Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1844-04-18

to prepare steam or other vessels of the
II United States for service in the waters oI
Rhode Island that no orders were issued
"to the officers OF the Revenue Cutters foI
said service :" that no instructions were
ne by the Secretary Of War TO Rhode Is
land, on his visit in 1912, TO review the troops
of the Charter Government and that no or
ders were given 10 any officer of the Army
or Navy to report themselves TO the Charter
Government. "Requests and application
were made to the Executive To fulfil the
guarantees Of the constitution, which impose
ION the Federal Government The obligation
to protect aud defend each State Of the
/ Union against "domestic violence and for.
eign INVASION; but the Executive was n,
no time convinced that the casus JGderis had
arisen which required the inlerposition OF
The military or naval power IN the controver-
y which unhappny existed between the pco-
pie Of Rhode Island.
| | was IN no manner prevented from so in.
terfcring, by The inquiry whether Rhode Is
land existed as an independent State of the
Union, under charter granted at on early
period hy the Crown Of Great Britain, or
not. Ii was enough for The Executive to
know that she was recognised as a sovereign
State by Great Britain, by the treaty of 1888;
that at later day she had, in common with
her sister States, poured out her blood, and
freely expended her treasure in the war of
the revolution that she was a party TO the
Articles Of Confederation that at an after
day she adopted the constitution of the Uni.
ted States, as q free, Independent aud re
publican State and that in tha. character
she has always possessed her full quota Of
representation in the Senate and House of
Reprcse enia,ivcs. and, up TO n recent day. she
has conducted all her domestic affairs and
fulfilled all her obligations as a member Of
the Union, in peace and war, under her
charter Government! as it is dcnominatcd by
the resolution of the House of the 23d Of
March.
must be permitted to dscaim, entirely
and nnqualtiedly, the right, on the part of
The Executive, TO make any real or supposed
defects, existing in any State Constitution
or form Of Government, the pretext for q
failure to enforce the laws or the guarantees
Of the Constitution Of the United States, in
reference to any such State. | utterly re.
pudate the idea, in terms as emphatic rs
can employ, that those laws are not to be
or guarantees compiled with, be-
cause the President may believe that the
right OF suffrage, or any other grca. popular
right, is either too restricted or too lrQadly
enlarged. | also, with equal strength, resist
the idea that it falls within the Executive
competency to decide in controversies OF
the nature Of that which existed in Rhode
Island, on which side the ma jori,y OF the
People may be, or as to the extent of the
rights of mere numerical majority. For
the the Executive TO assume such power,
would be 10 assume power Of the most
dangerous character. Under such assutnp.
,lons, the States Of this Union would have
no security for peace or tranquility, but
might be converted into tho mere instrn.
ments of Executive will Actuated by self. |
lsh purposes, he might become the grea,
Ag,ator, fomentlng assaults upon the State
constitutions, and declaring The majority Of
to-day to be the minority of omorrow and
the minority, IN its tnrn, the ma jority, before
whose DEGREES the established order of things
in the State should be subver,cd. Revon. |
ton, civil commoton and bloodshed would
be the inevitable consequences. The pro.
vision in the constitution, intended for the
security Of the States, would thus be turned
into the instrument of their destruction. The
President would become, in fact. the great
CONSTITUTIONS. MAKER for the States, and
all power would be vested in his hands
When, therefore, the Governor Of Rhode
island, bv his letter of the 4lh April. 1912,
made requisitlon upon the Executive for
aid to put down the late disturbances, ! had
no hesitation in recognising the obligations
Of the Executive TO furnish such aid, upon
the occurrence Of the contingency provided
for by the Constitution and laws. My letter
OF the lih April, in reply to the Governors
letter of the 4th, is herewith communicated, d.,
together with all the correspondence which
passed at subsequent day, aud tie letters
and documents mentioned in the schedule
hercunto annexed. From the correspon.
dence between the Executive Of the United
States and that of Rhode Island, it will not
escape observation that while | regarded il
rs my duty to announce the principles by
which should govern myself, in the conliD.
gency OF an armed mierposition on the part
of this government being necessary TO up
hold the rights Of the State of Rhode Island
and TO preserve It's domestic peace, yet that
the strong hope would be indulgcd in and
expressed. that all the difficulties would dis.
appear before en- enlightened policy of con.
cllatlon and compromise. ln that spirit |
addressed to Governor King the letter of the
9Th May, 1912, marked private and confden
tlal, and received his reply Of the I2lh Of
May, the same year.
The desire of the Executive was, from the
beginning, TO bring the dispute to termina.
ton without the interpostion of the military
power Of the United States and it will con
tinue to be a subject of selfcongratula,on
that this leading object of policy was finally
accomplished. The Executive resisted ali
cnlrea,ies, however urgent, to depart from
this line Of conduct. Information from pri.
vate sources had led the Executive to con.
cnde that little else was designed by Mr.
Dorr and his adhercnts than mere menace,
with view to intimidation nor was this
opinion in any degree shaken until the 22d
June, 1912, when It was strongly represented
from reliable sources, as Will be seen by refe-
renee To the documents herewith communi.
Gated, iha, preparations were making by Mr.
Dorr, with large force in arms, To invade
the State, which force had recruited in the
ncighboring States. aud was already pre-
ceded by the collection of military stores at
one or two points. This was n state of
things to which the Executive could not be
Indifferent Mr. Dorr speedily afterwards
took up his headquarters at Chepachct, aud
assumed the Command Of what was reported
to be large force, drawn chiefly from volun-
lary enIiStmcn,s made in ncighborng States
The Executive could with difficulty bring
itself 10 realize the fact that the citizens ot
other States had forgotten their duty to them