The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-08-22
THE MIDNIGHT ORDER.
GRANT WITH RENOVA TED ca ESARISM.
what the Press Of the COuntry Th1nks
Of the Outrageous Proceeding.
IN. Y. Herald.l

Of the OutrageOu Proceeding.
my. HeraldJ
military order based upon an act OF Con
gress would be entitled to respect; but Q resoiu
ton Of the House is not law. but g mere decla -
ration Of opinion. II has no binding 1orce OF
the Executive: It eonfers no authority; 1t Ii a.
proper foundation for official action by any az
partment OF the Government. Inc fIesiusht !
required to execute the laws but the Scou Lor,
resolution Is not law: and even IL II we
could Justify no such measure as nas ~ ~
not contemplate military action, but action D,
the courts-not prevention. but pqnisnMen'
Its language Is that In any case which has here
violence or m murder has been or shall be commit
ed BY one race or class upon the other, IN
prompt prosecution and punishment q tn'
peratiyey De- anded' But what courts have
Jurisdiction? Not those OF the United states. cor
tainy. la the present state 0i tne IaW pu. pii,l
such violence Is perpetrated, 50 that even If this
resolution 81 the House were an act of Congress IL
the same word. It would confer no authority 81
that General Sherman will take no steps TOWARD
executing this strange order; and that the fres
ldent himself will not follow ap os s ShsI baye
occurred too formidable to be dealt WIN oy
State government. and then only on legal ap
plication from the state whose authority II r.
sisted II is certain that the President Will &c
no more because he has no legal authority tc
do more; and we are sorry that ne holds on, oe
consequence, be emboldened to commit acts o.
violence the President himself will see that this
unseernly order IL neither Innocent nor narm-
less. There being at present no other law IG i.l
their protection than the laws OF the otaIes IN
which they reside. they ought not to be deluded
into false view of the SituntiOn ana least OF all
by the President of the United States, who has
given hasty and needless assent TO the suRgcS-
ton Of political tricksters.
IN. Y. Tribune1
Secretary Camerons letter to Gen. Sherr an Is
,t.l,i ri fhn n
over tho neat way in which the resolutions OF
the Democratic House about the riehi OF Tree
suffrage At the South are turned into boone
will grievel The effect Of the letter. will be to
revive at the South the dread Of Federal inter
ference with their elections. to encourage among
the negroes the hope Of having the troops offici-
ously on their side. and. In general to foment
mischief rather than to avert y. 1t is clever
piece OF work-too clever by hall.
philadelphia Times.I
It takes Don Cameron to do it. The sublime
assurance OF his order to General Sherman IL
Just the finest thing we have had this year. Who
else would ever have thought OF twisting res
olution Of the House Of Representatives into an
Endorsement Of bayonet rule or II interpreting
demand for the punishment OF criminals in
be y the aHaas an force nor
der the command of the General of the army
more brilliant piece Of strategy we do not
often see; its cool impudence Is simply stun
ming.
IN. Y Post.l
The order of the President-for that is what
the War Departments order really is-to Gen.
sherman, with respect to the disposition OF
troops In anticipation OF the coming election Is
one which may be considered from several
points OF view Read by itself. without other
fight than that which its sentences shed upon
its subject. 1T seems proper enough and harm
less enough; but unluckily It is Impossible for
circumstances in which 1t is issued throw sus-
picion upon T.. Worse still. the facts of our pO-
iitical history during the last eight years make
this order has been issued for no other purpose
than that Of enforcing the law and securing to
every man the free exercise OF his rights as a
citizen. 1t Is impossible, in the light OF our
recent political history. not to see in this order
threat which is meant to serve partisan pur
pose
The order Of Secretary Cameron to Gen Sher-
man Is worth the careful attention OF every
American citizen. 1t Is an order to hold all the
troops not absolutely required for Indian ser
vice in readiness to move. As everybody knows
there is no war nor rumor of war. foreign
or domestic. In the country. There Is no
Legitimate use for troops anywhere in the
country. What this order means and all it
can mean is that the Administration means to
use troops to prevent free elections in the South
ern States. It was q cowardly trick to hold back
such an order until the adjournment OF Con-
gress, and then issue it.. 1t will do the Admin
istration no good and the Republican party no
good. The execution Of 1t would do both great
mischief. The mere threat ought to arouse the
Indignation OF all decent citizens. whatever their
politics.
ISt. Louis Republican,
It was scarcely needed that President Grant
should tell us that the bayonet rs q campaign
machine was to be employed in the South this
fall. We had already sufficient warning tina he
and his party meant to use all the powers they
could exert to intimdate the people Of Louis
lana, Mississippi and Alabama. But the publ
cation of his order to Sherman apprises us of q
new-found and unexpected zeal on his part to
obey the mandates OF Congress. That he felt
any ways inclined to do otherwise than he had
a dnV tnft
that he takes 80 many words to tell Sherman OF
his anxiety to do what Congress has directed. we
still doubt II he will do SO; At any rate he is
following his own sweet will in ordering the
army TO the South. and certainly not obeying any
Injunction OF Congress No ingenuity can posi-
bly, twist Scott Lords resolution to such a mean |
and not terrorism from armed and uniformed |
mercenaries.
louisville Courier-J curnaI
Although To President has inv oked the |
spirit OF the resolution in justfi alton of his
military preparations, no one read the reso- |
luton without seeing that such warke demon
strations. are entirely at variance with that
plainly stated: THAT all attempts by furce. |
fraud terror, intimidation. or otherwise to pre- |
vent the free exercise OF the right Of suffrage in
any State should meet with certa n condlgn and |
effectual punishment, and that In any case |
which has heretofore occurred. or that may |
hereafter occur. in which violence or murder |
has been or may be- committed by one race or |
class upon the other, the prompt prosecution |
and punishment OF the criminals IN any court
having jurisdiction is imperatively demanded" |
This is a recommendation to the civil tribunals
not an appeal to military force. and IL Presi-
dent Grant had issued proclamation inviting
the atten ion of those tribunals to the sugges-
tons OF the resolul ion he would have been far |
more in accord with the spirit thai prompted its |
There is not single ntimation in the resolu-
ton that the courts Of the country are not album
dainty able to enforce all the rights guaranteed |
by the law. and the recommendation to the
courts shows that 1T was the opinion Of the |
House that the courts could do everything that |
the situation or the prospect might demand
ALBANY August
No better evidence could be given OF the utter |
desperation OF the Republican party than the |
order Just issued by Cameron Secretary OF |
War. 1t is not threat-it is command from |
the President to use the sword and the bayonet |
for political purposes-to hold up the waning |
fortunes Of the Republican party. Such an or /
der is a menace to every elector who refuses to |
cast his vote to sustain a broken down and dis |
graced Administration. The whole country is |
at peace. There is no disposition in any quar- |
ter to resist or to even objec to. the authority OF
the Government Besides this there is no pre-
tension that the States are not equal to any |
emergency that may be ppctad In ariaa FTha