The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-04-20
THE BAYONET LAW.

The following extracts from the
speech of Hon. D. W. Voorhees,, of
Indians, on the bill passed by the Rad
ical Congress to enforce their usurpa-
tions, should be carefully read and
pondered by every one who respects
the Constitution framed by the faith
ers of the Republic:
The lessons of history upon this
great subject are full of deep and
painful instruction. | look ut ques-
tions in their general import. By de-
grees, in all the ages of the past, ty-
ranny has encroached upon popular
right. The citadel of liberty was
never taken by sudden assault with
out previous mining. battering and
treachcry. The approaches have been
made by numerous measures of a
kindred tendency. The progress to
the stronghold has been step by step.
Good men. too, have often been the
instruments of these cncroachments.
Plausible arguments have likewise
been made for them. The gentleman
from Ohio, Mr.. Bingham. no doubt,
will rise here and tell US that all the
abomimabIe features of this measure
are wise and good. So too, the adj
herents of Cesar said at Rome. when
he was controlling the elections prior
to crossing the Rubicon and usurping
imperial power. In speaking OF
Cesar, Montesquieu SAYS:
g He raisnd troubles in the city by
his emissaries he made himself mas
ter of all elections; and consuls, pre-
hof f..
promotions at their own price"
the elections. This bill confers like
power on the Executive of the Unit
ed States. And yet its supporters
will commend it in the name of the
public good. The blackest crime ever
cloak its infamy. When Satan him
self came from the burning pit below,
when he lurked around the courts of
ramparts, sat down to seduce Eve in
those green and ambrcsial bowers. he
led her to her fail and all of us TO our
ruin by Disgusting the hideous Inca
ments of evil under the skillful guise
of good. So the advocates of this
bill will tell you it is all for the best.
| tell you it is all for the worst. And
feeble though my voice may be. small
though my influence may be, yet, in
the straightforward performance of
constitutional duty. with all my
strength. | warn my countfymen
against measure fraUght with disas-
ter and overthrow to the institutions
for which their fathers fought and
bled on hundred fields of battle. 49,.
Some justification might be- found
for legislation of this kind at one
time in the South none to my mind
some to yours. But how any sane
man can justify the invasion OF every
town, of every township, of every
city, of every village, of every ham,
let in all the States of this broad land,
North and South, East and West,
from one ocean to the other. by Fed
cral power, for the purpose of striking
at the freedom of the ballOt-box, is
mystery which | cannot solge. / can,
conceive-1ttt one intelligent motive,
and that is the suppression OF free
elections and the substitution of arbi-
trary despotisn. This bill overruns
the land with armed troops; it sends
INTO every section of the country in
CORNERS, pimps. and spies, clothed
with Federal authority.
In what age, where in all past his
tory, through all the space OF time,
shall we look for proceeding like
this? Here is an army of civil as we'll
as military officials, who are to settle
down upon the land, covering it all
over as thick as the locusts, and as
mean, perhaps, as the lice of Egypt
They are authorized to arrest without
warrant and imprison without pro-
cess. / may be their victim; so may
you. We are all at the mercy of this
more than imperial decree. 1t levels
every right secnred by centuries of
wisdom and yalor in the dust. One
OF the empowering terms in this bill
is ito supervise" 1t is an excellent
term for the purpose iE view. These
officials are to supervise the conduct
OF the people at the polls. Will this
be endured How long can this last?
You entered on this despotic policy
for the purpose of controlling the cleo
tions i'm the desolated South. You
did it to uphold colored suffrage
You thought it was part of your
mission. You have pursued it until
you now dare assail the great States
of New York, Ohio, Indiana, Penn
sylvania, Illinois, and Missouri, and
all the rest. Sir. l pledge the rem
nant of my life to this contest. We
will dispute every inch of ground
henceforth to the end. We will join
issue with you on this attempt to sub
vert the liberty of the people. We
will appeal to the people, whom you
are afraid to trust, and whose rights
and honor you menace and trample
under foot. .-..
Why should you do this thing p
You distrust the people. You show
that you distrust them. The people
in turn will distrust you. They are
the fountain of power. They are om-
nipotent. And you, the stream, can
never rise higher than the fountain.
will not say that the present Exeeu-
tive has evil intentions against the lib
critics of this country. It does not
become any one to utter such charge
without strong and clear proof, and
then with care and prudence. But
the grim, silent, taciturn man of ac-
tion, whose opinions arc never uttered
in advance, and whose purposes are
enveloped in constant mystery, is to
be watched and dreaded when at the
head of a nation and supported by
party reckless of constitutional re-
straint. | do not disparage the mill
tary capacity and the military execu-
tive ability CT the present Chief Mag
istrate OF this nation. No man could
have achieved the results which are
recorded in his history without mill
tary talents of high order. Concen.
tration of purpose, force and tenacity
of will, steady, and even vindict We
intuitive knowledge of the face of
country for military operations, have
combined to give him a permanent
the world.
In his civil knowledge, however,