The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-12

may De violated, a PARTICULAR wrong may succeed.
but principle that subverts tue system Is
certainly tine end OF THAI iorni OF government.
TINS Is the source from which Grant
authority claimed by hin Is not only oppressive
ana cruel but mean aud meodlasomc. HE SETS
TO SUIT MS WILL AND CAPRICE. aud then, In
stead OF leayin. ~ to take care Of ITSELF 30 as.
soldiers all It's internal AFFAIRS, from organizing It's
Legislature down to the police regulations OF mu-
nicipalty.
No doubt 1t VIII be claimed that there was ne
cesslt Tor the action taken by the President in this
ary condition OF affairs IN the South; and here
comes up again the question oil southern Outrages
Thought this question was disposed OF last iall
and would never be revived again. The independ-
snt press took hold or IL and dlsabused the public
false statements and reports. They cannos be re-
Vamped and ind currency at the North. People
much OF THIS; they VIII not brook further agita-
tion on the subject. IL was not strange that at the
close o. the war The North should have cherished
strong feelings OF hostility toward the South. Pas.
Ions and preJudices ran high, and TO CRAFTY re-
sentiments many tuings were zone that were
against tue Interests OF our own people. And this
was natural. but believe that now conservative
men OF all parties agree that this persistent policy
d hate IL not ony needless and cruel but 1t Is
TOO eXpens We; 1t costs too much; ana seli-inter-
sst, II no higher motive should dictate a caange
IN the policy that alminisnes the pro
OF the South We must dispense with the
InXsry OF revenge. Depression and I'm.
one drop OF our resources. 1t was bad enough TO
deplete and mpover.sn ourselves SO long by OBJ
Sructng the richest and broadcast channels oi bus
mess and Interchange. We SHOULD NOW STRIKE
DOWN THE BAND THAT WOULD REKINDLE THE BITTER
NESS AND THE PASSIONS THAT ARE DYING OUT, AND
THAT SEEKS NOT ONLY 10 NARROW THE STREAMS OF
OUR PROSPERITY, BUT Is STRETCHED OUT TO GIRDLE
the FOREST TREES THAT SHADE ITS FOUNTAIN, SO
THAT NEVER MORE SHALL MS EXALTiNG AND ABOUND
E'G CURRENTS FLOW oUr TO ENRCH THE LAND The
truth Is THIS country IS one IN IT'S growth and IN
terests; 1T Is body knit together, JOINT to Joint
and llmo 10 limb. You cannot mangle or disjoinI
part OF II without marrmg the proportions and
strength OF the wnoie. We may piep<e
slae, out the blood that runs out weak
ems tue wnoie frame. The south has been
sorely smitteD until IL rs wasted almost to skin
aud bone. and can scarcely drag itself along; and
now the North, with It's proud and stately Sep
ialts and stands aghast II begins to reaiiZe
that iis vital energies have peen oozlng rom The
wounds It's own hands have inflicted And this
body OF TIE American people VIII never stand up
right, sire 9Th VIII never return To limos, the
glow o. health 10 IFS wan cheek. until It's angry
brow is cooled Ia purer and no bier atmosphere
tnan that OF alienation aud revenge. LET us
THEN GIVE OuRsELN rs 10 HE WORK OF RE-
SSNHnIATioN ANp PEACE, AND WHILE WE
AND BOLDEsr ATTEMPT TO DESTROY OUR
LBERtl lis, We WILL REACH OUT The OTHER
BROTHERHOOD AND UNION THIS PEOPLE FROM
WHOM WE HAVE SO LONG BEEN SEPARATED.
SPEECH OF GEORGE TIcgNoR CURTIS.
