-iS'T'Wiwmiiiriiniiiiii
-
1 This A.BGU8 o'er the people's rights
Doth an eternal vigil keep ;
No soothing strain of Maia's son
Can lull its hundred eyes to sleep",
THE
WEEKLY
llGgS.
2
'.il
,1
I
s
-' ?! i
py
n
k
VOT,. VIII.
WHAT THE FORCE BILL IS.
The Force Bill of Two Years Ago Will
be the Basis of Any Similar Bill Here
after The Same Idea Will be Involved
in Any New Measure.
We give a synopsis of the provis
ions of the bill as then published, a
voluminous document of seventy-six
nao-ea. and deals with the problem
nfsomirinff the solid negro vote of
the South to the Republican party
with considerable ingenuity and an
evident determination to leave no
loophole by which such a result
could be defeated. Professedly it
applies to all the States, but no one
can read it carefully without arriv
ing at the conclusion that it could
be so applied as to count the negro
vote of the Southern States for the
dominant party. One of the curi
ous features of the measure is a lot-
terv svstem of reaching a result
where the number of ballots cast in
anv district is in excess of the num
ber of voters. There is also the
fullest, provision for the use of
troons at the polls to support the
Federal supervisors, marshals and
canvassinsr boards in the exercise of
arbitrarv powers for registering
voters, "purging" the lists, holding
elections and canvassing and return
insr the votes. Where State laws
conflict with the operation of the bill
those laws are dec'ared to be null
and void. In other words, the entire
control of congressional elections is
lodged in the hands of the Federal
government, or, in other words, those
of the dominant party.
FEDERAL REGISTRATION.
The earlier sections of the bill,
after providing that the Federal su
pervisors of elections shall be charged
with the supervision of elections at
which Representatives or Delegates
in Congress are voted for, with the
enforcement of the national election
laws and with the prevention of
frauds and irregularities in naturali
zation, dealt in detail with the subject
of registration.
. Section 2 provides that registra
tion shall be "guarded, scrutinized
and supervised" in any city or town
having 20,000 inhabitants or up
wards, "whether such city or town
contains within its boundaries one
or more congressional districts, or is
only a part of one or more congres
sional districts", or in any one or
more counties in any congressional
district and forming a part only of a
congressional district, or in any en
tire congressional district no part of
which is within any city or town of
20,000 inhabitants and upwards,
whenever the chief supervisor for the
judicial district "in which either of
the three above mentioned places is
situated shall have received from
the first and third of such mentioned
places" (that is, a city or town and
an entire congressional district), an
application from 100 persons claim
ing to be qualified voters therein, or
from fifty such persons in one or
more counties or parishes, petition
ing for Federal supervision.
USE OF THE UNITED STATES COURTS.
Sections 2 to 14, inclusive, set
forth the manner in which such su
pervision shall be exercised. Upon
notice from the chief supervisor, the
iudge of the United States Circuit
Court having jurisdiction is required
within ten days to open his court at
the most convenient place "for the
purpose of transacting all such bus
iness pertaining to registration or
election matters as may. under the
laws of the United States, there be
transacted and done".
If the circuit judge is unable to
act he shall designate a district judge
to sit in his place.
HOW SUPERVISORS WOULD BE CHOSEN.
Supervisors of election are to be
appointed by the circuit courts upon
recommendation of the supervisors,
who may also have deputies, to be
appointed by the court. The num
ber of supervisors for each election
district or precinct shall be three,
but two of whom shall be of the
same political faith.
The chief supervisor is authorized
to transfer his subordinates from
point to point, and also to assign
then), upon any other day than one
pf registration,' revision or election,
"to any other duty .authorized by
laws of the United States". The
power of summary suspension is giv
en the supervisor, who may fill the
vacancy by the designation of an
other unassigned appointee of the
court of the same political faith. It
will be observed that the court is
limited in its appointments to persons
recommended by the chief supervis
qr, who, ii he be an unscrupulous
partisan, will take care, ot course:
onlv to recommend Buch persons as
he can depend upon as serviceable
tools. The court is required to ap
point double the whole number of
supervisors, which such city, town,
county, parish or entire Congres
sional district is entitled to the ser
vices of, and the chief supervisor may
select whom he pleases from, these
appointees taken from the list he has
recommended. One of three super
visors is to be designated by the
chief supervisor as chairman, and
another to act as chairman during his
absence.
CONTROL OF THE VOTING LIST.
