The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-01-20
INDIGNATION.
Great Meetings in Boston and 6al'a-
more.

No such outburst of patriotic indignation I
was ever known throughout the length and
breadth of our land as that which was
aroused by the tyrannical act of usurpation
committed by Grant in Louisiana. Dur
ing the past two weeks immense meetings
have been held in every state, denouncing
in no mealy- mouthed words the onslaught
upon public liberty and the right Of the
people to choose their own lawmakers |
The ball set in motion by the patriotic peo- |
pie of New York, without regard to party |
has rolled over the land gathering force
every day, and it is destined to utterly
crush out Grant and his miserable tools OF
tyranny and usurpation. Governors nave
denounced the outrage and protested
AGAINST IL in proclamations to the people
and in messages to legislatures. And leg
islatures have solemnly and formally pro-
tested against the alarming encroachment
upon the liberties and rights of the peo-
pie.
Among the most notable Of the meetings
held last week were the Faneuil Hall meet
ing in Boston, and the Masonic Temple
meeting in Baltimore.
BOSTON.
In Faneuil Hall, that ancient cradle OF
liberty, the Hon. WIN. Gray, with grand
array of vice presidents and secretaries,
presided. Mr. Gray, upon taking the
chair, was greeted with enthusiastic ap-
plause, and after it had subsidized he pro-
ceeded to speak as follows: .l.Ng
FELLOW CITIZENS In the opening
month of the centennial year in which we
are TO celebrate the battles of Lexington
and Bunker Hill, the elimination OF those
long civil struggles which preceded Amer
lean independence, we are called upon to
take notice of fact which has no parallel
in American history We must seek I'M
der the arbitrary tyranny of the Stuarts.
of England, or under the iron dospotlsm
of Oliver Cromwell, the Protector, for any
thing to place by the side of that outrage
committed in Louisiana ON the 4th day OF
January, 1875. 1t gives me great pleas
ure, fellow citizens, to stand in your pres
ence in this hall on an occasion like this
No party ties are to fetter the speech Of
any one VINO aQuT6SSeS yOu lO-Udy. NAP
plause.) No party fealty can put check
upon the free speech of the citizens o.
Massachusetts in Faneuil Hall. Applause
/ am the more glad, fellow citizens, tina
this meeting has assembled when remem
Der that we have two senators in congress
whose voices have not been heard APP
plause)-upou this enormous outrage. anC
/ further remember that the two leading
candidates for the chair of Charles Sum
ner are now members of the house of rep
resentatives at Washington, and that th Tsl
yo;oas have been silent. Applause w
t..sc' been educated in Massachusetts, fel
iow-citizens, and trust and feel con6den
that without the aid and countenance q
those to whom we should naturally hav
looked to as our leaders, we will try to fin
our own way to the declaration and mali
tenance of the right. (Applause.)
Fellow citizens, we all know, and it is s
familiar to us that in ordinary times
makes little impression, that the houses
congress and of legislation throughout til
length and breadth of the land are the so
judges of the qualifications and modes
election of their own members. But v
do not always remember through no
much toll and struggle those principle
were established. If you go back to tt
time OF the discovery of America, al
later still, to the landing at Plymouth, "
will find that up to that time and within
few years of that landing the chancellor
England, acting under the direction of Il
King, though ostensbly not doing so, fir
quently unseated members of pariame
by taking advantage of short absen
and ordering new election. The story
Charles the First and his attempt to exp
the five members is familiar tn all, and
later days, in the struggle with Cromwell al
up to the revolution of 1888, the Comma
ers found themselves the great detende
of the rights OF the people.
Severe resolutions were then read, aft
which the Hon. John Quincy Adams W
called out.
SPEECH OF JOHN QUINCY ADAMS
Mr.. Adams was received with war
round of applause and proceeded to a
dress the assembly, He opened by de
recating any feeling of partisanshp
connection with the subject, and affirm,
that those present had gathered not
members of any party, but as citizens
the United States. He recited at leng
the circumstances attending the meetir
of the Louisiana legislature on the 4th
January, the organization with q leg
quorum, the election of q Conservati,
speaker. the swearing in of five Conserv
tive members who had not received certi
Gates of election from the returning boar
The organization was a purely polite
contest, waged with cunning and shar1
ness, but no more than had been witnesst
in many states of the Union, and the hou
of representatives of Louisiana, as tn,
organized. was legal representative
the people. At this time q general of
Ger of the United States, accompanied |
soldiers, marched into the hall, and, Or
ducing an order from the governor, Or
ceeded to remove, by force, the five men
bers who had just been seated by IL
house. 1t is just at this point, said NJ
Adams, that wish to arrest your atte
ton. Do not permit yourselves to be d
verted from this precise point BY ar
defamation or sophistry. What right hs
soldiers of the United States to determir
who should sit in the legislature of stat
1t is nothing to tell me that political pa
sions ran high in the state, It is notl
ing to aver that many persons had bee
frightened at the previous election. 1t
immaterial, iftrue, that much violence
crime, arising from political passion
prejudice OF race, prevailed in the con
munity, nor is 1t to the purpose even-th,
the five members had been seated by
surprise and voted in in haste Let it /
granted, and still ask, What right ha
the United States soldiers to pass upo
the election, qualifications and the return
of state?' There can be no doubt th,
here was q usurpation. The constitutio
permits federal interference at the anne,