The Dickinson press., 1892-10-08
GROVER DID IT.
HE OFFICIALLY USED FORCE DILL
TACTICS 70 EE-ELECT HIMSELF.

ISllI NIGttlOttS So kSt-tltCL LiISllSeits
Especial Corrcsponicncc.l
WASHINGTON. Oct. 3.-Anolher 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 its issues in This
campaign. It's tariff issue was destroyed
by Il member of its w party-Lahor
Commissioner Peck. Its wildcat cur
rency issue was destroyed by members
of its w party innume-able, who de-
nouncc it unsparingly. And now its
last and only remaining issue, the force
bill, has been destroyed by Mr.. Cieve-
land himself.
1t came about in this way. Some
wretched person with q 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 r%e-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 ayitated.
This discovery has been the political
event of the week. 1t was as much of
q bombshell in the Democratic camp us
was the Peck report II 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
We're free trade, free banks, free frauds
at the polls. Curiously every one If
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 como 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 extendt 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 2O,000 inhabitants or more in
elections for congressman or other United
States officials. The recent discovery,
which has created such a panic in Dem
ocratic circles and taken away the last
vestige of an ISSUE" was the fact that
President Grover Cleveland, on the ap-
proach of the election of 1883, when he
was a candidate for reelection for the
presidency. issued to Attorney General
pan Electric Garland, under date of
Oct. s., 1883. the following order:
DEAR You are hereby requested to take
general charge and direction of the execution
of the statutes nf 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 tho 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
OullCu OltteS ulitlSIldlS.
SiR-In pursuance of u letter of the 9Th 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-
gcther with the compensation of supervisors
ut tho congressional election in November
next. your attention is directed to the pro-
visions of titles 81 and &c, chapter Z, title 70 of
the Revised Statutes. Under sections 2,Gs2
--1 q 70 p..,,., .--,,
keep the peace, protect supervisors, preserve
order, prevent frauds and enforce the law III
towns of 10000 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 qucs-
lions of law you are directed to consult the
attorney of the United States for your dis
trict for needed information and advice. 1t is
assumed that tho duties can be performed
without infringing upon the rights of any
citizen in a 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, it 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 a IN
didate, the very laws to which his party
is now SO strenuously Directing. The
ca oo11a1 foroo hill oho,,4 ,,,b;ol, no,,a
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. 1t was simply a 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 q
matter of common occurrence, practic-
ally the same law which Mr.. Cleve.
land ordered enforced. 1t proposed tc
make false registration or interference
with registration a crime; it made
keeping false poll lists a crime; it made
election brides and ballot box stuffing
crime; it required ballot boxes to be
placed in plain sight Of voters, and the
willful placing in those boxes Of illegal
ballots a crime; it made improper ma
nipulation of ballot boxes or ballots 6
crime. And that is all. That is the
law which President Cleveland ordered
his subordinates to enforce to aid in hi
own reelection, and it is the proposed
law SO extended as to be available fol
all of the people about which Mr.. Cleve
lands supporters were bowling unit
they found that one Of the last officia
acts of their candidate sustained all O