Section eight deals specifically
with the subjects of registration, nat
uralization, preparation of list of
voters, inspection of ballot boxes,
etc. The supervisors are required
to attend all proceeding of registra
tion and revision, and may challenge
any person offering to register or the
right of names already registered to
remain on the books, with power to
require the custodian of the registry '
book or list to mark the names so
challenged. It is also made their
duty to thoroughly examine, when so
directed by the chief supervisor, all
register lists or papers of any kind
connected with the preparation of
such lists, with the nameB added or
dropped, and to make a copy of 8Hch!
documents. They are also required
to make out lists of the persons of
fering to register and to mark the
registry lists, etc., "in such manner
as will, in his judgment, defeat and
expose the improper or wrongful
removal therefrom or addition there
to in any manner of any name or
names." In cities or towns, where
the chief supervisor requires it, the
residences of all registered voters are
to be verified by a house-to-house
canvass. In case of challenge, if the
local registration officers fail to put
the oath immediately, the supervis
ors shall do the same and promptly
pass upon the qualifications of any
such challenged person. If it is de
cided that the challenged party is a
qualified voter, his ballot must be
received and deposited in the box.
Thus, at any election, the supervis
ors may decide who shall and who
shall not be permitted to vote.
BALLOT BOXES MUST BE MARKED.
On the morning of election day
the supervisors, are required to ex
amine the ballot boxes before the
voting begins to see that they are
empty. The local electiou officers,
any State, territorial or municipal
law to the contrary notwithstand
ing," are required to label the boxes
so as to indicate that the Congres
sional ballots are to be deposited in
them and to point them out to any
voter inquiring for them. The boxes
are to be kept in plain sight and
within easy access of the electors, and
so plaeed as to enable the local and
Federal election officers ana
the voters to see that the
ballots ore deposited in them. No
ballot box may be removed from the
place at which it is located until the
vote has been fully countea ana
canvassed. Any election officer, lo
cal or Federal, who shall practice
any fraud, make a false certificate or
tamper with the ballots, either
"stuffing" the box or extracting law
ful votes therefrom, shall be punish
ed by a fine of notmore than $5,000,
or imprisonment not more than five
years, or both. The giving, offering
or receiving a bribe to or from voters
or election or registration officers in
connection with either registration
election, subiects the offender to the
same penalties. Une ot the Heaeral
supervisors is required in all cases
where anv fotate or local election
officer or other person at any Con
gressional election is permitted to
accompany a voter into any booth or
other place provided for the voter to
prepare his ballot, to likewise enter
such booth and to render such assist
ance in preparing the ballot a8 the
yoter snail request ol nun.
HOUSE-TO-HOUSE. CANVASS.
On the day of the election the su
pervisors must keep a poll-list of all
persons voting and a seperate list of
all rejected voters, with the reason
for such rejection. All sucn ballots
of rejected voters, if tendered to the
supervisors of election, shall he re
ceived by them, the names of the
voters shall be written on the bapks
thereof, and the ballots then for
warded to the chief supervisor. The
supervisors are also to forward re
turns of the election. Prior to elec
tion day in any city or town having
one hundred thocuand inhabitants
or upwards they, must if the chief
supervisor so direct, make a house-to
house canvass to ascertain the quali
bcations ot registerea voters, na m
any city or town of twenty thousand
inhabitants or upward, when re
quired bj the chief supervisor, pre
pare a list of all naturalized voters
and observe and scrutinize the man
GOIiDSBORO, N. C" THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 1892.
ner in which 'naturalizations are be
ing made, and aid the ' court in the
matter of preventing frauauient nat
uralization. A similar canvass may
be made in towns of less than 20,000
inhabitants when a chief supervisor
"shall have reason to believe that
actual fraud or perjnry has bee n, is
being or is about to be committed in
the matter of naturalization."
STATE LAWS ANNULLED.
Section 9 provides that all. votes
for members of Congress shall be
counted and certified in a prescribed
way, "ana any state, territorial or
municipal law or ordinance in so far
as it conflicts herewith is hereby an
nulled." AH ballots must be counted
bv the federal supervisors as well as
bv the local election officers. The
poll clerks and supervisors must
kef o separate tallies. If they do not
agree, then the chairman or acting
chairman of the local election officers
and the chairman or acting chair
man of the federal supervisors must
announce the result which each has
arrived at. Congressional votGS
found iu anv other ballot box shall
be counted by the local chairman
and delivered to the supervisors
chairman to be counted, sealed and
marked.
A LOTTERY SSSTEM FOR ELECTIONS,
If there be more votes in the con
gressional box than the total num
ber of persons who have voted, the
ballots are to be mingled and a local
election officer and a Federal super
visor blindfolded and, with their
back3 to the box, shall draw ballots
f.orrfisnnndins' in number to the ex
cess, whiGh shall then be destroyed.
