The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-07-19
The Military Denominations OF
the Administration i'm the
Interest of the Radi.
cal Ticket.


and ostentatious military demonstration.
BY this expedient they expect to deter
Democratic voters from the free and un-
trammeled exercise of the elective fran
chise and apprehension is felt that in ex
ercising this privilege at the approach
ing election in the interest of reform, the
Democracy will encounter armed interfer-
ence by the President Such apprehen-
sions are as groundless as the bravado of
military display by the Administration is
nnbecoming and criminal. 1t is threat
on the part of the Administration for the
accomplishment of partisan end, to do
,ohat 1t dare not undertake. The highest
prerogative of the citizen is 10 v0te and
to vOte as he pleases, and By legal nsans to
induce as many as he can to pOte 1gih him,
and there isno po,cer that dare modest or
make him afraid
The Administration can station troops
if it choose in every county and neigh
borhood of the State; but it cannot order
them to interfere in the remotest degree
with any citizen whatever his race or ma
tionality, in the exercise Of his rights.
The citizen is responsible to the laws, and
if he is charged with violating them,
the Constitution guarantees to him the
right of trial by an impartial jury Of the
State and district wherein the crime
shall have been committed, and it ex-
pressly forbids that any citizen shall be
deprived of life, liberty or property,
without due process of law.
The officers of the army, for the most
part, are bred gentlemen who make it a
point of honor not to interfere with mat
tiers which do not concern them besides,
| if they were not restrained by this prin-
ciple, they are hedged by no divinity
| that would prevent their being dealt with
for infringing it. Ours is government
of law The President, though he is
Commander in-Chief of the Army and
| Navy, has no more power to interfere
with citizen in the exercise of his rights,
nor to use the Army for his arrest,
much less his punishment, than the hum
blest individual in the land. He is ut
terly powerless before the law, except to
do the things he is directed by the law to
do. He is compelled to respect the
law, and the law subordinates the
military to the civil authority, and
guarantees to every person accused oil
violating the law fair and impartial
trial by jury of his peers. In the de
cision of the Supreme CoIrt Of the United
States declaring the Enforcement Act
invalid, the Chief Justice said: " The
I" charge, as made, is really nothing more
" than of conspiracy to commit q
" breach of the peace within a State.
&" Certainly it will not be claimed that
i" the United States have the power, OF
:" are required to do mere police duty
=" in the States" Therefore the move
ments of troops-the loud sounding or
ders apportioning into military districts
the Southern States that have incurred
the wrath of the Administration and
its minions, by dispensing with the
services of tLieying officials, so far as the
pending election is concerned, amount
to no more than puff of wind.
Theonly conditions on which the militia.
nv power of the government can be used
in the States, are expressly defined in tht
Constitution. The United States are
pledged to protect each State against Gin
vasiOn :" and against domestic violence,
d" on application of the Legislature, OIL
&" of the Executive when the Legislature
d" cannot be convened" Unless such APP
| plication is made, the President has nc
power TO employ force in any State. Sc
far as Mississippi is concerned We are
perfectly assured that her present Ex-
ecutive is equal to any emergency
that can possibly arise for the pres
ervation of the peace against " do
mestic violence" Gov. Stone has the
support of the people, and he will never
dishonor the State Is carpetbag Execu
tives have been in the habit of doing, by
proclaiming that he is unequal to the
preservation of its authority. He is
supported as well by the moral effect Of
the determination of the people to main
tain the laws, and he is by their pledges
to furnish all the physical force that can
be needed to suppress domestic VIC
lence." The L. S. Army can take no
part in the pending election. If these
are any persons who have harbored such
an apprehension they may dismiss it at
once.
THE President is getting his revenge
oe R,;-tov, Co. "a slourrbtar Of his 10 N, LS