The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-04-21

- .--,. APRIL 2l' 1871.
FRIDAl...'.''' ---------------=---==-5==.
The Adjournment The hu'
Cons klrx Bill.
..,ost Congress has done orc .n'"s y?
~ = laws the whole nation under QUIZ
,,;o,s--;, has adjourned. Ihat l. wv,
10 IN these DAYS. when. from the i.' "
,nn,nosition of the body, the na'io'' ). nv,
.,s..,t dread while it Is III SESSION. VI
t,nv or some outrage mt It's haiiaS'
Nh. ,-,.,ux hill PASSED before the adj
,ourumcnt without tn" obnoxious '''","'
ment attached TO it in the senate, ol WHY"
MIR SHERMAN was the aut nor. hahhS W
thc Liberals and the Democrats oil .''
1ou.c for their lirmncSS in defeating 'hiS
eyccral,lc provision. The tameh'a',op u
Nr SHERMAN at its defeat will nc IKE i
svee, song in the ears of all sensible, con-
siderate, and honest persons. lie olt'elS
declared that the concessions made IN the
hill were dcporable, and that under H. as
!, r,>sed. "not a man would he convicted
nor dollar of damages obtained.
r.
rsttcrn. lie is an educated anu we'll
behaved man socially Il lawyer OF cm'-
ncncc. and an aSpirant for the highest clVll
honorS. Yet, he is like the tiger; he
m ,kes his leap when he thinks the pre-!
cannot escape. His temper and DISPOSE
ton. a. displayed by occasional measures
proposed by him, must he cruel and unjust )
but vet. like the stealthy animal we nave
INST compared him to, he moves about Win
,of, football and very 1.-THE and gentle
action. We never did like Mr.. SHERMAN.
He is amongst those who are most reSpon-
slble for the late war. Even the New YORK
Tribune had to eXclaim against bis Vindic-
tive and harbarouS proposition 10 MAKE
communities responsible for any outrage
committed in their midst by la"leSS per-
sons. The Tribune thus speaks OF tins
amendment while the bill WAS in the hands
Of the conference committee:
1.-The conference committee on the ku-
klnx bill retains Mr.. Shel mans obnoxious
amendment lcvying damages on the locality
in which outraTcS occur. But the Hou>e
has not vet accepted it. Much as we dc
sire to see strong bill adopted one which
will be operative without being oppressive,
We deprecate any measure which, like thl>,
makes no distinction between the innocent
and the guilty. The argument which MI.
sherman advanced III support OF his amend
ment was that it was copied from IN Eng
lish law Of 1856, then pronounced ny able
writer's on law TO be great cons"rVatoI
OF public peace We cannot share Mr..
Shel mans reverence for rrccedcn'>, nor
conccde that the cu-tom OF six hundrco
NcaIs ago is proper law for tins age. Nou,
IN the disren>ation of His Justice says
Tiliotson. is not tied to prrccdcntS: nor
should human Justice he affected by such
considerations. 1t l. a law for the present.
not feudal times, that the country wants.
Notwithstanding the lamentations of Mr.
SHERMAN the bill Is still one that is 1T war
with the spirit of the Constitution ana the
peace of the country. 1t empowers the
President TO employ the military whenever
necessary TO qucll disturbance. But 1t leaves
the question a> to the proper time dlscre-
tlonary with him. The Constitution point
cd out the mode in which the Federal
forces could be called in to aid the state au-
thoIiics TO restore order; that was sufli-
cient for all practical and honest purposes.
But there WAS purpose that WAS to he ac-
complished that was not honest, and which
would be defeated if the mode OF employ
ing the Federal forces rs explained III the
Constitution prevailed. That purpose Was
to silence the public voice of the intcllI-
gent and only responsible portion OF the
peo pie of the United States. The Prc>i-
dent was to have cutire authority TO send
bis troops anywhere upon any trumred-up
story originated Ivy lying carrct-baSecrs,
negroes, and scalawags, and the whites
we're to be intimidated 10y the liabilities to
excessive damages hy The most summary
process upon any sort Of testimony deemed
sufficient by such Judges rs we have In the
Federal courts in these times.
To the bill originated for this purpose,
Mr.. SHERMAN proposed his cruel amend
ment TO punish innocent people for the
crimes Of others, and thus still further to
plunge into humiliation and distress the
southern people. That much of the sting
IL taken out Of this evil nc3sllrC--that
much Of the bitter drcgS of this last cup
hrewed for southern lips is thrown out
Of it.
We do not aprrehcud that we of the
South will he any the worse off for this new
bin, whose object Is the prolonging OF Rad
ical misruc. But since it has been un;l-
voldably made general it will irritatc the
States against which no complaint has been
made. and which have so few negroes that
the Administration will probably not con-
ccive it necessary or vie 10 make any
movement towards placing the bayonet
over their elections. But little reflection
will ehow them that were party in power
to desire to secure itself permanently in
power, the measure now passed by Con-
gress would be amply sufficient to give the
Federal Government the means TO do this
very thing. Therefore, the main effect OF
this kukI,X bill will be to give capital to
the Democratic party, which they will Use
with great activity.
Inscriptions and oyerbearing parties
never fail to pave the way 10 their own de-
feat.
Mad'l!e NILSSON has not been fully ap-