The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-03-11
Passage of the Force Bill by the House
Midnight Assassination Of Liberty.

Immediately after passing the iberticide meas
IRE called in common parlance the torce Dill:
The effect of the bill as first introduced, and
AZ Il stood at the beginning of the debate on
Saturday. was to make the President Cesar,
and clothe him with absolute despotic authori-
| ty throughout the United States. 1t was, how
ever, so amended before its passage as 70 make
him the irresponsible Caesar OF only the tour
States of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and
Mississippi-the authority to suspend the Writ
of ha5eas corpus being finally limited to those
States. But this Limitation Of area in no wise
changes the principle of the bill. The viola
ton of the constitution is as fragrant as if the
bill had been passed in its original form. Con-
gress has no more right to suspend the constl-
tuition and subyert public liberty in four States
or one State than it has to install Caesar over
tho whole Union. The bill was also amended
by q Limitation of time as we'll as OF area. lt
is to continue in force only for two years and
until the end of the next ensuing session OF
Congress But neither does this limit OF time
at all change the principle OF the Dill: Ihe
creation of Caesar or absolute dictator tor Two
or three years is as repugnant to the constltu-
hereditary Cesar. Every constitutional IN
terdict, every objection of principle, every pro-
test in behalf of liberty, applies with the same
force to the bill as amended that applied to the
bill as first agreed on in caucus. The only ef-
feet of the amendments is to sharpen the wedge
and facilitate its being finally driven in up to
the thickest part of its butt If the principle
is admitted, If this precedent is set, every bar.
rier against Casarism and arbitrary power will
be broken down.
The whole bill is bad from beginning to end
in all its thirteen sections, but the Climax IS
reached in the last section, which authorizes the
President to suspend the habeas corpus IN Ger
tain exigencies, of which he is made the sole
judge. His mere discretion, his lrresponnslole
will, is to be the supreme law III four States
whenever it suits his caprice, pleasure or ambl-
ton to make it so. He can arrest any citizens
he pleases, shut them up in prison as long as
he pleases without judicial warrant, without
a sworn accuser, without q particle OF evidence
which he is required to produce, without In
forming them of the charges or giving them
any opportunity to prove their innocence
Now, the constitution is very strict and en-
phatic in forbidding the suspension OF the
ha5eas corpus except as last resort IN cases or
extreme public danger. 1t mentions INVASION
and mentions rebellion as the only cases OF tne
kind. This bold and execrable bill, in order
to bring its authority to suspend the Aaoeas
corpus under one or the other OF these Two
heads, invents new and absurd definition OF
invasion and of rebellion. In the title of the
bin the word ";nvasion' holds the foremost
place, and discloses the sophistry and false pre-
tences on which it was framed. The title IS,
"a bill to provide against the invasion OF
States, to prevent the subversion of their au-
thority and to maintain the security of cleo
tions."
The reason for thus putting invasion IN the
forefront and making it the basis OF the Dill,
though not touched upon by any OF the speak
ers in the debate is quite evident. That part
of the constitution known as the guarantee
section relates to three different exgencles-l
namely, invasion, domestic violence and the
subversion of republican form OF government
We Law the last out of consideration, as having
no relation to the present question. line TWO
other guarantees-that against invasion and
that against domestic violence-differ in this
important particular, namely: that whereas
the Federal Government cannot Interfere IN
case of domestic violence, except upon an ap-
plication from the State government, it can
execute the guarantee against invasion without
any request from State authorities. If, there |
fore. under the fiction or false pretence OF an
invasion the President can interfere In the al
fairs of State, he may circumvent and defeat
that provision of the constitution which COM
pels him to keep his hands off until the State
government applies to him for help: This ab,
surd bill accordingly makes new definition OF
invasion, and applies that formidable word TO
the consent of two individuals to take part IN
the political controversies of an adjoining State
Was there ever anything so preposter,ous as the
idea that "two persons" can Invade State !!
Invasion, as the word has always been under
stood, implies the approach or entrance OF
formidable armed force but this ridiculous
bill magnifes the efforts of two individuals to
the formidable dimensions of an invasion !.
We quote the beginning of the first section OF
this strange bill: "Be it enacted, &c, that II
two or more persons within the jurisdiction OF
the United States shall invade any of the States
of this Union for the purpose OF oyerthrowlng
tue existing government of said State or any
authority of the same, or for the purpose OF
interfering in any forcible or unlawful manner
with the due execution of the laws OF sucn
State or of the United States," &c. When has
absurditv ever before gone to so grotesque a
pitch as to make the ''invasion" of State by
two persons" case of public danger which
iustifes the suspension of the habeas corpus
Since the "three tailors of Tooley street" styled
themselves "We the people," there has been
no such wonderful political magnifying glass.
An invasion of State by two persons
When plotters commit themselves to SO ridlc-
ulous an absurdity they do not stake their rep
utations for common sense without an oDJect
The object in this case is to fabricate protest
for federal interference in State without an
application from its government. The pre-
tence of domestic violence" therefore, gives
place to pretence of 'invasion," and when
the efforts of two persons are brought within
! the definition of an invasion there never need
be any obstacle to federal interference in State
affairs. A President who is bent on suspend
ing the ha6eas corpus in State must be very
poor in resources if he cannot get an invasion
of two persons manufactured to order in some
one of the neighboring States. And as soon as
he can get up such a pretext of invasion his
hands are united, because he can send the army
of the United States to repel an invasion with
out the consent of the invaded State. Certain
If is that the founders of the constitution at.
tached no such ridiculous meaning to the word
| s:oa;onU At an early neriOd of the govern