Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-04-21
The CONSPIRATGRS AGlIEsT FREE GOV-
ERTWEHT.


now offered by Butler, ,fShellabargef
and the rest-they throw off the mask.
They are no longer levelled at the
South, but, in response to Grants
modest message, they give him pow
er to do as he pleases with the military
arm Of the government, "all over the
United States. H. He thought that so
important TO his political interests that
he waived all pecuniary considera-
tiOns, and gave it precedence even
over the San Domingo job. He said,
in his preeiousadocument Z -
| urgently'recomAfe d such <leeis-
lation as in the Judgment of Congress,
shall efiectuallv secure Ii ieElibert and
property in all parts Of the United
States. There is no
other subject on which I recommend
legislation during the preSnt sessfoil.
-eF U. S. GRANT.
WASHINGTON, D. c. Mar. %, 1871.
The powers asked, and granted in
these bills are conveniently vague and
would afford full scope for liberal con-
structiOn 10y sOgr- our great military
Statesman Even without any new
grant of power. he did conceive him
self to have. enough-to send the. Ma
rines to seize the ballot-boxgin Phila-
delphia, in time of profound peace,
nd try he guns of the Navy on the
city of New York as he did on San
Domingo. But Shellabarger kindly
wants to give him this and more pow
er since it is denied.iLat lie has il by
any existing law-for even the Radi-
cal Governor of Pennsylvania denies
that. Shelabarger's bill not only gives
him the power to invade the States un-
der the pretcnse of keeping order,
without the application Of the "LegiS-
lature. or of tn Executive, when the
Legislature cannot be convened" j." as
required by the Federal Constitution,
but every disturbance or combination
is now to- be digniiied os ''rebeiiiOn.n
Lest our military President should ior-
get it, he is then told in the bill that
he may suspend the writ of the hahe
as corpus, and do what he pleases un-
der the name of martial law. This is
ihe text of the act:
ain every such case combinations
shall be deemed a rebellion against
the Government of the United States,
and during the continuance of such
rebellion. and within the limits of the
sway thereof, such limits to be prescri-
bed by proclamation, it shall be lawful
for the President of the United States,
when, in his judgment, the public safe
ty shall require it, to suspend the priv
ileges of the writ of habeas corpus,
and to declare and enforce. subject to
the rules and articles of war. and 9th
er laws of the United States now in
force aud applicable in cases of rebel
lion. martial law, to the end that such
rebellion may be Overthrown."
This is the proi osition that militia
rv President and the clique that sur
round him, have the impudence to
make to an American Congress!
1t is against this infamous scheme,
coming Up daily in some new shape,
that Democrats and Republicans who
are still true to constitutional govern
ment. are making gallant fight in
Congress. Let them have the support
of every independent press, and every
independent citizen. We, in Philadel-
phia, do not need to be warned of the
scope and meaning of these schemes.
Without any law to color it, the mill
tary outrage was perpetrated in this
city, which even Geary denounced;
and troops of the States were massed
in New York, on election day. to in
tfmidate the people! 1t is no longer
from historical examples, or the war
nings of statesmen that we are to mis-
trust military aspirants to power. We
can Judge our man by the acts done in
our midst, within the last six months,
in impudent defiance of the law.
Now, he asks Congress to give obim
some law to sanction like acts in all
parts of the United States" Let us
see who he will vote to give it to him
Evesy day the line is drawn more dis
tinctly between the friends of free
Constitutional government and the
conspirators for military despotism.-
Many leading Republicans in Pennsyl-
yania have heartily endorsed the coarse
of Geary and the great. mass Of the
people viii bold t0a strict responsible
ty every public man whosells his birth
right as a freeman for "a mess of pot
tage. sE tEt