The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1875-02-25
: anoDlbel .

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KS. to arrest q lnoDibe <
Gcrin.sn congress;sbGt who, be It said
to the honor of even the German En-
pire, was Immediately released and
Bismarck thus rebuked.
But what is more painful, mortify-
ing, and alarming is the following
telegram to Sheridan, dated Wash.
ton City, January {, 1875, from the
Secretary of War:
Your kilograms allrcceivcd. The
President and all of us have full con-
fdcnce, andthoroushly approve your
course.
Up to the date Of this dispatch
what had he done? What course
had he taken which gthe President
and all of US approve?' The legisla-
tive halls of a sovereign State had
been entered by ono Of his subordi-
mates commanding a squadof United
States troops, some of the members
of that body ruthlessly arrested and
dragged from their seats, and the
Legislature dispersed at the point Of
the bavonet. And all this is APP
proved by the President! The con-
stitution of Louisiana provides in
article 81 that
Each house of the General Assem-
bly, shall judge of the qualification,
elections, and returns of its mem
bers.
Such 4 provision is migrated in
the constitution of nearly every
State of the Union. The same pro-
vision is found in article / section 5
of the Constitution Of the United
States in regard to the Congress Of
The United States.
In the name of liberty, in the
name of a violated Constitution, ]
demand by what right, warrant, or
authority has the President and his
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT thus diSbanded
4 legislative body of q sovereign
State? The Legislatures of the
States in their sphere are as much
sovereign as the Congress of the Uni
ted States. SO sacrcdly are they re-
sardcd that it is forbidden by the
Articles of War fos any officer Of the
Army to even use contcmptuous or
di>respcctful words against the Leg
islaturc of any Of the United States.
On page 81, article 10, title "Arti-
clcS Of War;" Of the Revised Statues
of the United States, we find the fol
lowing explicit language; Icommend
its pcrusal to the President and his
Licutcnant-Gcneral:
Any officer who uses contcmptu-
Gus or disreSpcctful words against the
President, the Eice-Prcsident, the
Congress of the United States, or the
chief magistrate or Legislature of
any of the United States, in which
he is quartcrcd. shall be dismissed
from the service or otherwise punish
ed as 4 court-martial may direct.
Any soldier who so oflends shall be
punished Is 4 court-martial NAV d.
rect.
How much less, then, had they the
power to arrest and diSpersc a LegiS-
lature. The house had organized
and clcctcda speaker and clerk, a
quorum being present. Two years
ago 4 like act of usupation was
committed by the military. The
military was called to enforce the in
famous military midnight order of
Judge Durcll, the capitol taken poss-
cssion Of, and the legally elected
members driven out. rAll this was
done under the order of President
Grant, under the flimsy prctcNt of
enforcing a decree Of a court. And
what has been done. at.this very seSs-
ion of Congress? The Judiciary
Committee, composed " a large ma
jority Of republicans, reported artic-
les of impeachment against this
same Judge for the issuance of this
order, and this House passed the
resolutions. But the deed was done,
the object of the order accomplished;
Kellogg and his legislature placed in
power and retained to this day
That infamous proceeding went I'M
punished and the same parties, en-
boldencd by this act, seek in more
highhanded and arbitrary manner
again to takeand continuein possess
ion by military power. How long,
gentlemen of the House of Rcpresen-
tatives, will You permit a sovereign
State to lay PROSTATE under the heels
of military despotism?
But it is pretended that in the first
act of usurpation Durell acted upon
his own motion. In this way it is
sought to relieve the Administration
from the odium and responsibility Of
the act. But this is not true. Du-
tell did not do it upon his motion; he
did it at the bcqest of the President.
This order Of Durell was issued at
midnight, in his own room, on De
ccmber ), 1872. On December 5,
1872, Only two days before, the fol,
lowing telegram was sent to the
United States Marshal at New Or
leans;