The New York herald., 1875-03-01


the founders of the constitution at
tached no such ridiculous meaning to the
word invasion" At an early period of the
government when the most influential men,
bsrs OF the Convention were serving in Con-
gress laws were passed for fulfilling two of
the federal guarantees-that against invasion
and that against domestic violence. We refer
to the act of 1892 and the subsequent act of
1795, both passed during the administration
of our first President. On the subject of
invasion the act of 1895 is word for word
transcript of that of 1892. Both acts begin
with this language:-"Be it enacted, &c,
that whenever the United States shall be
invaded or be in imminent danger of inva-
sion from any foreign nation or Indian tribe,
it shall be lawful for the President" &c. It
will be observed that this language assumes
that invasion can come only from an exterior
source, and that Congress contemplated no
invasion except by foreign nation or some
Of the Indian tribes on our frontier. But
even conceding that the constitutional pro-
vision includes the invasion of one State by
the inhabitants of another, the gross absurdity
still remains of considering two persons
as an ''invasion." 1t can easily be proved,
however, that an Eruption into one State by
the inhabitants of another was regarded by
the trainers of the constitution as case Of
domestic violence, to be put down by the
State authorities, if they are strong enough;
and if not, by federal assistance duly applied
for.
1t is not probable that this bill will get
through the Senate; but the fact that it has
passed the House is an alarming symptom of
the degeneracy of the times and of the decay
of the spirit of liberty. All free governments
have been subverted by stealthy and gradual
approaches, and the most portentous feature
of the present situation is the apathy with
which encroachments on the constitution
have of late years been submitted to by our
people. This lowering of the popular tone
and this torpor of the jealous regard for free
dom which was so active and vigilant in the
earlier periods of the Republic, justified the
vigorous notes of warning raised by tho
HERALD on the subject of Caesarism.
When vigilance for liberty is quietly
laid asleep some usurper will soon see
and seize his opportunity. The public
apathy under SO many assaults on the
constitutional guarantees of freedom would
soon create Caesar if there were not one
already in training. The spirit Of abject sub
mission and servility to power, so unworthy
of freemen, soon ceases to be odious if the
people permit themselves to get Injured to its
Yet seen too Oft, familiar win her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.
Encroachments on liberty must be met on
the frontier at their earliest approaches, or
else public feeling becomes so deadened that
it cannot be reused to resistance until the
weight of oppression becomes intolerable.
1t is Notifying and lamentable that, while
republican sentiments have been making
great progress in the Old World, the spirit of
liberty is sinking into decay and gives signs
of approaching death in this country. We
trust it is not yet too late to arouse the people
to sense of their danger. The fact that SO
many of the republicans Of the House voted
against the Force bill is good symptom, and
if they and the press of their party would
tendencies toward arbitrary power with the
true spirit Of freemen, the seductive cup which
is presented to the lips of our Caesar might
easily be dashed to the ground.
Me. SrANLEYs MARCH INTO ArR1cA-
We print this morning short but ex-
tremely interesting letter from Mr.. Henry M.
Stanley, giving an account of what may be
termed the first stage in the march of the
HERALD and Telegraph Expedition into Africa.
Leaving Bagamoyo under unfavorable condi-
tions for fortunate journey, being compelled
at the outset to suppress what was very like
an insurrectioD, only good fortune has since
took Lieutenant Cameron four months, and Mr..
Stanley himself fifty-seve days on his previous
expedition, was accomplished in the remark
ably brief period of twenty-five days. None
of the delays and difficulties which are almost
unavoidable in Central Africa had occurred,
and already one-half of the journey to Un-
yanyembe is achieved. Our readers will join
us in the hope that 10 serious obstacles may
retard the expedition on the rest Of the way,
and that the exploration of the Nile sources
may result in revealing all those mysteries of
Central Africa which geographers have been
anxious to unlock ever since the revival of
learning in Europe.
The LOUISIANA CoMPRoM1sE.-The passage
of the Civil Rights bill and the threatened
passage of the Force bill have had the effect
to lessen the chances of q compromise in
louisiana. Our dispatches from New Or
leans show that there is still strong desire
to carry the compromise through, but that
prominent conservatives are unwilling to SUBJ
NIT to what they consider a Congressional
threat, and an alteration of the conditions on
which their compromise was originally
founded. The matter will probably come to
an issue to-day, and we sincerely trust that
L.