The Republican journal., 1875-01-21
Tho Army In Politics.

The Army in Politics.
The St. Louis Republican, with its usual
ability, discusses the obtrusion Of the army
of the United States into the field Of poll
ties 1t says the people may think as they
will about the propriety of the obtrusion;
they may regard it as violent. lawless,
| provocative of revolution and dangerous;
they may regret that they permitted it;
they may in q stern spirit OF vengeance
call the daring executive who is the author
OF it to account and grind him to powder
in their wrath but they cannot ignore the
tact that the army has become 4 governing
| factor in our politics-rarely employed,
perhaps, but called in at the critical mo-
mcnt and then with decisive effect. Sew
eral unchallenged and unrebuked prece-
dents have established this fact beyond dis
pute The army under Cen. Terry was
employed in 1869 TO disperse the Georgia
legislature and install another body which
claimed to be the legislature, A portion
of the army, with artillery, was employed
in 1872 by the chairman of the Republican
central committee Of Louisiana, to super
wise the proceedings of the Republican
nominating convention of that state, and
give the organization OF it to one faction
OF the party-the faction friendly to Presi-
dent Grant In the following year the
army was employed to decide who had
been elected governor of Louisiana. And
now we have formidable portion of that
armv-a force of / 800 men, under COM
mand Of an officer eminent for the ruthless
vigor with which he performs mis- tasks,
the personal fortunes of President Grant
| Interposing to determine points OF parlia-
mentary order in the organization of a
| state legislature--to decide who are, and
who are not members thereof-to undo the
organization OF it by one party, and re-
organize it so as to give control of it to the
! other All these acts, committed with the
4nn""ual 4t o, 'ta.V fR'e ,n8'1sf"4fa. "lpd. pa,
acquired the authority of sanctioned cx-
ampies, and unless condemned and revels-
ed, will serve as the presidential warrant
| Tor still more violent exhibitions of mill
! tary force in the future. No one can say
what limit the president reco gnizes No
one can tell to-day what he will not max G
the army do tomorrow. If he has loan
ed Its Irresistible power to his personal ad-
| herents and kinsmen in Louisiana why
may he not loan it to his personal adher-
ents and kinsmen in New York ? If he
uses 1t to forcibiy dispense opposition leg
| islatures, who viii dare to guaranty that
he will not use it to dispense an opposition
congress? If he has employed the army
and navy to install and maintain state
governor not elected by the people, what
right have we to assume that he will not
employ ii to install a president not elected
by the people? 1t is no answer to these
questions to say that they are absurd
When we contemplate the unexampled
proceedings in the Louisiana state house.
and reflect that these proceedings were the
act not of De Trobriand, OF Kellogg, or
even Sheridan, but OF President Grant
when we recognize IN this his defiant an
swer to the popular condemnation OF his
policy OF November; and when we per-
ceive the significant gathering around him
| Of the Republican leaders as if in expecta-
! ton of some crisis that involves his fate
and his fate and theirs together. it can
not but be admitted that the questions
are pertinent and timely, Why was
Sheridan sent to New Orleans to take
the place of Emory, when Emory's author
ity was already implicitly respected !?
Why is more vigorous display of the
army power made in Louisiana, when the
mercst show of it has heretofore been in
variably found sufficient? Why are the
| batteries OF five war ships trained Oh New
| Orleans? Why does Sheridan assume to
advise congress to declare the white in
habitants of these states bandits, and turn
them over to him TO be dealt with bI mill
tary process? These things are sgnti~
cant and suggestive, if not suspicious
We tell the people of the country that
| this repeated use of the army as q politi-
cal agent will end in trouble Of the gravest
character 1t is bringing us to crisis in
which the issue will be between deter
mined, unyielding president. with the
| army, the navy. the treasury, all the Off
cial machinery of government, and
strong minority party, on one side, and
passionate majority of the people, without
official Instruments OF power, on the other.
Even supposing that the Southern states
shall submit peacefully to the policy de-
veloped at New Orleans last Monday, and
make no resistance to the iron discipline
which Sheridan asks to subject them to,
1t is certain that the Democratic house that
is to meet next December will not submit
quietly to it. That house, indignant at
the presidents lawless conduct, and in
famed by the pteous appeals OF the South
ern whites, will fly at the throat of the
executive, torture him with demands for
his authority for the prostitution of the
army into geadarnacrie, solemnly con-
denim his acts, and, if it DO not plunge us
into the harassing excitement of an i'm
parchment trial. may at least attempt to
subdue its stubborn antagonist by with
holding the army and navy appropriations,
or making them conditional on the with
drawal of the troops from the south. With
such war on the president begun by the