The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-02-28
COLUMBIA, s. c.,
Sunday morning. FebruarY 2s, 1876.
Hatred or tho 0reat Law which Pro-
tects Liberty.

-S 800 0ocR0sSA0o va &Akooy klOEus
ing. it is stated that tile House of
Representatives at Washington spent
an all night session in iruitless at
tempt on the part Of. the Republicans
to get up the caucus force bill. The
Democrats reirained from voting on
the main proposition, and as there
we're not sufficient number OF Re-
publioans without them to make
quorum, tho only thing left to be done
was to pass the night in q round of
calls OF the House. How:muoh longer
this peculiar tactics will servo the pur-
pose of staving off the odious measure.
RENAME to be seen. The Presidents
party seems determined to olothe him
with dictatorial powers over the South
ern States, and 20 remove all impedi-
ments to such control OF their affairs
as will enable him to keep them in the
Republican fold. The essence of the
contemplated action is the suspension
OF the habeas corpus Act, the great and
ethoacious writ.which, more than any
other, protects the liberty OF the oiti-
zen. When this was done in 1871, it
was necessary to accompany it with
fraud by which the prohibition of the
Constitution might be eyaded. that
the "habeas corpus shall not be GUS
pended. except when in cases of re-
bellion or invasion the public safety
may seem to require it," It became
necessary to invent new meaning of
the terms rebellion and invasion.
They we're no longer to signify war &C.
tually carried on by organized bodiesof
men against the Government but Sim
surrepfions. domestic violencs combi.
nations and 1conspiracies, as defined
~ the ACT, against or by the State au-
thorities. Hence it was made to ap.
ply to any local disturbance. suoh as
many of the so.calIed Ku Klux out
RACES were. and which sprung into ex-
lstence from the pressure and ,thseats
OF other real outrages, fostered Into
being in this State BY the State au-
thorities. This new offence. invented
by the majority of Congress-, they au-
thoriked' the President to deal with in
the most summary mauner, and cleared
the way for him By setting aside the
great Historical @sitg Nea tha-{de.e
sign so-fo improve dponEt ths original
scheme, and make this suspension
indefinite as to time. 1t has been
adopted as d regular party measure
by majority OF the Republican
members. It means, as we'll said by
the Nation. in proof Of the moral aud
mental derangement OF the times, to
bestow the power of arbitrary impri-
comment on an elective officer during
period when he will or may himself be
candidate for reelection, not in time
OF war. but in time of peace, and for
the ordinary purposes of internal po.
lice. and in direct defiance OF the Con.
stitution. There is striking parallel
in the attitude Of President Grant and
an !obsequious. Congress towards the
liberties OF the Southern people, which
they make little account of. as oom-
pared with their ambitions greed of
power. place and money. with that of
the bigoted and narrow. minded james
OF England. at the height of power and
prosperity, with trucking Parlia-
ment to do his bidding. with largely
increased revenueo, q judiciary that
feared him, end the corporations filled
with hiscreatures. Thus fortified. he
drove right at the enlargement of his
prerogatives. and the overthrow of the
people. One of his objects was to OBJ.
tain repeal of the ha6eas corpus ACT.
which. as Macauley says. he hated.
"as 1t was natural that q tyran.
should hate the most stringent
curb that ever legislation imposed
upon tyranny. But the Aabeas
corpus Act. though passed during
the asosndancy of the Whigs. was not
more dear to the Wings than to the
Tories" 1T is. indeed. not wonder.
full" he adds, ''that this great law