New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-04-21

| every session of Congress, laws ar
passed taking away from your Stat
tribunals Jurisdiction Of the citize1
and transferring it to the fedora
courts. Some of these laws that have beef
passed for that purpose have been de
clared unconstitutional by the courts. Bill
are introduced into Congress creating ad
ditiOnal circuits throughout the whole cOun
try, with new judges, and you will have t
seek redress for grievances, not in the court
established by yourselves in your own cite
and localities, but in courts presided owe
by judges appointed by central power
over whom you have no control. Encroach
merits are also made, and perhaps the mos
alarming of all, by the military power O
the government. The military power ha,
come to assume the duties belonging to civi
officers Of late, and that in defiance Of law
will allude again to the State of Georgia
which was under military reconstruction
1t had elected a Legislature in 1868. Some
difficulties had arisen in regard to the or
ganizatiOn of the Legislature in Georgia
and in 1869 or 1870 the courts passed a law
declaring that all persons who had been re
turned as elected to the Legislature Of
Georgia, which State at the time was under
an officer in that military department.
should take a certain oath to qualify as
members of the Legislature. And that law
provided that it should be felony, punish.
able by imprisonment in the Penitentiary
not less than two nor more than ten years,
for any person to interfere with any men,
Der thus elected in taking an oath and par
ticipating in the organization Of the Legis
lature. And would you believe it, with
such law as that upon the statute book
the military officer in command in Georgia
issued An order prohibiting certain men to
sit in the legislature and allowing others
to take their seats, in direct defiance of the
act of Congress, and which should have sub
jected that officer to imprisonment not less
than two years in the Penitentiary. Was
any notice ever taken of it Yes, the mat
ter was referred to the COmllittee on.
Judiciary in, the Senate of the United
States, and report was made by that COM
mittee, drawn up by Senator Edmonds, of
Vermont. An ardent friend of the admins
tration, expressing in mild terms that the
committe were constrained to say that the
action of the military authorities was con-
trary to land that is the
only notice ever taken of that outrage,
OF that encroachment Upon the rights of the
Legislature and the people of Georgia. A
few years ago Congress passed another law
that no officer in the regular army should
discharge the functions Of civil office, and
yet who does not know that the White
House is filed with army officers acting as
secretariesa lApplause.] Not day passes
during the session of Congress that we do
not receive messages from the President of
the United States delivered, not by that
secretary for whom the law provides and
pays, but by an Oficer-a major in the regu-
lar army. Applause and hisses. Fellow
suppose Andrew johnson had sent
the army up to Albany, and organized a
Legislature for you, and told you that GER
tain persons should take seats, and certain
others should not-and there is no positive
statute Of Congress against that-wOuld it
not be gross usurpati0n! There was no
authority for it. Suppose he had filed the
White House with military officers dis
the functions of civilians contrary
to law, do you think it would have been
passed over unnoticed? How long can this
people preserve their liberties if they quietly
submit to this encroachment of those in
authority upon them! [Applause.] The
safety of the citizen. let me say to you, and
his protection in his person and in his prop
srty, are to be found in local laws which the
people themselves administer-[applause]-
and not in a central government where all
The powers of the government are COM
oined; and if this system Of encroachment
s permitted to 60 on, the day is not distant
when our republican system, based on the
dea Of a division of powers between the
federal government and the States, will be
into a despotism. with all
bower at WashingtOn; and l care not
whether that power is exercised by single
oerson or a monarch, or by five hundred
persons called Congress, it is equally
lespotism. [Applause.] And the doctrine
8 now boldly proclaimed by men high in
that the States Of this Union have
uch powers only as are conferred upon
hem by the constitution of the United
states, when directly the reverse is true,
md the States have all power except such
IS the constitution of the United States
las conferred upon the United States or
las withheld from the States. The diff
erence is this: The government of
he United States is government
f derivative powers. Thus, in the
ii power not denied them. while the gov
rnment of the United States has no power
kept such as is given to it-(applause]-l
nd such the constitution of the United
'tates says in terms; for it declares in one
+ its amendments, ''All power not con-
erred by this constitution of the United
tates is reserved to the States respective
=, or to the people of the State" But
ass from these enactments of the federal
overnment to another matter that Is COM
lained of, and justly. and perhaps more
eAAesA 0Ay OtACA W luO RCUplC. 4udt Is
he abuses and corruptions of the govern
,ent. This seems to be form of corruption |
n the part Of officials. You here, in the city |
New York, first disclosed the robberies |
1hich were being practiced by those in au-
hority, and that awakened public senti- |
lent in the country that caused the people |
II over the land to look to their officials |
nd ascertain what disposition they were |
iaking of the money which was collected
rom them. And in the city of Chicago |
everal Of the city officials have been con-
lcted OF receiving brides, and other Of
snses, and are now suffering the penalties
their crimes in prison. (Applause. i
n the government Of the United
tates. although we have not been able to
hearth and disclose all the corruptions-
l fact, think we have only just seen the
lrface of what exists below-still enough
as been shown to show that abuses exist.
will illustrate by reference to two or three
ases. One that has recently occurred and
cen brought to light is that of the Con-
roller of the Currency, an officer who has
barge of all the national banks of the
1untry; without whose fiat national banks
annot exist; whose duty it is to supervise
nd watch them when organized, SO that
lere can be no fraud upon the law or
pom the people. Within few weeks it
rs been discovered that that officer, when
e was inquiring into the delinquency of
ne of these banks, received as present
ON one of its officers carriage and a
arness in the city of Washington. He was
lserved walking down the avenue in
,mpany with an officer who had been sum-
oned there to give an account of certain
efalcations of his bank and of misuse of
e money of the people. Afterward he
alked out with the head of the bureau,
Id on his way past carriage shop he
alked in and bought him fine carriage
I'd harness. The clerk, it is proved, also
ceived smoney. Well, what happened!
ne committee that investigated this-a
friendly to the officer and friend
to the nistration-reported that in
cir onipion tho rood man romapt of fha |