Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-03-05

We have no apology to make to our
readers for alluding to this subject again
this week, as it is matter of vital impor-
lance to every one of them to understand
it fully, and to understand that at this
time the men who are suffered to control
the Republican party, backed by Gen.
Grant, are taking such steps as will put
in peril the liberty of every man in the
land. Under these circumstances, as "a
faithful sentinel on the watch tower Of
liberty" it is our duty again and again if
necessary to sound the note of alarm. 1t
is Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas and
Mississippi to-day, and tomorrow 1t may
be Maryland and Virginia, or, as the bill
was first attempted to be passed, every
State in the Union. 1t is but the entering
wedge which is to rive into splinters home
rule and popular rights that they may be
the more easily gathered up and controlled
by the Capitalization of the Washington
Government.
Our readers will perceive by the pro-
ceedings of Congress that the Caucus Force
bill passed the House on Saturday and
perhaps before this paper reaches their
hn--l- .A---.-i ,..,~ ps.oseu Uiio senate ana
become the law of the land. If it does
not do so it will be because of the in
domitable perseverance and physical en-
durance of the conservative minority in
that body. But whether it becomes law
or not. it is we'll that people should under
stand what on ubiquitous measure those
who have control of the Republican party,
with the assistance of Gen. Grant, have
sought to enact into a law, so that that
party shall for all time to come be held re-
sponsible for this action of it's leaders
And hereafter when any man in this com
munity, whether under the sneak ing guise
of IAN independent" or the open and I'M
blushing appearance of a full fiedged Re
publican, sustains the nominees of that
party, we will know and understand what
measures they secretly endorse and what
character of legislation the party sustain
ed by their votes will infiict upon the
country if it has the power. By this bill
the President is authorized sin his discre-
ton" to suspend the writ of ha6eas corpus
in Gas originally reported, any State of the
Union, but now only inn the four States
named, whenever in any State unlawful
combinations shall be organized or at
tempted, and so numerous and powerful
as to be able by violence to set at defiance
or overturn any State authorities"
We spoke last week OF the circumstan-
ces under which alone the Constitution
contemplated the suspension Of the writ
of habeas corpus, viz: when "in cases of re-
bellion or invasion the public safety may
require it, and we showed how the bill
utterly repudiated the proper construction
of this clause, SO far as the right to sus-
pend at all was concerned. But this bill
not only invades the Constitution in that
respect, but goes further, and tramples
under foot its provisions and safeguards
in other respects.
BY brief and further reference to that
instrument it will be seen that when in
any State a case of rebellion against the
local or State authorities happens, too
powerful for them to overcome, the Legis-
iature, or the Governor. in case the Legis
lature cannot be assembled, has the right
to call upon the President for help, and it
is his duty to render the assistance requir-
ed. In that case he is clothed with album
dant authority to act as auxiliary to the
State authorities. Is not that sufficient
The trainers of the Constitution thought
SO. All the long line of statesmen who have
illumined the pages of our history, from
the earliest days of the Republic down to
the present time have thought this provi-
sion ample.
1t was pretended to be under this pro-
vision that Grant placed Kellogg in the
gubernatorial chair of Louisiana twice.
1t was under it that he invaded the legis
lative halls of that State and seated and
unseated members thereof 1t was under
this provision that he invaded Vicksburg
and elected Flanagan, claiming to be
sheriff, and put into office the negro Cros-
by who had resigned. Surely one would
have supposed that it had been clearly de-
monstxated that the elasticity of this pro-
vision of the Constitution was sufficient to
cover every imaginable contingency which
could possibly arise. That in point of
fact under it the United States troops could
be made to hold and supervise all cleo
tions, determine all cases of contest arts
ing Hereunder, do all the police duty of
the several States, and in short run the
entire States. Nay. it was under this very
provision that Gen. Grant proposed to set
up the Rev. Brookes as Governor of Ark
ansas, after be had set him down so effec-
tually last spring. The provision was
made elastic. as the President wanted our
currency to be, contracting with capa-
bility of covering the case of the smallest
office down to the public scavenger, and
expanding SO as to embrace within it's folds
Governors, Legislatures and whole States.
But this bill proceeds on an entirely
new and different theory. 1t utterly ig-
nores the Constitution, and proposes that
the President alone shall decide when,