The yote3 tor the persons namea in
such withdrawn ballots are to be de
ducted from the votes entered for
such persons on the tallies. It fol
lows, of course, that an electiou m
such a case might be determined by
chance of trickery in drawing the
balluts
HANDLING THE RETURNS
Duplicate statements of the re
sults of all congressional elections
are to be made by local election of
ficers and Federal supervisors, to
which specimens of the ballots cast
and rejected, with th number of
yotes for each, are to be attacneu.
All rejected ballots shall be endorsed
with a statement showing by whom
each was rejected, If differences in
the statements ana certincaces oi
election are found to exist, the super
visors must make a signed memo
randum of the differences. The
statements of the local officers are
to be disposed of in accordance with
State, territorial or local laws, but
the statements of the supervisors,
of which there to be two sets, are to
be forwarded, oue to the chief super
visor, who also receives the super
visors' tallies, and the other to the
clerk of the United States Circuit
Court From the papers submitted
to him, the chief supervisor must
tabulate, for presentation to a Uni
ted States board of canvassers for
the congressional district, the
vote for the canvassers for the con
gressional cistriot, the vote for the
candidates.
POLLS CONTROLLED BY SUPERVISORS.
Section 14 states that if any elec
tion district where the law is being
onnliMl. no noles shall be opened as
required by the laws of the State
within one hour from the time sucn
no! Ia should be opened, then it shall
be the duty of Federal supervisors
present to open the polls for the re
ception of ballots for Representatives
. 1 Tl l
of Delegates in uongress oniy. -x ney
shall conduct said election as pro
vided hv the laws of the State in
nrViinh the election is held, save where
the Bame are modified, annulled or
r.hanered bv the laws of the United
States." In other words, if there is a
real or pretended delay of an hour in
nncmntr the Dolls.easilv to be brought
about by clever manipulation, the
"PVdpral siinp.r visors would have the
f. . - j
election entirely in tneir own nanus,
and the local. State or Territorial
authorities are reauired to tabulate
and declare the returns received from
the. snner visors. the same as if the
election had been held and conducted
by the State, Territorial r local elec
tion ofneers.
FEDERAL RETURNING BOARDS.
Section 15 reauires the """United
States circuit Courts to appoint for
the State to which the election law
is applied three persons to be known
an The United States board of can
vassers of the congressional vote
within and for the State for which
Hiou shall he anrxjinted " Not more
Vuwj -T X &
than two of them shall belong to the
same political party. They are to
receive $15 per day while actaally
employed and $5 per day additional
for personal expenses. Their duty
is to finally canvass and tabulate the
votes for menbers of the House of
Representatives. They may use for
this purpose the documents for
warded by the supervisors to the Uni
ted States courts and also those filed
with the chief euperyisors, where
there it- a discrepancy between the
chief supervisors returns and the
statement and certificates received by
the clerks of the courts. They are
also empowered to summon and per
sonally examine the various supervi
sors where their returns are im
perfect or inconsistent. Such sum
mons are to be served by the United
States deputy marshals.
Three sets of certificates of the
results ascertained by the board are
to be made. Of these one is to be
filed in the office of the chief super
visor of elections for the congres
sional district affected, together with
the papers and documents m the
case. Another is to be forwarded to
the person . declared to have been
elected, and the third is to be mailed
to the clert of the United States House
of Representatives at Washington.
In case no person is found to be
elected in district, certificates of
the tact are to be transmitted to the
Governor of the State, the clerk of
the Houseof Representatives and the
proper chief supervisor. Any per
son who 'was a candidate for election
may contest the correctness of the
canvassing board's decision before
the United States court, which may
examine all-the evidence upon which
tne canvassing boara actea, ana
then determine and certify the per
son shown -to be entitled to the cer
tificate. The certificate of the Uni
ted States' canvassing board shall be
conclusive with the clerk of the!
House of Representatives in deter
mining who shall be placed upon the
roll as elected unless the question
has been decided by the circuit court,
in which event he shall place on the
roll as Representative elect the name
of the person certified by the court.
The failure, neglect or refusal of the
clerk to observe this mandate is pun
ishable by a fine of from 81,000 to
$5,000, or imprisonment for not less
thanone nor more than five years,
or both, and he shall "be forever dis
qualified fsom holding thereafter any
ofhee of trust or profit under the
government of the United States."
The circuit court may also examine
into the correctness of the returns
made by any canvassing board, na
tional, State, territorial, county or
looal, and require said board to
amend them.
