The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-18
STANDING ARMIES ARE SCHOOLS OF
DESPOTISM,

ing congress-, II there shall be any chance
the concurrence Of the Senate, ought to
- one submitting to the several States Il
y question whether they do or do not desire
convention representing all the States for Il
purpose Of modifying and amending IL
present Constitution. If majority Of IL
States (reckoned by federal numbers as
the electoral college,, approve the propose
then at a subsequent election delegate
should be chosen corresponding in numbe
d with congressional districts, with two del,
gates at large for each State correspondent
I, with the two Senators thereof. Should DELE
gates from Territories be also provided 70
with seats on the floor of the convention
but without votes, it might be well.
: In the light Of recent experience it is YER
probable that the first amendment presented
would be one relating to the military powe
Of the General Government. The States
through their delegates, would join in thu
expression Of their great fear of encroach
ments upon their local rights and upon the
liberties of their people. They would point
to recent acts of intrusion and invasion, and
urge that their rights could never be safe
under the menace of an ever-present power
in the hands of those who might assume
authority paramount to the fundamental law.
1t was provided, perhaps wisely, that none of
our States should in time of peace keep
| standing armies. This was q precaution
| against putting or leaving in the hands Of
the larger States power to Cypress the lesser
States, or to defy and disobey the power and
will of the combined States.
1t is not singular that the colleagues Of JEFF
ferson, Madison and Hamilton did not then
fear to entrust military power to the General
Government Being themselves honest, they
did not dream of the possibility of a majority
OF their proposed Senate and House becoming
corrupt. Still less did they anticipate that
citizen taken from the people and clothed
with executive authority, ranked for season
higher than monarchs, and endowed with
regal power for the support of the laws and
for the defense of a commonwealth of leagued
republics, could be tempted to use the soldiers
of the Union for illegal purposes, for his own
agrandizement or for the prolongation Of his
period of office. Had they SO feared, clause
would have been put in their Constitution
forbidding standing army in time of peace,
enllstments in time of war for period longer |
than twelve months, the education of officers |
at the expense of the General Government, |
the full power of the President to appoint all |
army officers, and his absolute control over
no ovI Il I,
gress.
Experience having already proved that one
President in eighteen could be tempted to
abuse standing army Of the republic, and
employ it otherwise tn an for the public good,
t is full time that the keeping OF such stand
ng armyin time Of peace should no longer be
suffered. The government ought henceforth
Q depend exclusively upon State troops
aised equipped, supplied, armed and Off
ered by the several States at the call of Con-
,ress, and commanded by general selected
y Congress from the generals Of the State .
roops Several wars have shown the eff J
iency Of State and volunteer forces, and the
anne wars have shown the disposition of the
Ulcers of the regular army to assume supe- I
or Importance, and to wear those airs of ex-
elence which disgust the citizen soldiers of :
10 country. War gives to them unusual ?
Importance, and they therefore prefer war to Il
eace. o
Officers educated in an aristocratic military q
hool at public expense acquire common
slike of civil authority and common desire
r its subordination to the military. The I
gular standing army is school for the pro- u
cation of monarchical and aristocratic no. u
'ns. Over native and foreign born privates, ~
are absolute tyrants, and the
perior dictates to the inferior through all al
AIDES up to the President, whom all look W
ION as their absolute master. Thus used to ~
bltrary command in one direction and to at
plicit obedience in another, the army be- w
mes seminary Of tyranny, and machine -
itch the will of one man can control ~
Absolute headship is Indispensable in the 'a
stem to which they are attached, and very an
my of them are at heart DESTROYS to see mill
y and civil headship united and absolute. gu
ch to officers is the tendency of military an
ching. They learn to hold civilians in disfa- ou
:; to scof at the ballot-box; to hate the civi CIV
gistrate; to forget their duty as citizens, and 70
merge the allegiance, which they owe to
ir country and its laws, into blind obedi- So
nee to their officers. To them the articles Or
war are higher law than the Constitu- 70
as of the States or of the Union. When ao'
ployed in positions merely civil, they carry MI
~ habits and military notions with them.
e recent arbitrary acts of our military POI
sident are, in great part, the results of no
itary ideas and training. The time has tne
lie. Off not passed,) when it should be Sc as
lsly inquired by the American people Mn
ether this great and costly academy Of des- on
ism can longer be maintained with safety use
be continuance of representative govern lap
it. BET
- wit
here are some very ready and able de- 4