Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1856-09-04
The srmv Bill Passed.

Al-Os0 s AAAOh-oI
The Army Bill Passed.
telegraphic dispatch on Saturday evening
announced the passage of the Army Appropri
stion Bill without the House proviso. Whether
any modification Of the condition imposed by
the House, or any arrangement of the disputed
poin between the House aud Senate was efiect'
Ell. or whether the Administrator carried Its
point with a high hand, we do not learn. But,
As the majority Of the opponents Of the Kansas
laws on Friday was reduced to one, by the ar
rival of John Scott Harrison, and another
member, and as they never had a majority OF
the House on full vote, it is not improbable that
the pro-slavery force grew strong enough TO
force the bill over the heads of the opposition
II it be SO, then we understand distinctly that
the Buchanan party is pledged to the execu
ton of the whole bloody code Of Kansas laws,
by the army, if required, and that they were
willing to destroy the army rather than consent
that it should not be used for such a purpose.
It is now settled, if it never was before, that the
Buchanan party supports, and is etermined to
see executed. the laws enacted for Kansas by
the Missouri mob. They must shoulder the
responsibility Of that crime now, as much as
they have tired TO dodge it heretofore.-Jor
nal.
1t would appear from the foregoing that the
opposition leaders are disposed to make the
action in the House, on the Army Bill, in
opposition to the majority of both branches
of Congress, an issue before the people. We
design therefore to say a few words of the
course of the Republican members of that
body to defeat a bill of such magnitude and
importance as this is conceded to be. Moth
ing better is offered in excuse Of this most
unjustiiable ard unprecedented proceeding.
than that it is better that the Army should
be disbanded, than to leave it in the power
Of the President to employ the United States
troops in enforcing the "odious laws Of the
ofthe fact that not one of the really "odious
laws of the Kansas Legislature has, in a
single instance, ever been enforced, or sought
TO be enforced, by either the federal or terri
torial authorities, the attempt of the House
TO force the Senate and the President to
yield to its views on a subject of general leg
~islation, wholly independent Of, and discon-
nected with, the objects of the bill, is in direct
violation of the spirit Of the constitution, and
strikes at the very foundation of our govern
ment. There is a proper mode Of adjusting
all questions upon which an honest difference
of opinion may exist between one branch of
the National Legislature and the other, or
That mode is, certainly, not the one now, for
the first time in our history as a Confederacy,
resorted to by the revolutionists of the House.
The Constitution contemplated no such means
of enabling a ~factious majority in the House
to constitute itself a despotism, by forcing its
eo-ordinates in power, to yield to its exactions
under the threat Of stopping the wheels of
Government. The power now claimed by
the House not only i~nfringes upon the rights
of the Senate, but it interferes with the ex-
ercise of the authority expressly given to the
President as COMMANDMENT m Chief of the
Army. These views are most clearly and
forcibly illustrated in the following para
graph, which we copy from the Philadelphia
Ledger, a very able and candid neutral paper :
II the House may impose a restriction upon
the President in the employment of the troops
in Kansas, it may impose a similar restriction
upon the employment of the troops in Florida,
or in Oregon or in California, if the present in
surection should require the interference of
the United States authorities. In fact, it may
impose restrictions upon the employment of the
Federal forces for the enforcing of any of the
Federal laws, which would be virtually giving
to the House the power to render any law mop
~erative. A bare majority in but a single branch
Of the Legislature could. therefore. stop the en-
forcement of any law, when it had not the nu-
merical power to obtain its repeal. This would
be placing the whole Government within the
control of the House, where mere partisan pas
sions have greater scope than in any other
branch of the Government. What protection
would the people have against the abuse of this
pover2 The House is amenable to no other
authority. II the President abuses his power,
by the employment Of the troops wrongfally, he
may be impeached by Congress but who can
impeach or punish the majority in the Housef
The question at issue, il will be seen, involves
very serious considerations Instead Of having
recourse to a remedy of so doubtful a character,
the better course is to provide securities whereby
The people Of Kansas can make such Nv IS
will be an honest expression Of the public sen
timent, and which will not need military force
30 execute.
The people will at once see the danger
that lies in the action of the House, and the
necessity of rebukiDg it in such spirit as
shall not be misunderstood. The Senate
have, in a spirit Of Cancellation and fairness
agreed to bill which sweeps away all those
obnoxious laws that infringe in the least
upon the rights of the people of Kansas, and
rave furthermore provided for the suppress
sions of all further violence and outrage with
in the Territory by authorizing a Conven-
ton, elected under all the Safeguards that
could possibly be devised, to form a Constitu-
ton preparatory to its admission as a State.
Let the House adopt the same wise course,
and Kansas, before the fourth Of March next,
will be a State in the Union.
0The writhing Of the Journal under
I'll nh D---l