Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-14
ABUSE OFsPOwEE-THE MADNESS

Abuse OEEPOVER-THE MADNESS
OF DESPERATION.
The following prophetic remarks from
the pen Of Thomas Jefferson, the great
apostle Of Republicanisnl, is worthy serious
consideration at this time:
"The Executive power in our Govern
ment is not The OILY, perhaps not even the
principal, object Of my solicitude. The ty-
ranDy of the Legislature is really The dam
| ger mostly to be feared, and viii continue
to be so for many years to come. The ty-
ranny OF the Executive power viii come in
its tarn, but at more distant period" 81
The truth of this warning received
fresh and impressive illustration during the
closing hours Of the late session Of Con-
gress. The action of the Senate on Ie
night of Friday, the 7th inst, shows that
the Grant party in Congress had determin-
ed to override all rules, all law, ali prece-
dent and all decency, in order to retain con
troll Of the government. They saw that
under fair election defeat awaited them,
and to save themselves, the most reckless
expedients that desperate ingenuity could
invent were resorted to. During that night
the civil sundry appropriation bill was
taken up. 1t had been determined by the
Grant leaders to make the passage of this
bill the opportunity for carrying through
the enforcement bin, by which Grant was
to be enabled to defeat the will of the pso-
pie by electing himself. The Albany
argus calls attention to the fact that
the Federal election act of two years ago
was r7lsed under the plea that frauds were
common in large cities, aud its operation
was restricted to cities having twenty thou
sand inhabitants or more, while the bill
which the Grant men sought to force
through Congress removed this restriction,
and made the supervision of Federal Off
GERS general throughout the entire country
upon the application TO the United States
Marshal Of certain number of citizens.
The argus also directs attention to the
fact that this infamous bill had passed the
Senate some weeks ago, but the House of
Representatives refused to take it from the
Speakers table, and therefore it was con-
sidered dead. But the waning chances of
Grant demanded that this grasp at unlim-
tied power over the elections should not
fail. In the estimation of these men the
people Of the localities cannot be trusted to
count the ballots as heretofore. By no
means. The ballot box must be placed
under the control of the President through
his marshals, so that he could re-elecs Linn
self This was the object of the bill. Dur
ing the course Of the night session, Mr..
Kellogg, of Louisians, the chosen tool for
the purpose, offered this supplementary
election bill as a. amendment to the ap-
preparation bill. This was done in the hope
that if the amendment was adopted the
House would pass it rather than vote down
the bill making appropriations for the sup
port Of the Government. Mr.. Kellogg's
amendment was objected to by Messrs.
Thurman and Casserly, as not being ger
main to the subject, but the whole thing had
been "cut and dried" and the chairman
overruled the objection. Then came the strug-
gle on the part Of Democrats to resist the
consummation of the corrupt scheme. The
session lasted all night, and it was not
until nine O'Clock OH Saturday morning
that the Grant men succeeded in passing
the bill with the election law attached.
The New York Ecsaing Post, an able Re
publican journal, characterizes the action
Of Grants henchmen on that occasion as
follows:
"This proceeding shows a disposition
on the part Of the majority Of the Senate
to set all law and justice at defiance. If
the plain rule of the Senate, and indeed of
all decent legislation, is to be thus set aside,
there isn't anything that a majority may
not do, no act Of despOtism that we may
not make up our minds TO submit
to. 1t is not Of 50 much consequence what
may be the character Of the Enforcement
act, bad as that is, but it is Of the last
Importance that the Senate should
thus attempt to Coerce the House into agree
ing with it in the infiction Of laws upon
the country by a defiance of all parliament
bd4 ldNs II DCs4dlO-S NDLulDlJ tLttltloGtNCS
with the reflection that they, individually,
cannot be reached by the people, they have
done more by last nights work to settle the
question of the ensuing election than any
thing done by Congress this session. Is
this the madness of desperation, or the
mere insolence of despotism believing in its
own SUGGEST"
But for the gallant and determined resist
ance to this "madness Of desperation" by
the Democratic members of the House of
Representatives, this infamous bill would
have been fastened upon the country in all
its hideous deformity, and Grant given the
power through bis satraps to control the
elections in every precinct in the country.
The amendment as finally adopted was
sborn of its Objectionable features, and
Grant thus deprived of the power which it
was intended to give him TO foist himself
upon the country for a second term.
THE Shelby DEMOCRAOY