The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-01-26
Grant Means Military Government.

It is no secret that Secretary Fish de-
clared he would not remain in an admin
istration which required or JUSTIFIED, In
time of peace, the military interference by
the army with a state legislature, or any
civil department of tie government He
declared this freely to the agents Of the
press, who asked to know his purposes.
And the President did thereupon, Of ne
cessity, say in his message:
II am well aware that any military in
reference by the officers or troops OF the
United States with the organization OF
state legislature or any of its proceedings,
or with any civil department OF the GOV
eminent, is repugnant to our ideas OF gov
eminent, | can conceive of no case not IN
volving rebellion or insurrection where
such interference by authority OF the gen.
eral government ought to be permitted OF
can be justified" ~
Declarations like these, scattered
throughout the document, prevented the
threatened rupture in the cabinet, and the
peril to the administration was thus over
passed.
But shortly after these apologize dis
Chalmers came the affair of the sheriff Of
Vicksburg, and the President was asked
by Governor Ames for soldiers to again in
terfere with the civil department of a
state. Did he hesitate? Not at all
Was there rebellion or instruction al
Vicksburg? Not particle Of evidence Of
either. And yet the President only few
days before had promised congress, the
country and Mr.. Fish that he would, ir
future, only use the army when one or the
other did exist. ~
The facts on which Governor Ames ap-
piled for troops were not concealed by. him
They were these:
Crosby, negro, elected to be sheriff
would not file adequate bonds, as the Law
required, and therefore could not legal
enter upon or discharge the duties Of tn
Office. He finally resigned; represente
to the negroes that he did SO under intim
dation, and appealed to them to redres
his wrongs by force. After the resigns
ton there was new voting; Flanagan wa
duly elected, took legal possession OF th
Office uuder the election. and was oil
charging its duties in peace and quiet. .
new term of the state court was to begl
few days ago, and Governor Ames tel
graphed to the President tina: he feare
disturbance, and asked for troops. The
Grant quickly ordered Sheridan to suppl
and, when they arrived in Vicksburg, VIII
were they ordered to do? Not to suppre
rebellion, or instruction, or domestic vi
lence, but with fixed bayonets" to exp
FLANAGAN from oficel And this was do
IN Mississippi, state as much entitled
be free from such interference as is L
nois. Tue brutal blows of IN
tary violence struck by the Preside
in New Orleans and Vicksburg are felt
every state, and shake the whole bulwa
of our system of liberties. And, what
most alarming, the political partisans
the President give evidence that they
tend to sustain his acts, and not the d.
trines announced in his message. III
these partisans do not comprise the VIII
of the Republican party, we we'll knt
There are thousands of Republicans in
the land who do not sustain the acts
Grant and Sheridan-but all the off
holders are inundated by the administ
ton and if they do not openly defend
usurpation they are sileut. So with
Republican newspapers who prefer pa
to patriotism, pap to Independent
public liberty" was never SO much
danger in this country-not even in
darkest hours of the revolutionary str
gle which secured our political separat
from England, not even in the most '
lent spasms of the late rebellion-as i
to-day And the N, Y, Herald, in
article which we published yesterday, sa
ut looks as if General Grant were
termined to re-elect himself by trampl
down all rights in the South and max
the bayolet the instrument of polit
success. The same means by which
undertakes to change the political char
ter of Southern legislatures would
equally effective in controlling the Sou
ern electoral colleges, and he would seen
be trying how far he may go in employ
the army to Illustrate elections, with VI
to future operations, when all his no
will ha finally nut ot stake ~