The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1873-01-30

VI "'s' eue uetermlndtlon OF TIE question
as to which of these two sets of persons
has been elected as the Legislature. What
then, have we right to do? That was
very pertinent question put to the gentle
men from Indiana, Mr.. Kerr, and l
agree with him in bis answer. Keep the
hands Of Federal power off and when we
have done that, when we have Kept our
hands of, we have not done al our duty,
but we are to keep the hand Of violence of
from the state, from the State authorities,
leaving the State and them Perfectly free
to act IN accordance witt their own consti-
futon and laws. For that purpose alone
may we intervene to sea that the hand of
violence does not crush or overthrow her
constitution and subvert her government
and laws; to see that the State of Louisi-
ana is enabled without violence to exercise
her rights as a State that her courts shall
not be violently closed, and her citizens BY
violence prevented from going to them for
the maintenance OF their rights and the re-
dress Of their wrongs. With the question
Of the elections, repeat it again, we have
nothing to DO. We are bound to guaran-
ty to the State and to the people a repub
lican form Of government. 1t is conceded
that the government is Republican in form.
No one finds fault with its form. Their
constitution is satisfactory to all; it needs
only to be administered.
What question, then, arises except only
as 10 whether she shall be allowed to ex-
ercise the constitutional rights provided IN
her own constitution? This is the sole
/ question, and all we have to do is TO let
her work out her own salvation without in
/ reference by the Federal Government
There Is no more power in this Congr SIS
to interfere in the affairs Of Louisiana than
! there was in the Executive to interfere, as
he did by his Attorney General For my
self | must say l cannot imagine upon
what ground the President dared to give
that order. would Ike to know would
/ be glad indeed if the President or his At
torney General would deign to inform US
under what provision of the Constitution,
under what law Or by What supposed au-
thority he could have given that direction?
There was no domestic violence, no insur-
rection, no foreign invasion there which
could have furnished the pretense for their
action.
Let US consider what must be the result
Of such interference in the domestic affairs
Of the States. Suppose you have a Con
gross strongly partisan and anxious to have
a particular State in accordance with it,
how easy it viii be TO get up legislative
body not elected by the people, which shall
assume to be the real, the true legisla tive
body. Can it be tolerated that this parti-
san Congress shall go into the State and
determine this bogus Legislature to be the
true Legislature Of the State How long
DO gentlemen suppose Republican govern
ment viii exist in this country with such
powers in the Federal head ? 1t is one of
the wise provisions of the Constitution, de-
signed to prevent just this state Of things
which | have supposed, that we are pro
blbi;el, that the Congress, the Federal
Government, is prohibited from interfering
il State affairs except on the conditions
provided for in this fourth article of the
Conssitntion. deny utterly the position
claimed by the gentlemen from Massachu
sets, Mr.. Butler, as I understood him,
that We have a right to walk into a State
md order new election there because
there are two sets of men claiming to be
the Legislature oftke State. 1t is simply
n mons,roas proposition that, if true,
wou!l destroy all State authority, break
down the Union, end make this Federal
Government al absolute and unqualified
despotsm.