The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1868-08-27
Is a Coup D'Etat Contemplated 2

The Tammany exhibitors resolved
that the reconstruction measures oil
Congress are "null and void" and
Revolutionary" If the Tammany
exhibitors be successful, what dc
they propose to do with those meas
ures 2 1t is a pertinent inquiry, aud
one which the people will require
them to answer satisfactorily before
intrusting them with power. II
Seymour should be triumphaut-the
supposition, we know, is absurd, but
we make il for the sake of argument
how docs he propose to treat the
reconstruction laws Of Congress
which have gone into operation
throughout the entire South21
Hosays heaccopts the platform of
Tnmmany. Then he will be bound
to treat those laws as "null aud void,
for the platform says they are so,-
He must regard them as Of no effcc,
Shatever. lie cannot consider them
As la,@s, They are null and void
He mnst look upon them as if they
had no existence flo must utterly
ignore them. That is the precise
position Of the platform upon which
he stanjs. How can he carry It's
letter aud spirit into practice lie
must reduce the theory to practice,
or else he willnot treat these meas
ures as "null aud void" What, we
repeat, will he do2 What can he
do? What does he design to do in
case Of his election? " 10y
The people should insist up an ex'
plicit and categorical answer, for the
peace aud prosperity of the country
would depend, in the contingency
supposed, upon the course he should
take, lie would go into office, if he
should 60 into Office at all, pledged
to consider the legislation Of Congress
for the last four years as absolute ly
without any effect in law or in fact !
Do these business gentlemen of New
Orleans and Of the South who are
contributing money to Seymour
clubs, LegiOns," etc, ever stop to
ask themselves what would be the
practical effect of all this? Some
Of them refused to ask themselves
what would be the practical effect Of
secession. They chose to take coun
sci of their passions. We suggest
to them the eminent propriety OF
taking better counsel now unless
they wish history to repeat itself
again.
The legislation referred to has
taken place, and the people in all
the Southern States have been act
ing in accordance there with. This
nobody will deny. Mr.. Seymour, as
President, is pledged to regard and
deal with it as if it had never been.
He will be obliged to inform Con =
gress that he caunot recognize it. II
is revolutionary, Unconstitutional,
null and void. He will refuse to see
the laws in question executed. How
can he execute that as law which Is
not law, aud not binding In law,
which is. revolutionary and void
Yet he cannot get into the Presidcn-
tial chair without taking an oath to
do juSt that which he is pledged il
advance not 70 do, viz: not 70 treat
the laws Of Congress as OF any legal
effect or validity. He win go into
Office, fiat all, with 4 threat Of rev
olution on his tongue, for refusal
on the part Of the Exccutive to exc
Pcpto the laws Of Congress passed iU
due Form is both perury1since he
taxes au oath that he viii do this
In, ap1, revolution. IL is at touce to pro.
claim hiinseiifa dictator, -F7' ~,
Both branches ofiCoBgress are now
overwhelmingly Republican; and pd
mitting still, for Arguments sake,
Chat the next House Should become
Democratic, by the elections to Be
held, no possible event can make the
Senate Democratic except q 4 coup
detdt4 except revolution 1t Is
In explicable to US that the Demo-
cratic conyentloualists should have
put that plank in their platform, If
It means anything a. all it means d
revolution by force Of arms, Unless
Mr.. Seymour, as President, intends
a coup d'etat- he will be obliged to
treat the measures Of Congress, not
as "null and void and revolutionary,
according to his platform, but as laws
which he will be compelled to recog-
nize aud enforce. Does he design 10
execute coup d'etat and reconstruct
Congress by force? Tho country
has right to know. If not, then
the platform Is d fraud and hum