New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-08-22

But our Democratic friends say he is
MILITARY PRESIDENT, and will yet maxi
himself Dictator and they cite as authorit.
for their night mare apprehension:
LIST. That he is surrounded by mlitar.
family guarding the White House.
I'd. That he wishes to control election!
and enforce his re election by the bayonet
and
Sd. That he favors Ku-Klux laws and the
unlimited suspension Of he writ of hdbedI
corpus
Now, in reply to the first complaint, hi
being q military man, that is granted, fo
he has proven tina. by his deeds. But tina
he has surrounded the White House with
military guard, is entirely untrue-not {
soldier, nor epaulette, nor shoulder STRAP
of any kind is to be seen within its wall
nor anywhere upon the premises. But i
Grant is military President, so was Wash
ington, Jackson, Harrison. Taylo and the
same objections were as bitterly made
against them, and with what effect his.or,
will tell and some of US personally remem
Der.
In regard to his making himself "a dicta
tor, and perpetuating dynasty in his family
have no doubt he will do so in the same
way exactly as Washington's and Jackson.
political enemies said they would, but dit
not. The persons who affect to believe
such trash as this better bear in mind "the
great cry and little WOOL the man had who
shaved the hog laughter And, fur
Their, it is true there is not to day one whole
company of United States troops stationed
at Washington, the capital of this great
country, nor does the President wish one.
Nor had this Government ever more
modest, unassuming, unpretentious Presi
dent-one less given to display and ostenta.
ton than General Grant. He is as far free
from making military display as if he had
never drawn sword in his life. Applause.
In the second place, it is charged that he
wishes to use the army to control election,
and enforce his re- election at the polls in
November.
Such charge as this must either be true
or preposterously false; and surely no evi.
dence of the first proposition can be pro-
duced. l believe that General Grant never
thought even of such a thing. And that a
President of the United States, with its en-.
tire army constantly on duty to garrison and
protect its thousa rds of miles of frontier and
further thousands of miles of sea coast de.
fenses-its forts, Notifications, barracks,
depots, arsenals-to perform its escort and
transportation business-to protect its In
dian affairs and prosecute its Indian wars
to guard its continental railroads and mails,
with its whole effective force less than
10000 officers, arti6cers, and men, including
all arms-should attempt in addition to all
this duty to subvert their Government and
enforce by bayonets his re election to the
Presidency, is too ridiculous to discuss. l
dismiss such charge as not only utterly
preposterous, but idle and contemptible-
because no President could even hope for
success in so fool-hardy an undertaking.
certainly not while free men are worthy to
be free. No President can ever live and do
such thing-never! Thirdly, in relation
to his favoring the KU. xLux LEGISLATION AND
The SUSPENSION OF THE WRIT OF habeas
corpus.
In answer to that, it is we'll known that
General Grant did not originate one of these
laws. As the Executive of the nation he
must carry them into effect as passed by
Congress, but further than this he has never
taken one initiatory step. On the contrary,
he has even opposed them, and as long ago
as 1867 he wrote the Secretary of War touch
ing this very question, as follows:
1.-THE necessity for governing any portion
Of our territory by martial law is to be de-
plored. If resorted to, it should be limited
in its authority, and should leave all local
authorities and civil tribunals free and I'M
obstructed, until they prove their inetficiency
or un~illingness to perform their duties. y
And when called before the committee OF
Con gress to give his testimony in regard to
the war. condition of the South, and espe
cially in reference to the controversy at Balti-
more, between Gov. Swami and the Police
Commissioners, he said.
II understood that Gov Swami wanted to
use the military power of the Government,
and l called his president johnson 81 ut
tention to the law on the subjec., which
changed his views and determination evil
IDENTIFY. I called his (Johnson's) attention
to the only circumstance in which the mill
ta'y force of the United States can be called
out to interfere in State matters. 1t was his
intention to send United States troops
through Baltimore to enable Gov. Swami, as
he termed it, to enforce his decision in the
case of those Police Commissioners"
And again he said
81 was sent for several times-twice,
,hink-whie Gov. Swami was then in con.
sultation with the President. Finding tina,
the President wanted to send the military to
Baltimore, l objected to it Cries OF
good hear hear!
And it was not finally done until General
Grant had communicated with the Secretar y
of War, and through him drawn an opinion
from the Attorney General against the con
stitutionality and legality of sending troops
to Baltimore, that President Johnson &C
auiesced in General Grants views.
And every act, and expression, and mes
sage of President Grant touching these mat
tiers will conclusively show his opposition tc
martial law, to the suspension Of the writ o.
habeas corpus, and to the Ku-Klux laws IL
States unless as d dernier resort; because o.
the non execution OF statute laws by State
and county courts, and their failure to pro
tect the life, liberty, and property of per
sons. On this point his record is unequivo
cal, and no man, be he lawyer, politician