Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1877-01-25

MO u EkIcz5s . l7ef Ju533ts 3a1<v. "a
delivering the opinion. used expressions
which have been more dishonesty per-
verted, since 1854, than perhaps snv
other language in the whole body of the
Federal reports. The Court were asked
to decide the political question, wheth-
er the. old government, unoer the orr
ginal charter of Rhode Island, or the
new government headed by Dorr. was
the legitimate government of the State.
They refused to do this. upon the ground
that it was political and not judicial
question, and IS the President, in DIS
chareIng his constitutional duty under
the act of Congress, of calling out the
militia to suppress insurrection in Rhode
Island, had recognized the Governor
appointed by the charter government,
by taking steps to support his authority
the court held themselves bound to
adopt the Presidents political act, and
unable to go behind it. They said that
they could not judicially recognize as
the iawIn! government that which the
President was lawfully using his official
authority to suppress. From the pro-
position thus decided-lt is not easy, log
ically, to dissent. But it gives no such
absurd and absolute powers tothe Pres
ident as are claimed for him, and as
Cen Grant has huagered and .hirsted
so perpetually TO exercise. ID simply
determines. that where the President rs
called on to do lawful. constitational
act, upon the demand OF State Gov
ernor, his response to the call is re-
cognItion oi the Legitimacy of the Gov
ernor who makes il, and of his right to
DO so. But ii does not enlarge the
Presidents powers the breadth of sin
gle line. 1t does not give to the Gov
ernors of the States any substantiy e
right TO call on the President for recos-
milton, nor any substantive or other
right to the President to recognize them,
except only as incident 10 and Involved
10 the performance. of his own constitu-
tsonal duties. If n GosTraor sawfasly
calls on the President for ala under the
Constitution and the'act of Congress-
that is to say, in case of domestic insur-
rectiou, and no other case, and then
only when the State Legislature cannot
be convened-the President has a right
70 grant him that aid and nothing more.
aud the Presidents doing so is a recog-
nation of him, to that extent and moth
ing more. But il is impossible for any,
thing TO be more ridiculouSly and wide
.y beyond the scope of the courts ON
ion than the every day fascical prcten-
sion that The Presidenl-whether there
be constitutional call made on INN or
not and whether il made, it be in con-
stitutional mode or for constitutional
purpose or not--has the right. to send
troops and telesrams all over the coun-
try, recognizing this scoundrel or tLat,
at his pleasure, and making him law
full Governor BY the transaction and by
the sovereign interference of squad of
soldiers. The extent to which so inso-
lent and despotic an abuse he's been toll
Grated SC long, in General Grant, seems
TO have impressed him with the idea
that ii will be tolerated forever. And
SO II will be, ii We are to adopt the doc
trine, unfortunately too current in some
quarters, that the duty of q patriot, W lille
II allows him sometimes to demonstrate,
requires him always to submit.