New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-06-01
DICTATORIAL POWER,

The act authorizing the President to
suspend, at his own discretion, the writ
of habeas corpus has, contrary to popular
expectation, passed both houses of Con-
gress 1t will become a law Just as soon
as the President signs it, and it is quite
certain he will not be long in doing the
finishing touch to an act that is to make
him virtually dictator, clothed with sufi-
cient power to secure a reelection to his
present exalted position if the people
should remain passive in the premises
1t was hoped the House of Representatives
would have defeated this odious attempt to
strike down the liberties Of the people by
placing in the hands of the President, at a
time when he is Ia candidate for reelection,
the power to forcibly secure a new lease of
Presidential authority. But the people
have been mistaken in their estimate of
true republicanism in the House of Repre-
sentatives. A majority has sanctioned the
passage Of the act referred to; and when it
receives the signature of the President, as
it undoubtedly will, it becomes the law of
the land, passed by partisan vote for the
purpose Of securing the prolongation of
partisan power, regardless of the danger it
presents to republican government.
Speaking of the manner in which this
bill passed Congress, the New York T.i-
bune says:
The partisans of the administration and
the men who hope to be reelected bv bavo-
nets, wasted few hOurs-in vague and scur-
rilous talk. The ashes of the extinct rebel
lion were raked and blown upon in every
sense, to see If some lingering spark of
danger could not BE coaxed out Of them.
The fact that seven years of constantly in.
creaslng quiet and tranquility have passed
since the war that throughout the South
it is the first wish of nine out of ten of the
population that peace and order should
prevail that immigration should increase.
and good will between the races and the
sections be restored-all these evident
facts produced no effect upon those
stolid politicians intent only upon
drawing possible ephemeral ad-
vantage from their reckless and ungra-
cIOus act. They have seemed to care as
little for the North as for the South. Every
utterance of public opinion has been
against this deplorable legislation. The
great majority, even, of those papers which
sustain the administration have deprecated
the further extension of this Ku-Klux act as
useless and dangerous. But certain Sena-
tors Of the South have appeared to think
they could gain more from the presence of
the soldiers than they could lose by voting
to bring them, and their Northern allies
have steadily supported them with sullen
contempt for the universal voice Of warn
ing they have received from their cOnstitu-
encies.
This is a fact of especial significance. 1t
would not be difficult to imagine the rea-
sons which might induce Senators, anxious
for influence at the ostensible homes and
afraid of their own people, to vote this
force bill against any objections. But the
fact that the administration members have
supported it in solid phalanx shows that it
is earnestly desired by the executive, and
that his strong and interruptions will is
silently exerting itself to accomplish this
temporary dictatorship. If it were not for
the stimulus Of powerful self-interest