New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-12-24
WORTH AN EXAMINATION.

WORTH AN EXAMINATION.
In discussing the comparative military
strength of the Republican and Demo-
cratic parties at the North, the Picayune
falls, as We think, into an error calculated
to mislead these who rely upon its opin-
ions. It says that in case of military
conflict
The war will not be sectional one.
And asserts that
The parties are go evenly divided in the
North that no force from that section will
undertake to invade the South.
1t fortifes this position by saying
The Republican States are large and
powerful, but the Republican majorities in
those States are scant and unreliable.
We can readily refute the theory that
the parties are evenly divided in the
North and the Republican majorities in
the Northern States ''scant and unrelia-
ble." As the numerical representation in
Congress and the electoral college is fixed
we need only compare the vote of the two
parties to arrive at their true respective
military strength. The Republican can
didate has received 166 votes from the
Northern and Western States, the Demo-
cratic candidate Al votes from the same
sections.
Il will result from this statement that
the Republican electors Of the North and
West represent about $4,000, 600 of peo-
pie, while the Democratic electors repre-
sent about 100000. Putting the availa-
Bile military force Of each at one.tenth the
whole population, it would stand, Repub-
ican soldiers in the North and West, 900,
600, Democratic soldiers in the North and
West, 10000.
As the same journal contemplates the
possibility that the House of Representa-
tives may summon the Democratic mill
tia to superntend the Inauguration OF
Mr.. Tilden, it may be worth while to
examine whether we may not expect the
President and Senate to exercise at least
| such lawful power as has been reposed in
tleIU Dy the CONSTITUTION.
If our warlike contemporary will turn
to the law Of 1895 it will find that the
President has been authorized to judge Of
the necessity for calling upon the militia
| Of the States to suppress any rebellion
against the United States. That this mill.
tia is to be called from the States nearest
the ''scene Of action" and that the Presi.
| dent may issue his orders for the
purpose Of suppressing the rebellion ''tc
such officer of the militia as he may think
proper" This militia is, under laws
passed during the rebellion, placed upon
the same footing as to pay and discipline
with the Federal troops. It will only be
necessary to look at this law to see that
the summons" of the House of Repre-
sentatives may be possibly met by SINH
lar summons by the President Of the
militia from the adjacent States of Penn
sylvania, Maryland and Delaware, and
that in these States the orders may be is
sued to "sach officers Of the militia O
those States as he mag deem proper,
it may be readily inferred that the
Summons" on one side would be me-
by the proclamation Of rebellion or
the other, so that if the arbitramen'
of force az we have stated it be referred
to the decision of the sixty thousand
men against two hundred and twenty
thousand men-and the executive of tn
army and navy of the United States
the question would be decided in favor o
the Republicans. This plain Statement