Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-02-16
WHY STANTON SEIZED FORD's

WHY STANTON SEIZED FORD's
THEATRE
The wild way in which Stanton,
as Secretary of War, assumed that
he had power to do what he pleased,
was shown in the debate in the
House on the Army Appropriation
bill. Ford's Theatre, in Washing
ton was seized by Stanton, and the
people of course, have had to pay
for it. The reasons for tho seizure
were thus elected in the debate
Mr.. EIdridge The gentleman
put to me the question whether l
approved of that act, and | an
swercd him that / did not approve
Of it. / approve of no act of any
person, / care not whether he be
high or low, that is in violation of
or without authority of law. l say
this not because the Secretary of
War took possession of Ford's
Theatre, in which the tragedy to
which he refers was perpetrated. l
will not have any issue with the
gentlemen upon that subject; but
if you allow the Secretary of War
to do one act admittedly without
authority of law, then you may
allow him to do any other act, |
care not what, without authority of
law.
Mr.. BIain The wrong the gen
tleman now alleges is this that the
building having been the scene of
this merciless tragedy on the l4th
Of April, 1865, when Congress would
not convene for eight months, the
Secretary of War stepped forward,
and using the power of the govern
ment, said that the building should
not be devoted to purposes of pro
fame, and possibly obscene amuse-
ment and he did that, l say, with
the approval of the loyal masses of
the United States and l should
regret TO know that there is aslngle
gentleman, even on the other side
of the House, who objected to that
action of the Secretary of War.
Mr.. Eldridge, besides being a
good Democrat, seems also to be
friend of the drama, and in its de-
tense made this good retort on Mr..
Blaine
Mr.. Eldridge l suppose now it
is in order for me TO answer. |
wish no. to make any charge. |
repeat, however, the purchase of
that property ought not to have
been made without a law authoriz-
ing it, And when the gentleman
says that the object of this act of
the Secretary of War was to pre-
vent that building from being de
voted to "obscene amusements, as
he styled it, what does he mean?
What shall we understand by such
language? Would the late Presi-
dent of the United States have been
assassinated in that building if not
called there by the love of the
amusements to which the place was
devoted? He was there, and for
that purpose, however, and on
day which some good people think
ought not to have been desecrated
by his going to the theatre. Bat
deny that the theatre is place of
obscene amusement, and the gentle
man, | trust, does not mean 50 to be
understood.
Mr. Blaine. l qualified my ex
preston. | said possibly
1t is now nearly four years since
Mr.. Lincoln's death, and the peo
pie are Just learning what Secreta
ry Stanton meant by his seizure Of
Ford's Theatre.
II was this Mr.. Stanton is a
sentimcntalist. 1t shocked his
moral and religious sense that an
edifice in which such a crime had
been perpetrated should be devoted
to its original uses, which were
those Of a theatre. Many would
have supposed that, as indicating
the love Of the drama which so
strongly characterized Mr.. Lin
coin, Mr.. Stanton would have
been anxious for its existence
as a Thespian temple. But
by no means. The thoughts
of that illustrious parsonage were
in the direction Of sackcloth and
ashes. The theater was to be pro
scribed. No more of our Presi-
dents were to be assassinated by
visiting that house. But what was
the Government to do with it2
This question was as troublesome
as that of the man who had an Gle
plant and had no place to put it
For a long time it disturbed the
thoughts Of the sentimental Stan
ton. At last the most religious and
moral use which it struck the Sec
rotary we could put it to, was to
make a military arsenal Of it. The
idea of the Secretary was that see
ing so many guns and deadly wea-
pons would naturally direct ones
thoughts to future world and thus
call up moral emotions.