The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-03-31


one extreme to the other, and would have
been ready to hurl from power the per
petrators Of such an act, but now we see
things differently. We can see men
come into power and exercise power not
authorized by the organic law of the
land. We have gone outside Of the con
stitution In a way that will bring this
government to an end or change its char
acter so that its present features and
present structure will all be lost. The
/ Senator here referred to the orders sent
| Sheridan to proceed to New Orleans, and
said: Here is a general of the army
who is sent back to the people who re-
pudiated him, with authority to go d
look over the country and to mark him
self out an empire; prescribe the limits OF
/ his government, or what he shall take
under control. He marks out an area.
/ He describes the points and limits Of his
command. His power is as absolute as
/ that of an emperor. Look at the growth
| OF power; look at the advances which
usurpation is making and when we
come to consider calmly and deliberately,
without party bias or prejudice, we find
that these acts are none other than those
Of usurpation and tyranny. Where does
all this power come from And | might
ask, upon what meat does this our Cesar
feed, that he hath grown so great that he
can prescribe and lay down empires, and
place commanders over them? 1t is time
the country was awakened and considered
these things. If the excitement has been
so high in times gone by that many
things have been overlooked, | think the
time has arrived, and l trust that the
excitement has gone down, that the
American people can return to the or
ganic law Of the land. 1t is time tnat
the people had begun to consider and
weigh well these things.
Senator johnson desired the organiZa-
ton Of the Louisiana legislature, aud con-
tinued | caunot regard the action of the
military or of the President as in accor-
dance with the constitution; l cannot
record my vote for the resolution; l will
not vote against the resolution because
this resolution is a Republican measure,
but | will vote against it on principle.
This resolution calls on the senate 10
express an opinion favoring the practices
which | think are unauthorized and I'M
warranted, but if we record one vote
sanctioning the Presidents interference,
what are we to do in other cases ? Why
single out this particular act, aud III
principle sanction it and not sanction all
the high handed measures which pre-
ceded. The action OF the President in
the Arkansas affairs was denounced by
Senator johnson, who referred to the
growth of Of Federal power as follows:
We see how this power travels. An en-
pire laid off in the South commanded by
military scheme Then we come along
to the force bill then we come along to
the indorsment by Congress, and look
ing over these things we inquire what lies
behind all this Don't we see that change
of opinion, that change of position must
be for some reason? There must be
something behind all this action Of the
President. There must be something to
explain his inconsistency. There must
be something that underlies all this. The
force bill, with authority to take away the
government, an arbitrary military empire
laid off in the South and placed under the
control of a dictator, must mean some
thing. We can only look at it in the
light of events that will transpire in the
approaching Presidential election. When
we have conqueror and usurper installed
in the government and he has gone on
extending his military power until he has
accomplished this purpose, the time may
come when some member III the other
hall may introduce a resolution like this
Whereas, great disturbances and dlssat-
isfactions exist in the country, and for the
sake of preserving peace and harmony IN
the country, be it resolved, that y. or b. Is
hereby declared President Il don't care
whether you call him monarch, or king or
president-for the next presidential term
or the next eight years, what would you
do then? What is the power to prevent
it? Where is the army? Where is the
navy? What could you do? The impo-
tency and weakness of an unarmed peo-
pie when brought in contact with armed,
we well know We would be powerless, and
| here to-day in the presence of this SEN
ate warn the people against the approach
ing danger. | tell my c0untrymen, Mr..
President, that the empire Is ahead and
that instead of having a free and repub-
lican government, we have kind of gov
eminent which is called a stratocracy,
that is, military government where the
country is ruled by military chieftain,
is the government you have got now;
the army Is the power. We have got
stlatocracy; we have not got demOcra-
cy, we have not got republican form of
government. That is ali the government
you have got. How far off is the empire
how far off is military despotism? warn
the people of my native country against
the dangers which are coming. Don't let
us talk about party, but let the people,
who compose the government, run 1t for
Il while. Let us bring the hearts of the
people up to the government and arouse
them against corruption, against prohlga-
cy, against the usurpatiJns of this admin
istration. The administration is trying
to overthrow the government. Let every
effort be made to sustain the government
and eject from power the corrupt and
usurping ruler Instead of the resolution
now before the senate, | would go TO the
President with the language, if l was
permitted to prepare the resolution. that
Cato used to the ambassador of Cesar;
when the ambassador approached him
and asked him to capitulate, saying that
his name would be second TO none but
that of Cesar, would say to this emper-
or, would say to this dictator, what
Cato said to the ambassador: $50 and
tell this emperor to disband his legions
and restore the liberties of the people"
This l would say to him, even as humble
as | am would tell him to stop his
encroaehments upon the constitution and
close the gulf between the people and
bring peace and prosperity to the country.
Do this, and | will mount the rostrum
and contrive to gain his pardon from the
people for his violations of the constitu-
ton of his country and the transcendant
impositions that he has practiced upon