Year: 1875

sentatives, is called by the more eupho-
nious title of "a Bill to Protect Electors
and to Prevent Fraud at Elections" Its
more exact title would be "a Bill to
Wreck the Republican Party"


The bill, as submitted to the caucus,
contained fourteen sections. The first
section makes it felony for two or more
persons to forcibly overthrow a State
Government, or any of the constituted
authorities ofthe same, or to interfere in
a forcible or unlawful manner with the
execution of the laws of State or of the
United States, or to conspire for such
purposes. The penalty is fine not ex-
ceeding ten thousand dollars and impris-
onment at hard labor not exceeding ten
years.


The second section makes it crime
for two or more persons to conspire for
the purpose of usurping by force such
Government or any department thereof,
or to actually overthrow the Government
of a State; and imposes q penalty for
such crime of five thousand dollars and
two years Imprisonment The distinc-
ton between the offences described in
the first and second sections of the bill
is scarcely sufficient to warrant the differ

ence in the penalties.


The third section prohibits any State,
either by Legislative enactment or Con-
stitutional provision, depriving a citizen
of the United States of his right to vote
for Representative in Congress. Any
election officer rejecting the vote of such
citizen is liable to fine of five hun
dred to one thousand dollars and inn
prisonment not exceeding one year.


The fourth section imposed penalty
of five hundred to two thousand dollars
fine, with Imprisonment not exceeding
three years, for carrying concealed weap-
ors at an election or place of registration.
This was going altogether too far, even
for the few members who attended the
caucus, and after hot discussion the
section was ordered modified or struck
out.


The fifth section makes it crime for
any registration officer or supervisor of
election to refuse to permit voter regis
tering or voting, or refusing him sufficient
opportunities to register or to obtain
proper information. The penalty for
this is five hundred to one thousand
dollars fine, and imprisonment from six
months to two years.


The remaining sections, down to the
last, impose fine of five hundred to
three thousand dollars and imprison-
ment for two to five years for the abduc-
ton or mutilation of election papers;
provide that if any person be killed
while acting under this law, such killing
shall be murder, punishable with the
death penalty; confer civil and criminal
jurisdiction under the act on United
States Courts; provide for the appoint
ment by the Judges of the United States
Courts of General Supervisors of Elec-
tions in all Congressional districts; also
for the extension of the existing laws as
to Deputy United States Marshals, so
that Marshals may be appointed in every
county and parish in every Congressiona
district; prescribe the duties of the Off
GERS in charge of the ballot-boxes on the
day of election, making it their duty to
count the votes before leaving the ballot
boxes, in the presence of the Supervisors
of Election or Deputy Marshal, and to
Immediately send certified copy of the
returns to the Chief Supervisor of the
district and to the Clerk of the National
House of Representatives; and provide
that no officer acting under this act shall
receive compensation, and that the ballot
boxes, papers, &C., shall be retained by
the custodian until the close of the first
session of the Congress to which they
relate; also prescribe means whereby
contestants in Congress may obtain copies
of the ballot.


The closing section was the most OBJ
iectionable to the dissenting members of
the caucus, and will be to the country.
1t provides that whenever any such nm
lawful combinations, as defined in the
revised statutes and under this act, shall
be organized or attempted, and 80 nu-
merous and powerful as to be able, by
violence, to set at defiance and overrun
any State authorities, in all such cases
such combinations shall be deemed re-
bellion against the United States, and
during the continuance of such rebellion
within the limits which shall be prescrib-
ed by the proclamation of the President
ofthe United States, it may be lawful for
the President of the United States, in his
discretion, to suspend the privileges of the
umit of habcas corpus; and it is provided
also that all the provisions of the second
section of the act of March 8, 1866, re-
lating to habeas corpus, are hereby revived
in full powers.


We have hope that the good sense of
the majority of Republicans in Congress
will prevent the passage of this bill. 1t
ought not to pass. Bad as the condition
of affairs is in Louisiana-and that cor
dition is the pretext for this bill-there
is no occasion for such legislation as this.
1t places altogether too much power in
the han is of the President He is made
sole Judge of the occasion for the exercise