Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-10-31
TO THE DEMOCRACY
National Committee Speaks.

National Committee Speaks.
CLEvELAND's ELECTION MEANS GOOD
GOVERNMENT; THAT OF BLAINE
MEANS BAD-THE POWERS OF MAR
sHALs AND SUPERVISORS CLEARLY DE-
FINED.
NEW YORK, October 27.-The following
address has been made public by the Ma
tional Democratic Committee:
NEW YORK. October 9th.
To the People OF the United States:
There is only one great issue involved
in this campaign. The question is whether
the country shall be governed honestly
and wisely or corruptly. The election of
Grover Cleveland as Presi lent and
Thomas A. Hendricks as Vice-Presldent
will insure good government. The cleo
tion Of James Il. Blaine President and
John A. Logan Vice President will insure
bad government. Blaine would not be a
purer President than he was as Speaker
and member of the House of Representa-
tives. You are burdened with unneces-
sary taxes. One hundred millions of money
not needed to defray the proper charges of
the Government are annually taken from
the people of the United States and kept
in the Treasury. The withdrawal of this
enormous amount from circulation has
hampered your commerce, depressed your
trade, and impoverished your labor.
Blaine aided in the needles and reckless
accumulation of this unnecessary surplus.
He is responsible for the mischief it has
Occasioned. He cannot be trusted with it's
disbursements. The methods which he has
employed in this campaign prove con-
clusively that the administration of the
government of the country ought not to
ba placed in his hands. A candidate cap
able of using improper means to increase
his chances of election to the presidency
would not, if elected, discharge the duties
of that office honestly. Blaine personally
supervised the preparations made by his
managers for their work in the State cleo
ton in Ohio on the 14th OF October. 1t is
expressly provided by existing statute of
the United States that no man shall be
appointed deputy marshal unless he is
qualified voter of the city, town, county.
parish, election district, or voting precinct
in which his duties are to be performed.
It is certainly the plain intent of the Fed
eral law that deputies empowered to ex-
ecute the duties of marshal of the United
States should be reputable men. leading
decent lives and enjoying the confidence
OF the community in which they live.
The PLAN provisions of the Federal law
were wholly disregarded in the late Ohio
election. Ruffians not living in election
districts in which they were appointed to
act, and not, in many instances, even
citizens of Ohio, we're armed by the mar
shall of the United States, under the eye
of Blaine, and used ia the districts to
which they were appointed. with his
70 ho NJ attaining
majorties by violence and fraud. The
effect produced by this outrage has been
remarkable. The blow struck by Blaine
at the rights of citizens in Ohio has
welded the Democratic party in New
York. There is no longer any doubt
as to the manner in which the cleo
toral vote of that State will be cast.
Democrats and independent Republicans.
working hand in hand in the cause OF good
government, and resolved to labor with
all their might until the end has been
achieved, will give an overwhelming ma
iority for the Cleveland & Hendricks
electors. Blaine and his managers. de-
spairing of success in the State Of New
York, are attempting to carry Indiana,
New Jersey and Connecticut by the dis
creditable means employed in Ohio on the
14th of October. While they ara strug-
Cling to accomplish this evil purpose,
Ohio, rid of the swarm of vagrant deputy
marshals by which it was infested at the
October election, is rallying with deter
mined purpose to vindicate the good
name. In Indiana, New Jersey and Con-
necticut men are fOreWarned and ready
to meet the issue. They understand that
a deputy marshal who was not at the
time of his appointment qualified voter
of the city, township, county, election
district, or voting precinct, in which his
duties were to be performed is an intrud-
ing mercenary, whose claim to authority
no citizen is required to respect. They
know also the precise limits of the au-
thority of every supervisor. marshal. or
deputy marshal, general or special, at
Presidential election. Each State under
the provisions of the Federal Constitution
determines for itself, by whom and in
what manner its presidential electors shall
be chosen. No supervisor of election.
marshal. or deputy marshal OF the United
States has power to interfere in the small
est degree with any person claiming the
right to vote for electors of President
and Vice President of the United States.
The functions of these officials are limited
to congressional elections, and it is time
that they should und rstand that there
are well defined bounds to their powers.
In such elections even citizens who are
entitled to vote in any State for delegates
to the Legislature or General Assembly
In such State are entitled to vote in the
respective congressional districts of such
for representatives in Congress- The
power of determining upon the day of any
election the persons who are entitled to
cast their votes in any election district or
election precinct of any congressional dis
trict is vested primarily and exclusively
in the State judges of election of such
election district or election precinct.
Every iphabitant of each ELECTION district
or preclnet in the State. who asserts a
claim to ballot, has the right to go with
out hindrance upon the day of election be.
fore the Judge OF election of his election
district or election precinct, and make
claim to the privilege Of vote. No su-
pervisnr of elections, marshal, or marshals
of the United States, no State officer, and
no human being, be his authority what 1t
may, can lawfully prevent his access to
the Judge of election for the purpose of
making such claim. 1t is for these judges
of election to say whether they will ac-
cept the ballot from a man who claims
the right to deposit it. The proper and
intended office of marshal and deputy
marshal of the United States at congress
ional elections was to protect the voter
on his way 20 Lhe pollS 70 scDHit w Ihe
Judges OF election his claims to the cleo
tive franchise; to preserve fit order while
such claim was Under consideration, and
to secure the arrest of those who were de-
tected in attempting to deposit fraudu-
lent vote in the ballot boz under the care
of the judges of election. Ii such mar
shals or deputies, haylpg this llmlte ;i; au
who is proceeding peacefully to the polls,
they make themselves, in fact, jud ges of
election. and violently take into their
hands the determination of the issue of
such election; they are wrong doors,
whom citizen may lawfully Withstand
aud resist when be is thus unlawfully in.
ferred with. The interposing of gangs of
ruffiaus. paid out of the public Treasury,
between citizen and the ballot box upon
a dau of anv election. and especially upon