
there is, perhaps, no necessity of appeal
ing to them, but republicans must re
member that one of these days it may be
democrats who will be resOrting to such
illegal devices and that the best way to
prevent their repetition by either party is
to discountenance them now. The only
hope of a republic is in the unintimidated
ballot, 1t will not do for republicans to
say that the democrats do these things;
that they resort to fraud, and that vio~
lence is necessary to prevent cheating
That is the plea on which every tvrant or
usurper has justified his course. If dem
Ocrats commit frauds there are laws to
punish them, but candid men know that
voting in this country is reasonably fair,
no matter which party may have local
control, and that if there is crookedness
in some quarters on one side the chances
are good that there is crookedness some
where else on the other side. No voter
has ever been lntimidated by police
man. The police officer is known. The
deputy marshal is not The police officer
| is responsible The deputy marshal is ir-
responsible. One is a public servant in
whose official career election day is but
an incident The other p q party servant
merely, clothed IN brief but despOtiC
authority, to whom the election is every
thing, and whose hope of future employ
ment is based on the zeal with which he
serves his party. The preteXt assumed tC
| Justify the appointment of thousands OF
these worse than useless officials is inva>
riably lying one. The partisans who
| permit themselves to DE misled into sane
tioning any such proceeding may be do
ing their party service, but not their
country.
| The right of the people to regulate
| their own affairs has always been one
zealously contended for in republics. Sc
long as it has been recognized the repub-
lies have lived. When the people through
luxury, Indifference, or partisan conten>
ton have permitted it to be disregarded
the republics have died. We do not toler-
ate soldiers at the polls, but if party spirit
can be worked up to the point of justify
ing the presence of armed marshals at thu
ballot boxes it will be but step to thai
further degradation of American citizen
ship-a military ballot. If force can bt
displayed with impunity in one form j
will not be long before it will be de-
manded in other forms. The good citi'
zen, of no matter what political faith
will see at a glance that the local police
force is the proper peace agency in al
cases, and that, should it prove derelict
the remedy is in his own hands.