The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1875-08-13
WHOLE NUMBER 10.

Senatnrs IN congress but the thirty-saVeut
part oi the whole Senate--whst could they 10 4
prevent lo'a legislation unsuted or detrimental b
ohtof Your Representative IN the If0u>e arr al'ou
one fifteenth NJ all IT, mefniTrswbai could they u
laws9
Bui -nne one may say, surely, there Is no dan
ger Of any such thing surely, noone thinks Of over
throwing tho governments ~ the -ates.s
But within the last ten years, state Governmen
after State Government has lacn oyerthruvu by Con
sres, and other Governments instituted in the
stead such ~ Congress saw ~ 10 dictate and this
not In time Of var, but in time II profound aud uni
Versa feace Not 10 multiply Instances look at th'
ca-e ~ ''eurra, In which members ~ her Genera
Assembly were ousted. FROM their seats aud other
seated In their stead not ny the decision NJ any
functionarics created by the Constitution NJ thai
state, hut by the arbitrary and unconstitutiona
mandate cf The feleral congress. The state had
elected q General Assembly In pursuance hei
Constitution. when II convened many SEATS wer'
found 10 he contested-somc In the senate aud som,
IN the touse the power to decide tiie-e contest.
was conferred by her Constitution uppH the twc
Houses respectively, Just as in Ohio the power to
decide such questions belongs 10 the respective
Houses Of our Assembly. There was no question
oi right arising IN any O the cases under the Con-
stituion Of the United states no question of right
over which the Federal Government had any iuris-
dciion. The questions were purely heal arising
under the Constitution of Georgia, and depend
ing upon the Interpretation 81 that instrument
aud the sole and supreme tribunals 20 determine
them were, n have said Senate and House Of Rep
r, ,-eniatives. They made their decision holding
tha certain persons claiming seats were no, quail.
her Assembly and that the seats should be given "
the opposing candidates. who were accordingly In
ducted into Office Whether this decision was cor
rect or erroneous, Il was nal decision u the onl
! tribunals on esrth authorized 10 pronounce II. Yet
Congress compelled Georgia TO reverse 1t, TO expel
from their seats the members sworn In and TO give
their places 10 those who II had been consitutionay
decided were ineligible 10 hold them My friends,
II that could he lawfully done In Georgia In 1870 II
may be lawfully done In Ohio at any time, and your
General Assembly. instead Of consisting Of member.
chosen by you, may consist Of SUCH persons, and
none Others, as Congress may see ~ TO impose upon
yov.
Congress having set this example ef the overthrow
Of state Government, in time Of peace It i not
wonderful that u was soon initiated aud followed by
! other Federal officers and departments. And hence
the hlgh-handc' and atrocoI. proceedings thf have
! occurred In Louisiana. In iSl2 the people Of that
state elected their state officers, hall Of their
senate, and the whole Of their House Of Represent
atiye- This election resulted In the choice Of the
Democratic ot Conservative candidates for the state
offices by nainrities raagine from nne TO fifteen
thousand, and the choice nl decided Conservative
majority of the House II Representatives. And yet
not one of the state officers thus chosen has tssn
permitted toeNecute his office and the Conservative
into Eepublcan majority by the expulsion OF Con
/ seryatiNes duly ested and the SEATING in their
stead Of Republican, who had neen defeated
| the rcoplc lawfully expressed, vas ~rt
at defiance the lawfully elected Government COM
pletely ovcrihrcwn, aud revolutionary, "surIing
aud tiilcless Government inauguraiei In IL stead
How was ihis doDef How was the usurpatiOu ef-
| fectel and Iermanancy given TO it, Was u by any
,nve known To the Constitution or laws Of Louisi-
ana by the decision Of any tribunal authorized by
her Constitution Ia decide contested electionsf No.
my friends, nothing Of this Kind occurred. Not one
Of the state officers elected lost his Olhce upon
test Of his election under the laws Of the state Not
Senator Representative lost his seat by the de-
cision Of Constitutional senate House Of Repre-
| Sentatives. The usurpatlon was effected by means
n void order Of mere District Judge Of the United
| states, without the slightest juriSii1t0n In the
premises, enforced by the layoncts Of the Federal
army, and maintained 10y the arbitrary decisions
! aud orders oi the Chiei Magistrate II the nation.
In 1874 there was another eletou for senators and
Representatives In the state Legislaiur" held in
! Louisiana, the result oi which was l'emncratc
majority Of twenty mine in the House, and the par
! ties were nearly tied in the Seuate. Even then, II
| the senate we're Republican, Democratic liouse,
hal the elected members bevn Sedtcd, would have
b'sn q complete cheek upon the outrageous legisla-
tion that had for years disgraccd the Radical ASSEM-
blies, that had brought the state to an alm~i ho~-
! less condition of bankruptcy, and that had ln'-
poycrish,-i aud nearly ruined its lsopl" And upon
| joint ballot the Democrats would have had large
majority, and been able to elec' senator in ,on-
gress In the fraudulent claim ot the notorious
Tnchhack should he rejected, as there was then the
highest probability II would be-
! results of that election. hut nov what ocufred ?
