The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1875-02-19
The March OF Despotism,

". su0 <18.s " t'NttIe"cc, III pditlilOIe
The March of DespOtism.
There seems to be no limit or measure te
the desperate schemes devised by the Repub
lican managers at Washington to keep theiI
party in power against the will of the peo
pie. The brutal advice of Sheridan to pro.
claim the white Conservatives of the South
"banditti," and turn them over to him to
hunt and shoot down, and the recent out.
rageous message of General Grant, in which
he proposes to overthrow the lawfully elect.
ed and peaceful government of Arkansas,
were but the prelude to holder and more
desperate effort to secure congressional leg
islation for more startling abuse of power
by the President. The machinery to effect
this is contained in new force or bayonet
bill, which has been prepared and adopted by
The House OF Representatives, and which,
under the new arrangement to prevent diato-
ny motions, may be passed by mere maiori.
~. 1t is entitled "An act to protect electors
and 10 prevent fraud at elections" A better
descriptive title would be, "An act to estab-
fish monarchy in the United States,n for
that would be the virtual effect of the unlimi.
ted power it would confer upon the Presi-
dent. Instead Of preventing fraud at cleo.
tions, it has been deity framed to permit the
grossost frauds by the party in power. It's
whole aim and object is to place the South
ern States entirely under the control of Gene
raj Grant, who, by means Of his marshals and
soldiers, and by the power of suspending at
his own will the writ of haJeas corpus, will
be enabled to count the electoral votes ofthc
Southern States in 1876 for himself, with
ont the slightest regard to the wishes of the
people.
The New York Tribune gives the follow
ing synopsis of the infamous bill:
The LIST section makes it q felony punishable
With $4,000 fine and ten years imprison-
ment at hard labor for two or more persons
to forcibly overthrow State government or
any OF the constituted authorities ofthc same,
"or interfere in any forcible or unlawful man
her with the due execution of the laws of
State or Of the United States" or to "con-
spire for such purposes" Under this section
carpet-bag Governors would hold the oppo-
stion at their mercy. Any kind of concert
ed action by White Leagues or other polili.
cal clubs could be construed as a "conspira-
cy to interfere" with the due execution ofthc
election law or some other statute.
The second section makes it q crime pun
ishahlc with $4,000 fine and two wears i'm
prisonment tor two or more persons to con-
spire OF attempt to subVert State govern
ment This section is capable of almost any
Interpretation partisan Commissioner may
he uiSDOSeQ to Mace uDOn If
The third section was thrown out. The
fourth prcscribes heavy penalties for intimi-
dating voters with deadly weapons, or carry
ing concealed weapons at the polls. The
fifth provides penalties for State registration
officers and supervisors who refuse TO permit
citizens to vote or register, or ito allow them
sufficient opportunities TO register or TO OBJ
tain proper information" section which
is obviously capable of the grossest abuse
The eighth section confers civil and criminal
jurisdiction under this act upon United States
courts. The ninth and tenth extend the num-
Der of Supervisors and Deputy Marshals.-
The fourteenth authorizes the President to
suspend the writ of habeas corpus whenever
unlawful combinations shall be "organized
or attempted" and so powerful as to defy the
State authorities.
No measure so utterly uncalled for by the
condition of affairs in any Southern State, or
so dangerous to Republican form Of gov
ernment has ever before been proposed by
any party, in its most desperate struggle for
power; and the very fact that the people
North and South do not rise in their might
for the preservation of their liberties, shows
how accustomed they have become to the
march of despotism.
If the caucus bayonet bill becomes law,
says the Baltimore Gazette, Sheridan's bloody
suggestion will have received Congressional
sanction; Grant will be clothed with author.
ity to declare martial law anywhere he
chooses; the privilege Of the writ of habeas
corpus will be suspended upon the fimsiest
of pretcxts, or without any pretext whatcv-
er, aud every prominent man who ventures
TO oppose Radical domination at the South
will be hunted down and either shot on sight
or carried a prisoner to some remote city, to
be tried by a jury organized TO convict, and
sentenced by a judge of the Bond Jetfreys
type Kentucky was once called 'the dark
and bloody ground" This bayonet bill
would make dark and bloody ground of the
South.
The New York World has His to say of
the proposed law:
III is the most outrageous plot against
free government that the history Of this
country affords. What man with American
blood in his veins can think or speak of it
calmly? There has not been time since the
close Of the war when there was so little pre-.
text as there is now for this grant to the
President Of despotic powers. If anybody
doubts that this is the purpose and effect Of
the bill We refer him to the description given
of it by the Republican Speaker of the Re
publican House in the Republican caucus and
10 the bill itself. q Il =
"All over the South there is quiet to-day.
In no part of the South is there any organi-
zcd conspiracy to resist the law. The men
who have sprung such proposition MS this
upon the country at such a time, with so
plain purpose of invoking force by means
of fraud in order to retain the power they
have forfeited, arc traitors, if the word trait
or has any meaning. Are all these men mad?
What do they suppose the American people
are made Of that they think 10 convert
Republic into Monarchy at one swoop like
this"
The Beechcr case, in New York, seems
TO be almost nterminable Public patience
is nearly exhausted with its disgusting de-
tails, and there will be a feeling ofrelief when
it is over, no matter how IL terminates.
-. s.t---
Zone hundred and thrty-eight electoral
votes ofthe reconstructed States rightfully