A MEANS OF PACKING JURIES.
A later section (38) provides for
the appointment by the Circuit
Court of three persons for each judi
cial district as United States juror
commissioners, who, from time to
time, are to make from the qualified
voters a list of the persons who, un
der the laws of the United States
and of the State in whioh they shall
act, shall be eligible for jury duty,
without respect to race or color,
"and hereafter all panels for jurors,
grand and petit, shall be drawn by
said board" in the presence of a dis
trict or circuit judge.
PAY OF POLITICAL WORKERS.
Liberal provision is made for the
pay of supervisors and deputy mar
shals, the former receiving $5 per
day, with $10 on election day in cit
ies of 500,000 inhabitants or up
wards, and the latter $5 per day.
The cost for pay of supervisors
alone at each polling place would
be $15 per day for a period ranging
from three to twelve days. The term
of service of the deputy marshals is
limited to eight days. '
FUNCTIONS OF DEPUTY MARSHALS.
Section 29 prescribed the duties of
the deputy marshals under the bill.
Besides serving the summonses of the
canvassing boards, they are to assist
the supervisors in making the house
canvass, and as many of thorn as the
chief supervisor may decide to be
necessary are to oboerye the manner
in which the election officers are
discharging their duties, to enforce
the- election law3 of the United
States and to prevent frauds and ir
regularities in elections. If directed
by the chief supervisor they must
take charge of snoh returns of the
canvass of yotes found in any box
which, under existing law, the chief
supervisor may require to be made
to him and deliver them into his
custody. One third of the special
deputy marshals appointed in any
place must be taken from lists fur
nished by the chief supervisor.
LOOKING TO FUTURE CONTINGENCIES.
All chief supervisors shall con
tinue in office 'go long as faithful
and capable." In other wor.l. t.W
are life appointments,' and chief su
pervisors appomtea now would con
tinue indefinitely to control and
"guard" the elections, even though
another party should obtain control
of the courts and the federal execu
tive. The chief supervisors, besides
tneir rees as circuit court commis
sioners, are allowed yarious fees for
filing and ' caring for papers, etc.
Each of them may also haye a dep
uty ana chief cleric, to be appointed
upon his own designation. '
TROOPS AT THE POLLS.
Various sections of the United
States statutes are . made bv Rpp.tinn
32 a part of the bill and of equal cf-
rect wicn its other provisions, save
they are in terms changed or modi
fied by the language of the bill it
self. The most important of these
is section 1989 of the Revised Stat
ues, which reads: "It shall be law
ful for the President of the TTniterl
States, or such person as he mv
empower foi that purpose, to em
ploy such part of the land or naval
rorces or tne unitea States or the
militia as mav be neeessarv to air! in
j j - -
the execution of judicial process is
sued under any of the preceding
provisions, or as shall be necessary
to prevent the violation an enforce
the due execution of the provisions
of this title," Under this section.
which thus becomes a part of the
bill, troops may be used at the polls
to enforce the . orders of the super
visors, Section 2024 also em powers
United States marshals to summon
bystanders to their assistance in as
serting their authority.
1 he other sections of the Revised
Statutes incorporated are those at
present soecifvinff the dnt.iea nf rh-
J. a O
pervisors. providing the details for
judicial processes, etc., and the sec
tions aimea against discrimination
as to color in the exercise of the
elective franchise. Section 2029.
prohibiting supervisors from making
arrests or performing "other duties
than to be in the immediate presence
of the officers holding the election
and to witness all their proceedings."
is repealed.
HEAVY PENALTIES FOR VARIOUS OF-
. FENCES, ...
A long list of offences that might
be committed at registration or re
vision of voting lists or at elections
i given, such as intimidation at and
frauds upon registration and in
elections, obstruction of supervisors
or registration or election officers,
etc., the penalty being from one to
hve years imprisonment. The will
ful exclusion of a legal vote or re
ceiving an illegal vote is punishable
by imprisonment not more than two
years. Every supervisor, election
officer or member of a canvassing
board who shall willfully make a
false canvass, sign a false certificate
or deface, destroy or conceal any
certificate my be punished by im
prisonment for not less than two
nor more than five years. As here-
S re, stated, ballot box stuffing
fraudulent changing or ab
stracting of ballots involve a penalty
of frcm one to five years' imprison
ment. Any election or registration
officer found guilty of wilful neg
lect or evasion of the law may be
sentenced to imprisonment for not
more than five years. It is also de
clared to be a felony for election
officers to steal, destroy, mutilate or
falsify any record or documentor
to secrete the same, or permit any
one else to do so, the penalty being
forfeiture of office and imprison
ment not longer , than five years.
