The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-16
RAND0LPHON MILITARY ENCROAOH.
MENT,

g, MENT.
If military man shoald take, will not s
u member Of this House, but any one Of t
IN miserable citizens who inhabit this piac
ot and escort him under military guard to re
= do such thing ought to be precipitated fro
'e the top of the Capitol. F,could teach the mi
tary that they are to be subordinate to the CT,
:. po,eer, and that if they undertake to riolate 1
. cira institutions Of their country, they should DC
the penalty Of their Ices. # you do not qua,
) the people from such an excess of militar
Q power the time aoM come nAsn you ,oiu be kicIt
s ont Of doors at the point of the bayonet.
The above paragraph is from speech {
/ John Randolph Of Roanoke, delivered IN tn
I United States House of Representatives Eel
+ ruary II, 1907, on resolution intended +
f provide better security for the privilege G
the writ OF hobeas corpus. The resolution wa
introduced in consequence of certain acts G
contempt against the courts of New Orleans
in which an officer of the little army Of tn
United States had, in violation of, and disre
gard to, the writ Of hGbeas corpus, arrested
certain persons and sent them under guarf
to Washington City.
This act Of military disrespect for civil au
thority aroused much feeling and was looked
upon as dangerous precedent. As an in.
vasion by the military Of the civil authority
as conflict of jurisdiction between the CAP
tain and the magistrate, it was but tritiinp
affair in comparison with what we have seen
during the past five years. In contrast with
the late invasion of our Legislature and the
expulsion Of its members Sat the point of the
bayonet, the act then in question was no
more than the peccadillo of a schoolboy in
contrast with the crime of a convicted and
sentenced felon.
This was the language Of one whose purity,
patriotism and zeal in defense of political and
civil liberty have never been questioned. He
had seen the erection Of the fabric of Ameri
can constitutional law. He had been familiar
with all the debates before and after its adop
ton. lie bao been profound student Of the
history Of the country Of his ancestors, and
diligent observer of all the processes by which
the liberties of nations have been won and
lost. He was in requirement and ability ona
time, or before, or since But what marked
his fervid speeches, his deeply meditated
writings, and all his course as Representative
and Senator, as well as in other spheres, was
bis deep and constant solictude for the main |
tenance OF the rights and franchises of the !
citizen against the Entertainments of greater
and lesser tyrants in every public capacity.
Randolph's utterances on many subjects
seem now to have been prompted by the
spirit OF prophecy, SO truly have events full
Tiled his forebodings Of evil. At time like
his, which is marked with tendency to en-
roachment, we are in danger and will do
veil to revert to the warnings and predic-
ions. We who are threatened with a rude
eizure of our right of self-government. we {
7ho hear the drum-beat Of the usurpers com
ng leslons, will do wisely to listen to his ad-
He said on the same occasion: q
In what way has every free people become s
laves! The common recipe is-take 0aan- q
IN sgttcH of plots and of military force, C
ways kept ready for the purpose the r
nd is accomplished And say this must be '
le death OF your government. Has any Ii
evolution taken place in the affairs Of France t
Inch was not preceded by a plot? Are we il
Ire that time and chance, which happen to Il
men and . all nations may not happen to us? 4
My dread Of standing armies has been more a
an hundred times increased in conse- te
fence OF the services to which our present
tie force has been put From such, good
ord, deliver us.
In advocating an increase of the public al
rec, my object was to chastise an insolent OF
g and not to employ it against our own citi- -,
rs, and to substitute it in lieu of the civil ~
thorty. 3
Il man breaks the constitution which YOU p1
all sworn to support, punish him. If Is
g violater be Washington, Franklin or m
1erson, would punish him, and I would hs
o say that no indemnity ought to be voted ",
Is this House ready to sanction the doctrine of
1t an open and avowed contempt of the of
II BY the military authority shall be con- til
ered as nothing more than common vio- tr.
ion Of law?
make no profession of sympathy for the ar
n who have been denounced as traitors in
argue on the superstition that they are in
ltors there is no need Of much exer- be
in behalf of good men. Attacks tie
.ne loerty OF the people are made always ca
the persons Of the vile and worthless but or
en- precedent is once established in the tie
g OF bad men, who, like pioneers, 90 be- I'M
to smoothe the way, good men tremble tn
their liberty. an
Nothing can be added to the eloquent 00
emnity Of these predictions and admoni- OF
IS. They set forth the danger of the en- FL
achment by the military upon the civil
hority in language marked by the pro- we
ndest thought. They are the voice of the pr 2,
and prophet coming from the very altar -,
he temple of constitutional liberty. At yea
hour, when ''good men tremble for their qu
rty' and for the danger which is under. hci
ing their system of government, these vati- MA
tlons ought to be taken we'll to heart. isl
- ing
w. C. Lee and Miss NJ for
son and daughter Of Gen. R. E. Lee, are rat