Page:Federal Reporter, 1st Series, Volume 6.djvu/833

 DNITBD STATES V. AMSDEN. 821 �effect as performance, and any judge or inspecter of election who shall wfongfully refuse or omit to receive or count the vote of such citizen, when furnished by him with hisafiSdavit showingthat he bas made such offer, sball be punished, etc. Section 4 provides that any person who by force, bribery, threatc, intimidation, or other unlawful means, hinders, de- lays, prevents, or obstructs, or combines with others to hin- der, delay, or obstruct, any citizen from doing any act required to be done to qualify him to vote or from voting at any elec- tion, shall be punished, etc. Section 5 reads as follows: "Section 5. And be it further enacted, that if any person shall prevent, hinder, control, or intimida te, or shall attempt ,to prevent,, hinder, control, or intimidate any person fromexer,- cising or in exercising the right of suffrage, to whom the rigjit of suffrage is secured or guarantied by the fifteenth amenda. mepVto the constitution of the United States, bymeanSiOf bribery, threats, or threats of depriving such person of epiy ployment or occupation, or of ej«cting such. person |rom repted housea, lands, or other • propeity, cr by threajip p^ ref ugirig^ta renev^^eaees or contracts f or labor, or by threatSrpf yi|c>legjce; tohimpelf or family, such person so offendingshajlib&diepm^ guilty pf a misdemeanor, and shall, on, conviction; thereoi/bQ, uned not less than $500, or be imprispned.not leSp th^nqop mpnthnor more than one year, or \)pth, atihe discretion pf the court." Section 6 provides that if two or niore persons shall band together, or go in disguise on ihQ public high- way, or upon the pr emises of another, with intent to vio- late any provision of the act, or to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any citizen with intent to prevent or hinder his free enjoyment of any right secured to him by the constitu- tion and laws of the United States, oi because of his having exercised the same, such persons shall be deemed guilty of felony. �The fifteenth amendment, which, it is claimed by the gov- ernment, authorizes the enactment of the fifth section of the "enforcement act," reads as follows: "Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any state, on acoount of ��� �