The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-04-10

the States Of this Union would have security Tor
peace or tranquility, but might DO converted 'n'o
| the mere instruments Of Executive VIII Ac'ua'oo
by selfish purposes he might become tue great Ayr
| tator fomentng assaults upon the State Consutu-
tons, and declaring the majority Of to-day TO be The
minority Of tomorrow and the minority, IN Ills
turn the majority, before whose DEGREES the estab-
| lshed order of things in the State should be sub
verted Revolution, civil commoton and blood
| she'd would be the inevitable consequences. Inc
provision in the Constitution intended for the secu
rty of the States would thus be turned into the IN
strument Of their destruction. The President would
become in fact the great CossTITUrioS-mAKER for
the States, and all power would be vested in his
| hands.
| When, therefore, the Governor of Rhode Island,
by his letter of the 4th April, ls42 made requisi-
ton upon the Executive for aid to put down the late
disturbances bad hesitation in recognising the
obligations Of the Executive to furnish such aid,
upon the of the contingency provided for
by the Constitution and laws. My letter of the 18th
April in reply to the Governors letter Of the 4th, Is
herewith communicated; together with all the cor
respondence which passed at subsequent day, and
the letters and documents mentioned in the schedule
hereunto annexed From the correspondence between
the Executive of the United States and that OF Rhode
Island, will not escape observation that while re-
garded it as my dutyto announce the principles by
which should govern myself, in the contingency OF
an armed interposition the part of this Govern
ment being necessary to uphold the rights OF the
State Of Rhode Island, and to preserve its domestic
peace, yet that the strong hope would be INDUCED
and expressed that all the difficulties would dsap
pear before enlightened policy of Cancellation and
compromise In that spirit addressed to Governor
King the letter of the It'll May, 1872 marked private
and confidential and received his reply of the 10Th
May of the same year. The desire Of the Executive
was from the beginning, to bring the dispute to
termination without the nterpositon OF the military
power of the United States and it will continue to
be q subject Of sefcongratulaton that this leading
| object of policy was finally accomplished. The Ex
ecutive resisted all entreaties however urgent, to
depart from this line of conduct. Information from
private sources had led the Executive to conclude
that little else was designed by MIR. Dorr and his adj
herents than mere menace, with view to intimida-
tom this opinion in any degree shaken, un-
| til the 22d June, 1872 when it strongly repre-
scented from reliable sources, will be by refe-
| renee to the documents herewith communicated
that preparations were making by Mr.. Dorr, with
a large force in arms, to invade the State, which
force had been recruited in the neghboring States,
and was already preceded by the collection of mill
tary stores in considerable quantities at or two
points. This was state of things to which the Ex-
ecutiye could not be Indifferent. MIR. Dorr speedily
afterwards took up his headquarters at Chepachet,
and assumed the command of what was reported to
be large force, drawn chiefly from voluntary en-
listmtnts made in neighboring States. The Execu-
tive could with difficulty bring itself to realize the
fact tina, the citizens of other States had forgotten
their duty to themselves and the Constitution of the
United States and entered into the highly reprehen-
sible and iDdefensbe Of interfering far in
the concerns OF a sister State, as to have
entered into plans oil invasion, conquest, and Revo
| luton but the Executive felt it to be its duty to
look minuty into the matter and therefore the Sec
rotary Of War was despatched to Rhode Island with
instructions, copy Of which herewith transmit
ted, and authorized, should requisition be made
| upon the Executive, by the Government Of Rhode
Island, in pursuance Of law and the invaders should
| not abandon their purpose, TO call upon the Cover
OF Massachusetts and Connecticut for sufficient
number of militia at TO crush the INVASION and
TO nterpose such Of the regular troop, as could be
tpaftu lfom iof Nhc OF tne CIV
Of Providence in the event Of it, being attacked as
was strongly represented to be in contemplation
Happily there necessity for either issuing the
proclamation requstion, for removing the troops
from Fort Adams, where they had been properly sta
| toned. Chepachet was evacuated, and Mr.. DORIS
troops dispersed without the necessity of the inter-
si,ion OF any military force by this Government; thus
confirming me in my early impressions that nothing
more had been designed from the first, by those
cialed with Mr.. Don than TO excite fear and appre-
hsnson, and thereby TO obtain concessions from the
constituted authorities, which nigh, be claimed as a
Triumph over the eI stine government
With the dispersion of MIR. DORIS troops ended all
the difficulties. convention shortly Afterwards
called, by due Of law, to amend the fun
dsmsntal law, and a new Constitution, based tDn
more liberal principles than that abrogsted, wa,
proposed and adopted by the People. Thus the
great American experiment OF change in Government
under the influence Of opinion and not Of force, has
been again crowned with success and the State and
People Of Rhode island epose in safety under iusttu
tons of their own adoption, unterriied by any futur,
prospect Of necessary change and against domes
TIC violence ornvasion from abroad congra,ul the
country upon so happy termination Of condition OF
things which seemed at one time seriously to threaten
the public peace. IL may justly be regarded AZ
worthy Of the age, and Of the country in which we
live
! JOHN TYLER.
WhsHHGTos, April g. 1874