Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1871-05-03

A LEADING REPUBLICAN JOURNAL GIVES
ITS VIEWS.


ITS VIEWS
We earnestly desire the attention oil
,ur readers to the following testimony
IF the N. Y. Evening Post. IL is the
rciteration of the protestations oil
from fair Repnblican
stand point. We do not endorse the
assumption that "Gen. Grant IS 100 !
faithful and too pure to desire the
possession of the power this infamous
measure would clothe him with" We
believe the danger is too imminent III
that direction to be disregarded, but
outside of this, the solemn words oi
warning contained in this article
should attract attention;
This Capitalization of the authority
which has hitherto belonged to the
municipal governmcntsisaccompanieu
with a Capitalization in the national
executive of powers which have nth
erto had no existence at all. The |
President is charged with the execu- |
ton of the local laws for the preserya
ton of civil order; and authorized,
whenever, in his Judgment, these laws
are not administered by the States, TO
use the military power of the United
States TO enforce them lie may at
any time, and without any evidence
of an emergency requiring such action
except his own opinion, dcpose State
government, declaring it a rebellion
against the United States, and dis.
perse or imprison its members, sus.
pending, at the same time, the civil
remedies which persons wronged by
his action might have under the writ
of haJeaS corpus. The war making
power which the Constitution ex-
pressly reserves to Congress, is thus
given 10 the President alone; and the
bower TO suspend the hdbeds corpus,
which the Constitution forbids to any
and all branches of the government,
except in public peril from invasion
or rebellion, is given to the President
upon any occasion when, in his Judg-
ment. the conviction of certain classes
of offenders shall in any district be
come impracticable.
1t cannot be disguised that the pas
sage of this bill makes crisis in the
political history of the nation a eri-
sis which calls for all the wisdom OF n
great people TO meet it properly. In
any other country than our own 1t
would inevitably lead either TO cen
tralizcd Imperialism or to civil war.
1t is only among a people long habit
uated to freedom and to respect Tor
law. that rulers could be found TO hold
such powers, even for week, without
danger to liberty In other nations,
with such grant of power as this, n
strong executive would strike for alb
solute sovereignty, and a weak one
would quickly be led by ambitious ad-
visers TO do the same Here we are
safe against such danger. Tho pres.
cnt President, whatever mistakes in
craftsmanship he may have made, is
an honest patriot; and that'usurpa.
ton which General Grant is too faith.
ful and too pure to desire, even reck.
less and corrupt man in his place
would be too prudent TO attempt.
The habit OF freedom has destroyed
among our people the material OF
which slaves are made, and no sudden
seizure of absolute power is to be
feared here.
The danger, however, is no less real
and scarcely less serious, than if VIC
had an imitator of Napoleon at tho
mead Of the nation and the army. II
this act be enforced, and if il succeed
in the work proposed by it, every
barrier which tho Constitution hold.
up against the cncroachmcnt of the
central upon the local governments Is
broken. Reverence for the funda
mental law will disappear, and all The
: checks and forms of political contro
vcrsy. No man can ioresee what the
next step towards Capitalization may
be, but every one may confidently
predict that constitutional limitation
or prohibition may be permitted by
any political party in control of the
national government to defeat its ends
or so protect municipal privileges
against il. The local rights of per
sons and property, the local conflicts
Of corporations, the whole system oi
. local laws, with the controversies they
involve and the passions they excite
will become elements of national poll
tics; aud the very organization OF so
ciety throughout the land will become
the stake OF national party struggles
The absolute Capitalization of ouI
government, and the destruction oI
the federal system, must soon follow
with civil war and disunion as the
only alternative.
The false step must be retractcd
The act must be disowncd by the ma
ton. But it is with regret and re
monstrance that patriotic citizcns will
hear the cxhortatons already uttered
in some quarters to meet IL by vio
lence and disorder. The Constitu
ton, which has been outraged by
passing this bill, provides the means
for its own vindication. On the first
test case which can be brought before
the Supreme Court of the United
States, it will doubtless be found and
declared, in way which fanatieism
itself will heed, that Congress cannot
abolish the States and repeal the Con
stitution Even should il be impossi
bic TO obtain such judgement before
the next meeting of Congress, yet the
act will ere then have been studied by
the people and public opinion will
demand imperatiyely that it be re
moved from the statute book BY such
means only can usurpation, under the
forms OF law, be met in manner
worthy of the nation, and the means
VIC are confident, arc adequate to tho
end.
ABovE THE LAw.-Ilas the Sccre.
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