Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-03-11
wEDNESDAY......MARCH ii. 1885.
Deputy Marshals.

recommended the removal Of Marshal
LoT WRIGHT, Of the Southern district
Of Ohio, he will no doubt soon be com
PEELED to walk the plank. II is already
said that PETER SCHwAB, Of Hamil'
ton county, will be appointed his sue
cessor.
How will Mr.. SCHwAB use his Of
fee? Is it to he expected that he will
appoint Democratic deputy marshals in
1886 clothed with all the powers which
LoT wRIGHT's deputies used in 1884
in carrying Ohio for the Republicans ?
Think of what L0T WRIGHT did,
and what he came very near doing. He
carried Ohio by so large a majority in
October that the moral effect Of the
elections held in that State afew weeks
before the presidential election took
place was so great that it came very
near making Mr.. BLAINE President of
the United States. If Mr.. BLAINE
had become President as result of
LoT WRIGHT's methods, BLAINE,
WRIGHT. and all the rest Of
the gang of bloody-shirt wavers
would at once have come to the conclu-
sion that there would never be neces-
sity for the Republican party to sur
render its control Of the Government so
long as the Federal law providing for
deputy marshals was on the statute
book AMI such men as LOT WRIGHT
could be found to appoint ten times as
many such deputies as were needed,
pay them five dollars day out of the
Federal Treasury, and let it be known
that all the deputies who wished to re-
ceive the per diem, whether Democrats
OF Republicans, were expected to vote
the Republican ticket.
Let us bring the matter home TO our
selves. There will probably soon be
= Democratic marshal appointed for the
Eastern district Of Virginia. Next year
thore will be held in Virginia, as in all
the States, elections for congressman.
If this Democratic marshal shall prove
To be a LOT WRIGHT, he may appoint
a thousand deputy marshals in this city
alone. Nay, he may appoint five
thousand. There is no limit to the
number that may be appointed, nor re-
striction as to their places of residence.
LOT WRIGHT appointed a number of
Kcntuckians, and +. some persons from
other States, to aid him in securing "a
free ballot and fair count" in Ohio.
Our new marshal may call in few
thousand roughs from Baltimore, New
York, or Philadelphia, and thus secure
a Democratic majority Of five or six
thousand in this city, and consequently
in the district. II will be recollected
that the present marshal appointed
quite number Of deputies last fall
all Republicans.
Ought such law to be allowed to re-
main on the statute-book? Decidedly
not. Human nature is too weak to be
tempted by such law. The marshal
who knows that his Office will be lost if
the election is lost, cannot he expected
to be impartial in the appointment of
his deputies; and as for such fellows as
LoT WRIGHT, there is nothing that
they are too good to do. IL the
law is continued in force, therefore, the
consequences must be detrimental to the
interests Of the republic. Now that the
marshals all know their powers, and
have precedents which they can cite in
justification Of partisan appointments, it
would be too much to expect all, or
xny, of those marshals to abdicate their
functions as the most successful of
clectioneerers.
The alternatives which will probably
present themselves seem to be these !;
Either the Democratic marshals will
use the law in the interest Of the Demo-
cratic party, or, falling to use it thus,
will permit their own party to be de-
feated, and the Republican party to
regain power. Thus the failure of the
Democratic marshals TO avail themselves
Of 80 good q weapon OF offence may re-
suit in the triumph Of party which,
Is its history shows, will have no
hesitation whatever in making the
law do party duty for the Republicans
In q word, the omission Of the Demo-
cratic msrshsls to appoint deputies in
abundance might turn over the Govern
ment to . party which would so use
that very law rs TO perpetuate the rule
\ Of the Republican party to an indefinite
period in the future.
We repeat, therefore, that the law
ought TO be repealed. The Democratic
House Of Representatives should pass
~ soon As possible bill repeating it.
The Senate win be only too glad to get
rid Of II during Democratic Admins
tratiou. withou, such a law, the Dem
oersts are strong enough to hold their
ern in the elections for congressman I;
or, Il not, they viii have the satisfsc-
tioa Of knowing that they were not
bestsa BY such foul methods as we're
lately rssorted to by Lor WRIGHT
snd his roushs.
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