Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-10-26
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3.-Another Dem
ocratic idol has fallen. Another
Democratic campaign issue" has been
destroyed And this, too, by Mr.. Cleve-
land himself.
The Democratic party has certainly
been unfortunate in it's issues in this
campaign. Its tariff issue was destroyed
by a member Of its own party-Labor
Commissioner Peck. It's wildcat cur
rency issue was destroyed by members
of it's own party innumerable, who de-
nounce it unsparingly. And now it's
last and only remaining issue, the force
bill, has been destroyed by Mr.. Cleve-
land himself.
1t came about in this way. Some
wretched person with good memory,
who had listened with amusement and
amazement to the plantive walls of the
Democracy about the force bill, suddenly
remembered that Mr.. Cleveland, while
president and a candidate for re-elec-
ton, not only authorized, but absolutely
ordered for his own benefit, the enforce
ment of the very force bill features of
the then existing law, about which DEM
ocrats are now so much agitated.
This discovery has been the political
event of the week. 1t was as much of
bombshell in the Democratic camp as
was the Peck report few weeks ago.
1t takes away the last leg the Democrats
had to stand on. The three issues upon
which they were making or attempting
to make their fight in this campaign
were free trade, free banks, free frauds
at the polls. Curiously every one of
them has been knocked out, and that.
too, by Democrats But the most dis
tressing thing is that the obstruction of
the last one of these issues left to the
party should have come about through
an official act of the party's own candi-
date while he occupied the White House.
And this he did with the purpose Of re-
electing himself president OF the United
States.
The facts are these, and they are very
interesting: The SO called force bill
simply proposed to extend to small towns
and country districts of the United
States the law which has been in force
for years through which United States
marshals and supervisors Of elections,
enforce order and prevent fraud in any
city of 10000 inhabitants or more in
elections for congressman or other United
States officials. The recent discovery,
which has created such panic in Dem
ocratic circles and taken away the last
vestige of an tissue" was the fact that
H. H. ~ ~ IL
proach of the election of 1888, when he
was candidate for reelection for the
presidency, issued to Attorney General
Pan Electric" Garland, under date of
Oct. 5, 1888, the following order:
DEAR SR-You are hereby requested to take
general charge and direction of the execution
of the statutes of the United States touching
the appointments of supervisors of elections
and special deputy marshals, and the perform
ance of their duties and their compensation
so far as these subjects are by the constitution
and laws under the supervision and control
of the executive branch Of the government.
Yours truly, GROVER CLEVELAND.
Immediately afterward this letter was
sent by Attorney General Garland to
United States marshals:
SIR-In pursuance of a letter of the 5th inst.
from the president, directing the attorney
general to take charge of the appointment
of special deputy marshals, the performance
Of their duties and their compensation, to-
gether with the compensation of supervisors"
at the congressional election in November
next, your attention is directed to the pro-
visions of titles "a and 26, chapter T. title 70 of
the Revised Statutes. Under sections 2,022
and 1904 Revised Statutes you have power to
keep the peace, protect supervisors, preserve
order, prevent frauds and enforce the law in
towns Of 20 600 inhabitants and upward. You
should make yourself familiar with the stat
utes referred to and see that they are under
stood by your deputies, who should be discreet
men, impressed with the Importance of an
honest franchise.
The manner of discharging these duties by
yourself and your deputies is largely left to
your discretion. In matters involving ques-
tions Of law you are directed to consult the
attorney of the United States for your dis
trict for needed information and advice. It is
assumed that the duties can be performed
without infringing upon the rights of any
citizen in manner that shall be firm, and at
the same time free from any unnecessary dis
play of authority. 1t is not expected that
supervisors and deputy marshals will receive
compensation for more than five days service,
and they should be so informed. Within
this time all can be done, 1t is thought, tha:
ought to be. You need vigilant men, who are
conscientious workers, and no others.
1t is thus shown from official records
that Mr.. Cleveland, while president, or
dered his subordinates to use, in the
election in which he was himself can
didate, the very laws to which his party
is now SO strenuously objecting. The
so called force bill, about which Demo-
Gratis are bowling, was the very essence
of the act which Mr.. Cleveland ordered
his subordinates to enforce for his won
reelection This is all there is to the
force bill bugaboo. It was simply pro-
posed law providing for an extension to
country districts, on the petition of citi-
zens, of the law already in force in the
cities of 10000 inhabitants or more.
What did the force bill really pro-
pose to do? 1t proposed to extend to the
country districts, where fraud is now a
matter of common occurrence, practic-
ally the same law which Mr.. Cleve-
land ordered enforced. 1t proposed to
make false registration or interference
with registration a crime; it made
keeping false poll lists crime; it made
election brides and ballot box stufing a
crime; it required ballot boxes to be