The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-13
The Reconstructed States under Martial
Law.
Eron, The N. z. World.

The Reconstructed States under Martial
Law.
From the ". p. World.
In putting Georgia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Alabama, and Florida under martial
law, as per order of October 8, General Meade
says che will not permit the peace to be
broken, and that he will not be restrained in
the conscientious discharge of his duty by
tecbnicalities of law made when the present
anomalous condition of affairs was neither anti
cipated nor provided for"
Now, we would like to ask who made this
army officer conservator of the peace in these
five States We thought they were recon-
structed. Congress certainly so declared on
the 25th of June last, and has not only so
declared but admitted certain fellows as United
States Senators and Representatives there
from. Where, then, does General Meade get
his authority to proclaim martial law within
them just upon the eve of the Presidential
election? By what right does he set himself
up to keep the peace, aud thereby usurp the
main functions of these governments, if indeed
they are anything more than the rags and
shreds of a civil organization? They were
organized, in the express words of the Recon-
struction acts, to insure adequate protection
to life or property" and if they cannot do this,
and must call in an army officer to do it for
them, then they and he alike are shams and
usurpers. The plea of necessity will not avail
If these governments were what they ought
to be, and what it was loudly vaunted they
would be, there would be no such necessity.
The very making of the plea is their own con-
demnation, since the plea is that they cannot
do the very thing they were avowedly created
to do.
Furthermore, General Meade, in thus pro-
claiming martial law in these five recon-
structed States, says he twill not be re-
strained in the conscientious discharge of his
duty by technicalities OF law" Who is to
Judge what is a conscientious discharge of
duty, and who is to decide what is a techni-
cality of law Obviously, nobody but Gene
raj Meade himself, so that after all this tre-
mendous turmoil and outlay and heart burn
ing the electoral rights of five great States
are to be meted ont and measured by the con-
science of an old soldier, and the intimate
acquaintance with the teohnicalities of the
law of man of the sword from his youth up.
And this is reconstruction; this the restoration
of the Union; this the tardy and mildewed
fruit of long course of stupid and maevolent
legislation. This is the best that the radical
Congress can do-to make war for near
two years upon a desolate people, with
the army and bureau and treasury
at its back, with the President over
ridden, with the Supreme Court gagged with
every single iota of the material and political
power OF this great country in it's absolute
grasp, and yet, in the tive years. wrestle, to be
SO desperately worsted by helplessness itself as
to be forced to cry in the army and provide for
the surrounding of the polls with troops Was
there ever such shame as this There have
been governments more absolutely cruel but
was there ever an administration so brutally
incompetent as this 1t is not now question
what is to be done with these reconstructed
governments, or how they are to be done away
with or maintained. They are already done
away. Martial law is in their place. There will
be roar and yell, of course, to the contrary,
and plentiful declarations that General Meade
only means to keep the peace. Bah Whist
has he to do with keeping the peace if these
governments are what reconstruction de-
clared they would be, and the Chicago plat
form declares they are They were to be
legal; they were to protect life and preserve
property. Why don't they do it Where is
the worth of the hundred millions and over
that have been robbed from us to galvanize
them into life Why does General Meade
review his army at Atlanta one day-his in
fsntry and his cavalry and his artillery-and
the next day declare he will not be restrained
by any technicalities of law
1t is deliberate attempt, under advice
from Washington, to bayonet those States
into the Electoral College for Grant. 1t has
been seen that the negro-vote reliance has
failed, that the oarpet-bag reliance has failed,
and the purpose now is to do it with cold
steel Consider, gentlemen, before you do