The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1867-05-31

cfEscaPe from Military UsurPa-
lion.
The Attorney General, in his con.
struction of the Reconstruction laws,
did not touch the question of the
powers conferred on the District
Commanders. The President in his
message vetoing the original bill, il
will be remembered, argued that their
powers over the people and local
governments of the excluded States
were really without any limitation
whatever The silence of the Attor-
ney General on this point, in view of
the extraordinary proceedings of some
of the Military Commanders, leaves it
to be inferred that in this particular, it
is the intention of the President to
observe the construction which he
promulgated in his message. 1t can
not be that the measures of Sheridan
in Louisiana, and of his subordinate,
Griffin, in Texas, and others Of a
kindred nature in other States, have
not been brought to his notice Off
cially.
Let us look at some of these acts.
Sheridan has removed the municipal
officers of New Orleans-dismissed a
part of the police of the city-and
.>.,+- = IT. ---n-- 90 ----
selection.
Griffin has excluded nineteen TWEEN
tieths of the white people of Texas
from the jury box, and assigned blacks
to their places, who know nothing of
the solemn responsibilities to be dis
charged and have but faint conception
of the obligations of the oath which
they are required to take. Thus
placing in the keeping of an unatught
and incompetent race the lives, liberty
and property of the people of the
State
Sickles has, with dash of the pen,
set aside the laws Of the Carolinas for
the collection of debts, wrought
material changes in the criminal codes
of those States-and seized and in
carcerated respectable and peaceable
citizens, who are guiltless of violating
any law whatever, and are kept in
Ignorance of the cause of their arrest.
Pope issues an emphatic mandate
to the Governor of Georgia, notifying
him that he will be summarily elected
from his office, if he repeats the
offence of advising the people of the
State not to accept the terms of recon
struction rendered by Congress, not
outstanding by the laws themselves
'he privilege of accepting, or rejecting
hem, are left to their own decision,
which implies as to those acts the
light of free discussion. He has de-
posed the municipal officers of the
,ity of Mobile, including the Mayor,
because Of an unprecedented panic
which occurred while an incendiary /
'rator from Pennsylvania was in the
midst of violent haranguc to a multi {
ude whose passions he was seeking
o arouse. The Mayor was not charg- /
d with completely in the afair-his {
npartiality was conceded by all--his S
forts to preserve the peace were a d
nbject of common remark and uni "
ersal neutrality-suspicious. yet he +
driven from office at the point of a
lie bayonet. II
Schofield threatens newspapers with IL IL
lspension for protesting against IL
C incursions of orators whose OBJ OF
ct is not to restore peace to the a
'untry, but to array class against az
ass, and race against race, in the W
,uthcrn States. u
All these acts are within the knowl- ST.
&c of the President, but he refuses m
interpose any authority whatever
tween the arm of power and the Dc
'ople whose privileges are violated. h'
is Attorney General gives an elabo tn
tc opinion in reference to the Acts ar
virtue of which these abuses are da
rpetrated, but he is as silent as the OF
ave concerning the power of the til
over the lives, liberty and an
operty of citizens, and over their foI
,al governments. The Courts do not wi
ord relief The people are power .
IS to resist them. They are disarm- MI MI
and the real fighting material are
der parole not to bear arms against an
/, United States authorities. Forci- ria
resistance is out of the question. Sto
nat then is the remedy? 1t is found spe
The Laws themselves. tits to accept s sh,
terms of Reconstruction rendered airs
Congress, and thus to place the inn No
:luded States ON the same footing the
the other States of the Union c cn
IS is the door, and the only door, sta