, 1842-05-07

IN Inc JuuSii'Shs
use the military force hereby directed
TO be called forth, the President shall
forthwith, by proclamation, command
such insurgents to dispurse and re-
tire peaceably to their respective a,
nodes within a reasonable time.
Nv the act of March 8, 1907, it is
provided "that in all cases of insur'
rec,ion or obstruction to the laws,
either of the United States or any
Individual State or Territory, where
it is lawful for the President of the
United States to call forth the mill,
tia for the purpose of s%uppresslng
such instruction, or CT rauslng the
laws to be duly exercised, i, shall be
lawful for him to employ for the same
purposes such part Of the land or ma
val force of the United States as shall
be Judged necessary, having first OBJ
served all the prerequisites of the
law in that respect"
This is the first occasion so far as
the Government of the State and Its
People are concerned, on which 1t
has become necessary to consider OF
the propriety OF exercising these
high and most important conslliu-
tional and legal functions. By Il care
full consideration of the above recit-
ted acts Of Congress, your Execu-
tive will not fail to see, that no pow
err is invested in the Executive of the
United States to anticipate insurrec-
tionary movements against the State
of Rhode Island, so Us to sanction
the interposition of the military au-
thority, but that there must be actual
Instruction manifested by lawless
assemblages OF the People or other.
wise, to whom a proclamation may
be addressed, and who may be requir-
ed to betake themselves TO their re-
spective abcdes, | have. however, to
assure your Executive that, should
the time arrive, and my fevvent prayer
is that it may come, when an
instruction shall exist against the
Government of Rhode Island, and a
requisition shall te made upon the
Executive of the United States TO
furnish that protection which is
guaranteed to each State by the Con-
sli,ulion and laws, | shall not be found
TO shrink from the performance of a
duty, which, while it would be the
most painful, is at the same the most
imperative. have also to say that
in such a contingency, the Execu-
tive could not look into real or sup
posed defects of the existing Govern
ment TO ascertain whether some 9th
er plan Of Government proposed for
adoption was better suited 10 the
wants and more in accordance with
the wishes Of any portion of her ci,i-
zenS.
To throw the Executive power C
this Government into any such con
troversy would be TO make the Presi
dent the armed arbitrator between
the People Of the different States
and their constituted authorities. and
might lead TO an usurped power, dan
gerous alike 10 the stability of the
State Governments and the Liberties
of the People. 1t will be my duty.
on the contrary, to respect the requi-
sltions of that Government which
has been recognized as the existing
Government Of the State through all
time past, until shall be advised in
regular manner that it has been alter
ed and-abolished, and another substi-
tuted in its place, by legal and peacea-
bic proceedings. adopted and pursued
by the authorities and People Of the
State. Nor can bring myself readi-
ly TO believe that any such con,in-
gency will arise as shall render the
interference Of this Government ut
all necessary. The People of the
State OF Rhode Island have been too
long distinguished for their love Of
order and Of regular government 10
rush into revolution in order 10 OBJ
tain a redress of grievances, real or
supposed, which a government under
their fathers lived in peace
would not in due season redress.-
No portion of her People will be
to drench her fair fields with
blood of thei: own brothers in
order TO obtain Il redress of grieyan.
ces which their constitutional authori-
les can't, for any length of time, re-
'ist, if properly appealed to by the
popular voice. None Of them will
willing to set an example, in the
BOSOM Of this Union, of such fright
ul disorder, such needless convul.
lions Of society, such danger to life,
liberty and propriety, and likely to
'ring discredit on the character of