Any person abetting, procuring or
advising such acts, or committing
them himself is subject to the same
penalty. Drastic penalties are also
provided for perjury, subornation
of perjury, frauds upon voters, dis
obedience of the supervisors, dis
turbances at registration offioes and
at the polls, stealing or destroying
ballot boxes, ballots, poll lists, ab
senteeism by local' officers, and gen
erally the doing of any act de
nounced in section 5424-5428, in
clusive, United States, Revised Stat
utes, as felony.
A great many delegates passed
throngh this city Monday on their
way to Greensboro, where the State
Farmers' Alliance holds its annual
meeting to-day for the election of
officers of the order for the ensuing
year. It is a meeting that is calcu
lated to ha've considerable to do with
molding the political .complexion of
the State for the next four years. It
is to be hoped; that the cardinal
principles of the Alliance will pre
vail ia this council. .
NO- 72
Mtt. CKISP ON THE FOBCR r.lLTj.
Mr. Crisp, Speaker of the House
of Representatives, in his letter ac
cepting the nomination recently ten
dered him by the Democratic con
vention of his district, presents the
following terse and telling suniumrv
of the force bill :
"It gives to the judge of the Uni
ted States Circuit Court, t!
of appointing election officers in (ho
States. It gives to the election offi
cers so appointed the power to desig
nate an unlimited number of deputy
marshals, who may be em ployed a
number of davs prior to o:icii !,,.
tion at $5 per day. (A - thousand or
more might be aonointftd in ..! .
congressional district in Georgia.)
"it authorizes the use of the ar
mies of the United States to preserve
the peace at the polls.
"it gives to the indues of the. Uni
ted States Courts the power of ap pointing
a canvassing-or retnrninT
board for each State, who shall cer
tify whom the people have elected to
Congress.
"It reouires the Clerk- nf thr.
House of Representative to place on
tne roil ot members elect the naine.q
of the persons holding such certili-
cates, so that they may participate
as members in the organisation of
the House.
"It authorizes ollici-rs rf fh..
United States to supervise and con
trol the registration of voters.
"It authorizes such officers ts
make a house-to-house canvass, to as
certain the legality of any registered
voter.
"It provides for the navment of all
these officers out of the Federal Trea
sury, and authorizes the cmployiuen !
of many of them for as much as
eight days before an election.
"Ana hnallv. it makes permanent
appropriation of your money for the
execution oi the law.'
And this is the miouitv the Tin id
partyites, whether they intend it or
not, would aid the Republican
party in foisting upon the South.
Could the Democrats ask n
better or more comprehensive cam
paign aocument than the above
The distinguished Georgian well
adds, by way of comment, that pop
ular government coum not long sur
vive the establishment of a system
which permitted the use of the army
at tne polling-places of the country
and at the same time removed from
responsibility to the people the of
ficers who manage and control their
elections.
Mr. Crisp knows whereof he
speaks. He has studied the foice
bill in all its bearings and taken
HI
M
all the dire conseouences that won
follow its enactment into a lav,1.
Picnic in 'he Woods.
Dudley, N. C, Aug. I.
Dear Argus: At an early hour yes
terday morning vehicles of all de
scription were to be seen pasting
through our quiet little, town, till
moving toward the public school
house, which is surrounded by a
beautiful oak grove on the road hail
ing West from here, and is about one
mile distant. There was no ab .de
ment of the passing of pleasure
seekers until near noon.
The occasion that called together
so many of our beautiful, blushing
maidens and gallant, chivalrous
young men was a picnic given by a
few of the neighborhood boys. On
reaching the grounds and taking in
the gay scene, everything seemed to
be indicative of comfort and pleas
ure. The arrival of the Mt. Olive Cor
net Band was an'attraction that had
charms for all, and the woods re
sounded the echo of the melodious
strains of music that lent inspiration
to the whole assembly. The Band
wa3 ably assisted by prominent mu
sicians of your city.
The dinner was served about 12:30
and was in keeping with the rest of
the programme. Everyone present
had an excellent opportunity to satis
fy any feelings of hunger that might
have arisen during the day.
After dinner a large majority of
the crowd repaired to the school houso
and reveled in the intoxicating
pleasures of the dance until the snn
was sinking behind the trees.
State Auditor Sanderlin van
present, but had to retire early in
the afternoon on account of indis
position. The most pleasant memories will
be cherished by thosn who partici
pated in the enjoyable picnic.
Respectfully,
r.R. w.
r .
If
II
v