The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-04-26
Armed Insurrectlon.

patches to the President, styled the condi
ton of things in Little Rock "arme'
instruction" q term which seems to b.
applicable enough. Now, what is the duty
of the General Government in case o
@ instruction in one of the States 7 Simply
to let the State authorities alone and per
. NIT them to quell the disturbance, or, in
) deed, in case of necessity and on the proper
call, to aid them in putting it down.
In Arkansas the action of the Genera
Government has been exactly the contrary
of this. 1t permitted Brooks to seize the
State House by force and organize an
audacious instruction. Then, so far from
assisting in the suppression of that disorder,
it intervenes, on the pretext of preventing
tho shedding Of blood, and positively pre-
vents the State authorities from suppress
sing the disorder which they would pro-
| badly do in about fifteen minutes. This
is premium to insurrection.
The shedding of blood Oh, benefcent
Government! But will these peaceful phil
anthropists rise and explain how any
formidable instruction can be put down
without shedding bloodf Probably their
next step will be to prohibit the hanging
of negroes for murder unless it can be done
without killing them. Saying that there
shall be no shedding of blood is virtually
saying that the State authorities shall n ot
put down the insurrection at all that this
is the province of the central Government
exclusively.
Now, such doctrine would annihilate
not only Arkansas but Massachusetts, as we'll.
Every gang of lawless revolutionsts in New
York, for instance, provided they were
partizans of the National Administration,
could refuse submission to the authorities
and defy the sheriff or any posse he could
bring. They would have merely to AFRO
gate to themselves a title to Office, and
Gen. Grant would send his troops to pre-
vent their movement from being sup
pressed. 1t would be in vain for the
Governor of New York to continue the con-
test against such odds, the Government
would never give up its proteges, and he
would have to succumb at last. This
would be equivalent to giving the Presi-
dent the power to construct all the State |
governments, and that would make them
mere appendages of his office, or, in other
words, annihilate their independence and
autonomy as States If the State govern.
ments have not the right to put down
rebellion and treason by the shedding of
blood, that is, by force, 30 far from being
States, they have not tho aut hority of even
a village Corpo ration.
1t lie hardly probable that ills will, as
yet, be conceded by the States, at least in
plain language. 1t will be necessary. for
time, that the Administration disguise its
real meaning under some kind of bubble
Thus it will always declare that it does not
know which is the real government and
intends to withdraw it's troops as soon ala it
mus out. But such reasoning only adds the
ogical crime of duplicity to the political
'ne OF usurpation. 1t is mean as well as {
wicked. government which has been
IS long IN possession as Baxter's, having
btained that possession peaceably, has the !
resumption in its favor of being legitimate. Z
nd to all intents and purposes is SO until C
ea1ly and unequivocally declared other n
Use by due course of law and after final
ecree. :,
1t is not for the Administration of the a
eneral Government to question it's autho- 6,
ty in such case. That is a question for h
le courts. AS for the anxiety to know A
hlch government the Administration re- 7
'gnizes, that is simply a mode of vesting =,
&c Administration with judicial powers q,
the matter. 1t can only recognize what :.
sees. 1t can only see what actually o.
lists, and must recognize the government 81
at is, unless it's own interference or that W
some other branch of the General h
overnment has created that government. W
a State government that once peace CT
~ goes into possession aud has been tr
alt with as such by the Federal 81
o-ernment, must always be pre-
med by that Government to be the al
yitimate one until otherwise decreed by fiji
e courts, or it destroys State autonomy di