In the first place S,-calei Returning bard, wh"ss
duty II 10 compile the election returns and GER
tfy the election of members, conriNcl, by throwing
out the votes Of numerous precincts, aud -'ncines
! of whole counties, To reject ~ many Democrat e
members ard give their seats o the defeated sepub-
jorty Of twenty mine in the llouse the cpuhicans
claimed majority ol one or two.
This was the position Of afiairs when the General
| Assembly met on the ith day of January last, and
the Democrats succeeded In organiking the ilous'
Then was teheld what had never before happen,d
in this iand--oldiers Of the FEDERAL army. COM
manled by Breyet Brigadler GcGeral, inSadin. the
halls Of state Legislature, assuming 10 decide who
were its members, and marching out, between Xe,i
hayonets, hye ly-electcd and qualified Rspresen-
tatiyes. When the fact OF this ostnge ii this
hagrant violation Of the constitutional rights Of a
state of this attempted overthrow nf its hwfl Lag
! islatufe, became known, the whole country, from
one end Of il 10 the other felt shock that soon
| found expression IN pnblic meriings, state
| Legislatures, and the public press. But
what was the action Of the President and ui
| Congress You would naturally suppose
hat a. s.on a. Il could he done the officer guilty
Of this unparalleled crime against free government
/ was brought 10 trial and oondign punishment but
you would he greatly mistaken IN that supposito...
Instead OF punishment, his ohense was paated AMI
excused IN Presidential message 10 the senate aud
not one word oi Censure passed either hOusooi ton-
gress Ca the contrary, for week sitter week, and
Tor many weeks, the senaie Chamber resoundtd with
violence ntemperate aud uniuss Radical harangues
against the south, and especially against the people
of louisiana IN order 10 divert the public attention
ut the North from the usurIation and violence OF
which have spoken. And ! venture the opinion
that the same denuncaton would have been kept uI'
To this very day, In public Conventions and meetings
and In the Radical press, had not the election IN
Connecticut, and the spring elections IN New York
and Ohio, fully demonstrated that the gospel ui hate
I had lost its power over the voter Of the North.
Next let us turn % Arkansas In October, lsH,
the people Of that state, by the helmihg vote
OF y 6J7 for 10 is01 against It, adopted new Com
/ siitution. state officers and Legislature were
elected at the same time, aud In due in-
ausuraied and entered upon the discharge II their
! functions. The Constitution and GoyerniSent thus
chosen eminently popular, and the state began
10 ouJay peace and prosperity OF which had long
been doprivei under Radical and osrIet-has rule
But Of course the faction, comparatively small IA
I numbers but desperate In purpose who had ruled
and almost ruined the state, were dissatisfied WIN
plunder, and naturally directed their eyes 10 the
Radical majority In Congress and the Radical lres-
dent 10 retrieve their broken political fortunes.
/ They procured Committee Of the lipuso ui
! Arkansas Aiairs, and the Committee Wis
ied the state, took much testimony, fully heard all
PARTIES made their own observations. with their
| own eye, the condition OF the I"ope, aud heard
| with their own ear their sentiments and wisho,.
Thus fully informe'l they returned 10 Washington
10 draw up aud present their report u SION leaked
ont that although majority of the Committee were
kcpuhiicans, their report would he favorable 10 The
l new Constitution and the existing Government. In
this pasture of affairs the iActiousts had recourse
m their desperation To the President and ,ousfes,
! was soon amazed by the receipt Of Presidential
n'Gssage that, IN effect recommendod the overthrow
by Federal power, OF the Constitution and the hpN-
eruincnt OF the state and the restoration 10 it, Chc
/ magistrary Of man who, hut iex months before
the President himself had refused 10 atkno~ lcis,
a. GOyernOr, and who by rrason oi thls REFUSAL hdd
l-cn displaced from power
upon this most extraordinary and alarming mes
sage that struck at the very existence of the STATE
that in eilsct deuiei It's reserved sovereignty and
claimed absolute pOweT over II Tor the fedcrl TOY,
eTnmsnt, that treated With conismpt the right o
the psple 10 make their o~n Constitution and eleCl
their ofhccrs thu senate ui the uaited states t0ok
10 action whatever. Instead oi condemning II III
stern Language, A. Il should have b',cn condemned
they passed II by Ia profound silence, broken on
by The walngs Of one OF the Arkansas SENATORS 81
the discounted faction and the strong words ID
alarm uttered On the DemocTstic side Of the Cham
hsr But--to their everlasting credit be II sIaikcn-
decisive majority of the liousc their committees
having made a report such as have inicated sus'
tanned the rvIs,rt and saved the country lro amor
haerant and II possible, more unconstitutional act %
fesleral violence than has YET dsgraccd the annal'
Of the nation.
And nov, n there is any one here who has dist-s
liesed In the dagger Of Capitalization, Who has re-
gardei what has been sad about Il As the mere clap
trap oi demagoguo, the dream of a visionary, OF AZ
exercise Of rheiorician, pray him, In Niew Of th'
facts have stated, and Of many more oi like i'm
port that might be- stated aud oi the uttsrauoes, al
hrsi cautious aud faint, hut nov bold and out
sIoken, Of the most eminent aud influential kadca
leaders, To rsysw his opinion, and SERIOUSLY ans
oon~ieniiously consider the question: l. there u"
dangerf"
Nh uh.t a. An. int.rprrtatiuu tlag,sl upou an,