Mr. MAYOR AND FELLOW CITIzENs:-On Satur-
day evening received UNEXPECTEDLY the invita-.
ton OF your committee 10 address this meeting.
ments. and had not even signed the call ior the
meeting Had believed myself capable OF utter
Ing word on this occasion with partisan pur-
pose l should have declined the invitation ana
held my peace. Bat this meeting has no party
character. Parties are organized to carry on and
give effect to differences OF opinion concerning the
administration OF the Republic. This meeting is
called TO consider 'lo,o the Republic can be saced
NtS called TO protest, ,onh al the force that can
be gfUen to public opinion GaGsas; act Of usur-
patton that strides the civI liberties or the cour
try at their rery heart. had thought. fellow citi.
zens, during the war, and for time alter ward
that l had drained TO the dreps the bitter
cup OF public calamity; that l had suffered all
that O lover OF free institutions can suffer from
their violation. When l saw the writ OF habeas
corpus OF the Chief Justice Of the United States
prevented by military power from reaching an i'm
prisoned citizen; when men were seized and cast
into dungeons on the kilograms OF q Secretary OF
War or q Secretary OF State: when men. not In
bne army or the navy, were tried for their lives
before military commissions, In places where the
civil tribunals were In iull force and undisputed
exercise OF their functions; and when, at last,
alter peace was restored and there was general
sapmisslon to all the just au nority OF the govern
ment, saw the Southern States dealt with as II
they were foreign countries conquered IN war and
annexed by right Of conquest To the United States,
thought that had endured oil tnat citizen can
endure OF modification, OF distress, OF despair for
The safety OF our free institutions. Yet tried,
honestly tried 10 end an excuse for these
;hlngs saw that nultitudes OF
ncubr, held these things TO be IN some degree ex-
rusable, ana were willing 10 believe tnat they
BODIED no permanent injury to the pubic huerties
90 not say that acquiesced In tnsir Judgment
but oid try 70 appreciate their reasoning. And
now what has happened Here IS act done IN
time or peace, protouna peace. that is so dan-
peTOLs 70 all ctr1l freedom, oO,d and reckless q
Rotation or ld,r so compietety an act ,c,hout en-
cttse, that men rho hare c0ndO7etz everything
sise are compelled 10 speak out And now let me
occupy Few moments OF your time In plain ef.
Tort ~ define this act. In every country on earlh
where Tree Parliamentary government exists 1t
= fundamental principe o. law hat every site
snsitlei 10 mold his seat and exercise
his functions as member until the
body itself has declared that ne was not duly
elected, or is otherwise disqualified. 1his princi.
ple Is not peculiar to u.s. although II is universally
nelo 20 oe part oi our law. IN Englano anu IN all
pre-, extending into threc-quarters OF the eiODe
where the nag and the speech oil England nave
carried English liberty-tais principle prevails. II
you Will reflect upon II Tor a moment you will see
That without 1t there never could be any legal
organization OIL a legislative BODY The very ex-
stence and continuity oil a legislative body as a
20 ordinate and Independent Orancn Of govern
ment depend upon tnis pIlncipe-tnat tlOre VINO
are printa Jacie members are, and continue mem.
Ders until the body ltsel declares otherwise.
II civil or military, can In any way act upon the
right OF any member 10 continue IN his place
aud to exercise his functions; and IL Is,
therefore, as PLAIN a proposition as any truth
In mathematics tnat by whomsoever ordered,
or by wEomsoeyer DONE The orcibie expulsion
81 single MEMBER, by any theory but the order OF
the BODY itself, destroys the legal existence VI
that Dooy because II destroys It's authority. In
the present case the circumstance that I've men,
bers were iorcloly expelled by soldiers OF the United
5 ates Is an a2gravatlon Of great atr0city: out
what | wish you to TX your attention upon IS
thls-that the lorcible expulsion OF those 1ve
members by the military power vi the United
States, no matter who moved, o. caused to move,
the expelng IOrce has destroyed the legal exist.
ence OF the Legislative Assembly oil louisiana.
Those who remain, no matter how many they are,
or what they call tn mselves, are no longer, In
law, the Legislative Assembly OF the State. The
subsequent withdrawal oil the so-cailed conserv.
awe or democratic members does not AFFECT the
matter one way or tine other. From the moment
when these nye members were expelled by the
troops oil he United states the Legislative As
semDly vi LOUISIANA ceased to exist some other
power had usurped the junction OF deciding VINO