The climax. [volume] (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1887-1897, 1890-07-09

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States which have been sanctioned by
century Of usage, and it will break down
barriers that have heretofore separated
the great coordinate departments of the
Government known as the executive, the
legislative and the judicial departments.
There win not only be Federal control
of the election of members of Congress
and of the election of President and |
Vice-President of the United States. but
eventually the same power will control
the election of the State and county Off
cials. Changes and en,;roachments will
follow rapidly, and the future will be
filled with problems and difficulties and
outrages directly traceable to this bill.
I am in favor of free, fair elections, and
1 believe that the destinies of tree and
intelligent nation depend on the purity
and freedom of elections, but deny that
such legislation is needed now as is con-
tanned in the pending bill. This bill
covers seventy-three printed pages and
has fifty-seven sections, and in addition
thereto it re-enacts or amends thirty eight
sections of the Revised Statutes and acts
Of Congress relating to the judiciary,
civil rights, the elective franchise, aPpro-
priations. and crimes.
1t purports to be bill to amend and
supplement the election laws of the United
States and to provide for the more eff
cient enforcement of such laws, but it
should be entitled q bill that aims at the
control of Federal elections and provides
for the more efficient enforcement Of Re
publican rule"
Its provisions will be enforced in any
Congressional district of the United
States on the petition of one hundred
voters of the district.
1t authorizes the appointment of chief
supervisors by the United States circuit
judges, who hold Office for life, are amen
able to no person, and are election dicta-
tors in their respective districts. These
chief supervisors appoint three SUI
Pervisors for each election pre-
cinct and they may increase the number
Of election officers at will without con-
sulting Congress and pay them from
the public treasury without limit as to
the aggregate amount Indeed, the
voters of the United States, the Treasury,
and the Army and Navy are placed
under control of the chief supervisors
while they are managing and con-
trolling elections, and the chief supervisor
may, after consultation with the United
states district marshal, have as many
deputy marshals appointed as may seem
to be necessary, and in the absence of
deputy marshals the supervisors have the
full power of deputy n.arshals and may
arrest voter if challenging him does not
accomplish all that is desired. If this is
not Imperialism, what is it i?
The bill also provides for the appoint
ment in each State by the judge of the
United States circuit court of returning
board or board of canvassers, who re-
ceive the returns from the precincts in the
various counties and hear evidence If
they think proper, and then declare and
certify under their hands and seals who is
elected Representative in Congress, and
the individual so certified is to be placed
BY the Clerk of the House of Representa-
tives on the roll Of members elected, and
thus authorized to participate in the or
ganization of the next House of Repre-
sentatives. These boarcs of canvassers
have autocratic power far beyond any
power or authority granted to any similar
board iE the world. They can make, ac-
cording to their own sweet will, the
House of Representatives of the United
States. Under the bill they can certify
any candidate as duly elected member
of Congress, no matter if he received only
1000 votes while his opponent received
10000 votes, and the Clerk of the House
Of Representatives is compelled under
heavy penalty to place the name so certi-
fed on his list Of Congressman. Only
one remedy is open to the legally elected
member and that is the right to contest
the election, but it is fair to presume that
he would have to wait until "Hope de-
ferred made the heart sick" before he
would be allowed a seat in the House of
Representatives chosen under this bill.
It requires the appointment of thous-
ands of new officers at high salaries, ag-
gregating millions of dollars, and as there
are 5000 election precincts in the United
States there will be I63.947 supervisors,
without counting deputy marshals, clerks,
inspectors, canvassers and other officers,
and this luxurious and iniquitous bill will
draw from the United States Treasury
biennially not less than $1,000 900.
1t authorizes Federal officers to arrest
Democrats or other persons whom they
may see fit to accuse of political offences
and drag them from horne and friends to
be tried before partisan judges and by,
perhaps, packed jurors, selected, not by
jury commission, as has been the law for
years, but by partisan clerk.
The intricacies and incongruities of
this lengthy bill are so great that it will
be almost impossible tc have an election
in accordance with its provisions. but
there seems to be method in this, for am
pie power is given TO the returning board,
or board of canvassers, if this act is not
strictly complied with, 10 certify that the
Republican is elected.
This bill is so foreign to ali the institu-
tons of our Government, so different from
the election usages with which our peo-
pie have been familiar for hundred years,
and so antagonistic to the liberty and
equality for which our fathers fought
that debate and elaboration seem out of
place in connection Herewith. 1t seems
that there ought to BE- behind it the
edict of an emperor and the armed and
uniformed soldiers of an empire. The
farmers of the bill seem 10 have been duly
impressed with the tendencies of such
legislation and therefore they place both
the Army and Navy at the disposal of the
President to preserve the peace at the
polls or aid in the enforcement of the law.
They also authorize the President to or
der troops to any State i'll the Union prior
to an election for the ostensible purpose of
aiding in the enforcement of the law, but
they can be used, as they have been used
in the past, to influence or control cleo
tons.
Mr.. Speaker, such are the important
provisions of the bill which the gentle