Year: 1879

SENATE


Washington, May ayS.-Consideration wa


resumed of the house bill prohibiting mil


itary interference at elections.


Mr.. Morgan advocated its passage, ar


guing that the trainers of the constitution
with a view to the preservation of liberty


drew broad distinction between the reg


ular army and the military, and that the


latter should be employed to enforce the


laws.


Senator Morgan spoke for three hour


and a half


Mr.. Eaton said he would be glad to
have the vote To morrow on the bill.


Mr.. Edmunds obtained the floor, and
said he would address the senate to
MORROW


Mr.. Hoar at his own request, was ex
cused from the service of the committee
to investigate election frauds, and Mr.
the executive session, the senate ad
Ijourned.


Washington, May 9.-'rhe house bill
providing for the payment of money here
tofore appropriated to James B. Fades and
his associates for the construction of the
jetties and other work at the south pass OF
the Mississippi, was passed with amend
ments.


Consideration of the bill prohibiting
military interference at elections was then
resumed.


Mr.. Edmunds analyzed the bill and said
the preamble was contradictory of its
body; the preamble declared that ''the
presence of troops at the polls is contrary
to the spirit of our institutions and tradi-
tions of our people, and tends to destroy
the freedom of elections, while the body
of the bill declared that troops might be
present at the polls-even on election
days-in a manner and under such cir
cumstances as the constitution provides.
If the preamble be true, the body is false"
Mr.. Edmunds said in reply to
senators Who had preceded him,
that the government does not enter a
state, it is in every fibre of muscle of
every man, he wished it was in the hearts
of all men of the republic. (Applause.) }
The bill reflected on the doctrines of those
who supported il, namely that this govern
ment nearly century old, hoary with re-
nown, after so long vindicatiRg this right
to exert should be treated as an existing
neighbor and sometimes as friend OF foe.
denounce such a doctrine, the army is
in the end the power of law. Men have
denounced the affirmative power ofthe con-
stitutiOn to regulate the election of members
of the house of representatives, and by
sophistry they fritter away the traditions
of the constitution and deny the teachings
of its trainers, and say there is no liberty
unless it be obtained by the supremacy of
state rights. Was there not a scheme on
foot to prevent appeals from a state to
federal courts, thus taking away the rights
of citizenss Where are you going to
stop? have seen within the last two or
three days, in this chamber, another step
to deprive portion of the people of their
rights. l have seen u majority of this
body enter upon the consider
alton of measure to violate
the traditions of the senate, the spirit of
constitution and the safety Of the repub-
lie and designed to overthrow the de-
cision that granted the senator from
Louisiana, Kellogg, his seat, in order that
different man may take his place. Do
you, in mandatory manner, in your hour
thing which the wisdom of our fathers
achieved and the valor their sons pre-
served? The bill before us was the first
step in that direction. There is some
where in the constitution, unless
we 60 into anarchy, power
which in spite of threats will stand as a
buiwark against the efforts to break down
the constitution and laws, and when you
recover from your emotions, you will have
that peace of which the act of 1855 speaks.
But you will have peace at the polls only
when you recognize by deed, rs well as by
word, the political equality of all citizens,
and the free right of lawfully voting
under the law and by the law. twill not
be at the price of reign of terror and the
grave, but the peace of liberty and justice,
asserted in giving form for the expression
of the public will, when byegOnes will be
byegones, give peace, and harmony every
where will prevail. (Applause)


Mr.. Blaine said "Mr. President want to
make a single remark on the bill itself. If
there is TO be vote ON il, / desire simply
To put a punctuation point in the progress
of things as they are now going on and
that punctuation point is to mark the high
tide which the ancient doctrine of state
rights is reaching in this chamber and in
this congress. This question has engaged
the attention of the American people
for Just about so years. 1t has had its
ups and downs, its victories and its de-
feats. 1t was strengthened for a time by
jackson; it was dallied with by Van
Buren, it rose TO full strength under Polk,
Pierce and Buchanan; its waves rolled
its forces for q deadly struggle under
Breckenridge and if mistake not, a ma
jority of senators who sit on that side of
the chamber supported Breckenridge when
he embodied that deadly heresay in what
ever there was in the issue between Cal
houn and jackson. That side of the senate
chamber represents Calhoun. Whatever
there was in the contest dividing the DEM
ocratic party between Breckenridge and
Douglass, that side of the chamber repre-
senting all the evil there, was in favor of
the policy of Breckenridge. And desire
hero to affirm and point ont that there
never was before the rebellion, and there
never was at any time in the history of
this country, any such assertion of state
rights, any such assertions of the mystery
of state government over the federal gov
eminent in its own domain, .as here assert
ed rs made by these lineals of Calhoun and
Breckinridge. / shall not debate the bill
it were useless. 1t has been exhausted
and debated. The whole measure is a
removal of federal government from its
proper domain and the instaHment of
states into degree Of power that were not
dreamed of by Calhoun, and were not
asserted by Breckenridge.


We thought there had been something
gained ON this question in a costly war,
and in the amendments to the constitution.
But the tide as it now sweeps is on
the ebb, and the Union, the power
of the federal government was
never so weak as these laws
and their proceedings will make it.
Pass the bill while warning off the Nat
ional government from all inte. ference OF
control over its own elections. You voted
down on the other bill proposition that
armed men should not come to the polls.
You voted down ON the other bill propo-
sition that armed men should not come to
the polls with the expressed intent of
interfering with the rights of voters and
you did it under the paltry qdibble, that
Il was not within the constitutional power
of the United States Government to
warn the bloody handed ruffians
from the polls where representatives in
federal congress were being chosen. Pass
this bill. Pass it as trump of reaction
against the spirit Of the Unionl Pass it
in defiance of all lessons and all teachings
that have come from a bloody abortive
rebellion! Pass it and mark it as a high
tide of that reacfinu which were IL to rise