Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-14


SHALL THE TAIL WAC THE DOG?
In none of our exchanges have We
seen more scathing denunciation Of
the Force bill and its authors, Ben But
Ter & Co.. than in the last issue of
Harper's Weekly. On the morning of
the day when the vote was to have been
taken in the House, the Washington
Republican, Grants personal organ,
published the following in large capital
letters:
The passage Of the bill is required
to preserve to the Republican party the
electoral votes Of the Southern States.
Remember that If the Democrats carry
all the Southern States, as they will
the White League usurpation IN some
Of them is not suppressed, it viii re-
quire only fifty Democratic electoral
votes from the Northern States to elect
a Democratic President. This Is a
liberal estimate.
After quoting this White House ut
terance, Harper's Weekly remarks:
"Thus the bill vas urged, not because
it was Just, or wise, or constitutional,
but becauseit was necessary in order
to save the Republican party at the
next election, that the President should
have the pcwer-for such was the pro-
vision when this passage was written
10 imprison any man in Maine or
Oregon at his personal pleasure, and
without appeal or inquiry" Calling
attention to the provision Of the FEEDER
al constitution which declares emphati-
cally that the privilege Of the writ Of
habeas corpus shall not be
suspended, unless when in cases Of
rebellion or invasion the public safety
should require it, it adds: But this
bill authorized the suspension Of the
great guaranteed personal liberty when
two men in a State combined against a
constable or liquor law. How thecoun-
try would have rung twenty yesrs ago
if the anti-slavery opposition to the
fugitive slave bill had been made con-
s-ructive invasion or rebellion, as Doug
las soughh to make it, and slave
driving Democratic Congress mad au-
thorized the suspension of the writ"
With the same bold air of defiance
towards the powers that rule at Wash
ington, this Journal scouts the possible
ty Of Saving the party by the Grant
| Butler programme of force, saying:
In little more than year the Re
publican nominating Convention viii
meet. Il It's action should be decided
bv the delegates from States which the
President could control under such a
bill. or If he should be reaominated by
these and other executive influences,
| there would be a withdrawal from the
! Convention, and its candidate would
! be defeated by Republicans in the
States Of the East, North, and
( West. Is that the way to
save the party?" The White
House notion that the thirty-odd
Republicans who voted against the
Force Bill can be whipped in, IS treat
cd with ridicule: THAT was precisely
what the Englishmen thought Of the
| CoIonists a hundred years ago., says
this Republican Mentor, and 1t closes
by boldly affirming that the party WI.
not re-eIect the President for a thnd
term.
These utterances from q jourra
which has il the past faithfully and
consistently reflected the maHgnity al
well as the intellect OF its party, indi
Gates the incipiency Of determined
movement to getrid Of Grant. Mean
while. the argument Of the Chicago
Times. that Grant holds all the grand
army Of oiice.holders under his thumb
and that no other man can command
their undivided allegiance, remains IN
answered. Grant Is a logged fighter
and. with Ben Buffers aid, viii give
the new leaders a tough tussle, unless
they make liberal terms for his retire
ment from the field.