Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-02-05
CONGRESSIONAL UsURPATION
The Impending Coup d'Etat.
ALARM THEREAT IN REPUBLICAN
QUARTERS.

Harm THEREAT IN REPUBLICAN
QUARTERS.
rhc Threatened Danger To
Republican Liberty.
rhe Meyemenss 20 Break Down
the Executive nnd judicial
Departments Of the Gov.
ernment.
The following letter. addressed 10 the New
! ork Times, 10 given editorial prominence in
hat psser, asd 70 supposed TO have been writ
On BY its editor, Hssry J. Raymond.
mn IMPEDING couP D'ErAr AT WASHINGTON.
r. he Editor of tie N. Y. Times:
When constitutional eovesnnent 10 in
peril there isalWays warning Of the impeud-
Ing danger. A corp d'sfdf 10 looked for,
and msa ssewaraed EEL yet - IL they were
nat forsasmsd. The blow 10 struck not BY
an open enemy Il comes from quarter IN
which power has been conssitut'onaiiy
placed for the preservation Of the very gov
eminent, the destruction OF which Is com.
nassed. The safeguards OF constitutional
liberty arc swept away ~ the pretended in.
ieres,s Of the nation, but really because
,hev stand in ihs way Of the man or the
ATTY ia power They fear that power and
constitutional government cannot exist to-
gether, and therefore then destroy constitu-
tional government. Is such trilc TO stand
in the way Of theis great purposes This,
as We oil remember. was the way in which
Louis Napoleon, President Of the French
Republic, usurpcd power and made himself
Emperor. lie was made President be-
cause he had persuaded majority Of
the French people tina, he OF all men
was best fitted 10 preserve, protect and
defend the constitutional government OF
the French Republic. lie made him
self the sulocrat Of France, and destroyed
its constitutional government BY sweeping
. co ordinate branch Cf that government
out Of lie path, in the coup d'efat Of the I'd
Of december. For this kind Of political
uxurpat,on we have TO use French name.
Our language. framed by people in whose
cradle were the seeds Of popular liberty and
which advanced steadily 10 constitutional
government from the time Il left the Scan
dinavisn forests, happily furnishes u with
no word or phrase expressive OF just this
action.
And yet II ~ould seem that We have res
Gently developed pressing need for some
such phrase in our mother tongue for few
Of US are blind enough not 10 see that there
is now impending . coup detat at Washing
ton. 1t hangs above our heads at this very
moment, aud IL We do not lay aside all psr>
~ hopes and fears, or in fact all othoS p0-
litical considerations, it will fall upon us as
Nc are gazing upon it with stupid and mac
tive apprehension. The power by which
the existence Of constitutional government
is impcrled in this country has control Of
one branch only Of our government. II
only n majority Of only part Of the nation.
A large minority Of the constituents OF the
very members who at present control the
legislative branch Of our government are ops
posed to their action, and yet must submit,
and ought TO submit to that action, SO long
us 1t is constitutional. Now il is the one
cardinal principal Of constitutional govern
ment that within the pro, tsons Of thc con.
sti,ution the rights Of niaoritics as well az
those Of majoritics shall be safe. II is
chiefly for the protection Of minorities tina,
c institutional government is estab-
lished - that the party which for
the time being, has control oil
the executive and the legislative branche.
OF government may not use its power exclu
sively in its own interests, and in tyrannic,
al disregard Of the rights u the minori-
". Therefore II is that constitution de,
clAres what the executive and what the leg,
i.lstive power may do, and either declare.
also that they shall not do certain othe,
things, or that they shall do only that iol
which they receive authority through III,
constitution. IL this restraint is broker
through, either by the executive or the leg
islativc power, constitutional government il
at an end. The immediate object in view
may DO good, but constitutional liberty !.
mono the less destroyed. and the course owe
its ruins Is made easy for every chief exec
utivs or sny Legislative majority thereafter
No intelligent and moderately we'll informed
citizen Of this republic needs to be told tina
Congress 10 not supreme; that Congress hal
no powers but those derived from the con.
stitution; that il is the creature. not Of tn,
people directly, tut Of the people through
the constitution, and that it may transccn,
its Just powers as easily as tie pfesiden
can transcend his. From its nature, its or
ganization and is functions, it IS the mos
powerful branch OF the ernment, an,
most lcalously watched and restrained
pom II there are only two checks the Pres
idents veto, which Congress itself can piu
aside 10y two thirds VOTE and the Su,,rem,
| Court, which has no control over the wis
dom or the patriotism OF its acts. bat cnl,
over their legality. Imperfect as thes,
checks are, because they are OF human con-
trivance, they have thus far been sufficient
and they would always prove sufficient, 10
the security Of constitutional govern
ment Without tn IN constitutions
liberty would rot exist ior year; bu
each session Of Congress we should be a
the mercy Of an irrcpressible majority
which, If necessary TO its purposes, coul
declare Massachusetts, or Ohio, or both, ans
New York besides, out Of the Union, which
could impeach the President ut will an,
suspend him from lie office until he was de
clared either innocent Or guilty, it woul.
make no matter and which could bid III,
Supreme Court attend to its own business
and not coaccrn itself with the legality o
any oct done BY the majority. said thi,
might DC; but It 10. except for the met,
tcrnality ofa passage by majority wh,
vote BY rollcall. and PISS between teller,
after their leaders like sheep between gate.
posts. The purpose of the majority Of th'
present Imperfect Congress, rs We al see. il
to semovs the President. and not only tn,
President, but the Supreme Court out o
| its way. We SET this, and We look on in
apathy. and 90 about money making, stu.
pidly trusting that no harm will come Of il
and vet what 10 doing 10 that constitutions
government is destroyed before our eyes,
bill was brought in on Monday, 6y Mr.
Williams. Of Pcnnsy lvania. which, absolute
". is entitled bill to "def:.e the powers o.
the Supreme Court"-of the Suprem,
Court whose powers are defined By III,
Consultation, and the chief object Of rlos
creation was to define tie popers Of Con
yrsss. A more barefacsd attempt at uourp
alton was never seen . more fatal blow I,
constitutional government Was never dealt
Yet what may Nc not expect when Mr.
Wilson reports bill which declares vail,
and conclusive certain proclamations %,
consequent scts which the Supreme Cour
can only declare valid : and when Mr.. Bout
well does not hesitate 20 declare, "witl
strong emphasis" thot the Supreme Cour
exists but by the breath Of Congress-th
Supreme Court, created by Z ores tor Q
congress. to interpret its laws and be
check upon its action Congress has n
/ more right To define the povars Of tho m