The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-11-08
The Abuse of the Military Power.

,r the spectacle of soldiers utilized in {
- variety of ways foreign to their legiti
It mate use, has become familiar one il
d this country. The soldiers are en-
: ployed by our Republican rulers to
t overawe voters; to make forays against
e illiiet whisky distillers; to supercede
: the police OF cities, and to compass
merely party ends, TO coolly usurp
h the civil authorities of State, how
e ever much those authorities may be
E able to preserve order and execute
the laws. Nothing could be at great
2 er variance with republican institutions,
or more fraught with danger to the
5 future we'll being of our country, than
this familiar employment of the mill
tary arm. 1t is fagrantly, indecently
undemocratic; and yet so blind are
the devotees' of the dominant party
! that they can see nothing abdormal or
threatening in it. In the light of this
strange fact, we cannot wonder at the
bold persistence of the Repub leans in
welding the military power upon all
i occasions, where it may subserve party
! interest
| The infatuation OF the Radical mind
on this subject was illustrated in the
recent editorial of Radical editor,
wherein he chuckled over the clever
ness CD with which Phil. Sheridan
made the people of Chicago to knuckle
under with his soldiers! 1t is we'll
known that Sheridan has been per-
nittei to place Chicago and vicinity
under martial law since the fire; and
the particular thing which tickled this
editor was the act of the General in
taking military possession of hotel
whose landlord had charged a little
more than the satrap thought was
proper-and placing its Office and
doorways under guard Of soldiers,
who proceeded to ''run" the institu-
tion just to suit themselves!
Another delectable instance of mil. |
itary rule at Chicago is furnished by
the brutal murder OF citizen, whilst
peacefully passing along the street, at
night, who was shot down by a senti
mel, because, being little muddled by
whisky, he was unable to answer the |
little bayonet squirt quite properly
enoughl We are glad there is one
paper in Chicago with spirit and inde-
pendence enough to Indignantly cry
out against these outrages; that paper
is the Times.
The rank and file of the Republican
party; as we said before, have been
educated by The leaders to look upon
this military abomination with favor;
even and if we may not look forward
to the eventual growth of sentiment
inimical to it, every well wisher of his
country has reason to look into the ,
future with fear and misgiving.
Another, and more fragrant instance ]
of military abuse, is furnished by
South Carolina. There, as our read ,
ers have been informed, a force of
soldiery has set aside the civil author {
ity, in certain sections, and, with the I
habeaS corpus suspended, are arresting
citizens indiscriminatelY. and cram {
ming them into jails, no matter how t
shadowy and absurd are the charges i
against them. The policy which die t
tatcs this procedure, especially con-
sidering that it emenates from gov
ernment ostensibly republican, is in [
conceivably outrageous. In the first I
place, we are informed by an exchange,
ga corps of detectives have been in
the section some time obtaining infor
nation for the arrest of parties sus- I
pected of belonging to the Ku-klux
What soldiers could +.
not or would not do, these hired spies f
are doing: Nosing along the high :
ways and byways; visiting every S
neigh ghborhood and every house; seek 6
ing to draw the people into discussions $
and to elicit unguarded expressions; 7
Offering premiums for vagabond ne
groes to act as informers against the r
whites, and employing all those de- I
spicable II methods which tyranny has
invented for the oppression of the in
nocent." Then steps in Grant with
his declaration of martial law. He s
says:
!. Ulysses S. Grant; President of c
The United States of America, do i
hereby declare that in my judgment S
public safety especially requires that
the privileges of the writ of habeas
corpus be suspended to the end that b
such rebellion may be overthrown, s
md dc hereby suspend the privileges Il
IF the writ of babeas corpus within d
said counties, in respect to all persons e
arrested by the marshal of the United
States, or military officer, soldier or
citizen acting under their orders. {
This means, OF course, that no citi' n
zen, arrested in this extraordinary ii
manner, need look to the courts for il
ustice. so long as the upstart in ep- K
.ulettes DEGREES it, he must lie in
prison without appeal to judge or
ury, and at time, too, of profound 5:
,eace, when all the machinery Of the W
aw is in perfect aud satisfactory work b
ng order. h
The Constitution Of the United b
states expressly declares:
The privileges Of the writ of ha- r.
yeas corpus shall Eot be suspended, S
lnless when, in cases of rebellion or v
INVASION, the public safety may re- c,
uire. V
The Albany argus pertinently en- g
uires lis there any war, or inva-
ion or rebellion? None whatever
The disturbances complained of could in
,e disposed of by a score of eonsta-
lies. But that is not desired. The p'
President wants to give the people a tc
aste Of his absolute power at the cx- k
,ense of their liberties" u
But we will now leave this subject CO
or the present. 1t certainly is not 81
,leasant one to dwell uTon, although fl
he theme can hardly be reverted to ii
90 often by tie conservative press "
or the public good. We can not bet L