Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-01-26
A Message from the President.

! 1876, requesting the President to trans
nit to that body copies of all orders or
directions emanating from him or from
either of the executive departments, to
any military commander or civil officer,
relating to the service of the army in
! Virginia. South Carolina, Louisiana and
! Florida, since the 1st of August last,
together with all reports from any Of
said military or civil officers, the Presi
dent to-day sent TO the House of Repre-
sentatives the following message.
After stating that the House resolution
reached him on the 9th of December the
President says:
! II was Immediately, or soon thereafter, re.
| ferred to the Secretary of War and Attorney
| General, the custodians of all retained copies
| of orders or directions given by the Execu
! tive Department Of the Government covered
| by the above inquiry, together with all in
! formation upon which such orders or di
| rections" were given. The information, il
! will be observed, is vOluminous, and, with
| the limited clerical force in the Department
OF Justice, has consumed the time up to the
present Many communications accompany
| ing this have already been made public in
connection with message heretofore sent 10
| Congress. This class of information in
| cludes important documents received from
! the Governor of South Carolina and sent TO
! Congress with my message on the subject Of
| the Hamburg massacre; also, the documents
accompanying my response to the resolution
of the House of Representatives in regard to
| the soldiers stationed at Petersburg
There have also come to me and to the De-
partment of Justice, from time to time,
other earnest written communications from
persons holding public trusts and others re-
siding in the South, which append hereto
as bearing upon the precarious condition of
the public peace in those States. These
communications have reason to regard as
being made by respectable and responsible
men. Many of them deprecate the publica-
| tion of their names as involving danger to
| them personally. The reports heretofore
made by the committees of Congress of the
result of their inquiries in Mis- sissIppi and
! In Louisiana, and the newspapers of several
| States recommending the Mississippi
| plan" have also furnished important data
for estimating the danger to the public
peIce and order in these States. 1t Is
! enough to say that these different kinds and
sources of evidence have left no doubt what |
ever in my mind that intimidation has been
! used, and actual violence, to an extent re-
quiring the aid of the United States, where
/ IL was practicable to furnish such aid.
In South Carolina, Florida and in Louis
| lana, as well as in Mississippi, Alabama and
| Georgia, troops Of the United States have
| been but sparingly used and in no case so as
| to interfere with the full exercise of the
right of suffrage. Very few troops were
available for the purpose of preventing or
| suppressng violence and intimidation in the
! States above named. In no case except that
| of South Carolina was the number of sol
! diers in any State increased in anticipation
of the election, saving that twenty four men !
and an officer were sent from Fort FoOte to |
| Petersburg, Va, where disturbances were |
! threatened prior to the election. No troops |
were stationed at voting places. In Florida |
and Louisiana respectively small numbers Of |
soldiers were stationed at such points in each |
State as were most threatened with violence,
where phey mig be available as a posse for |
the officer whose duty it was to preserve the
peace and prevent the intimidation Of voters.
Such a disposition of the troops seemed to
Inc reasonable and justified by law and prece-
dent, while its omission would have been in
consistent with the constitutional duty of |
the President of the United States to take |
care that the laws be faithfully eXecutcd.n
| The statutes expressly forbid the bringing |
of troops to the polls except where it is |
necessary to keep the peace, implying that |
| 10 keep the peace it may he done, but this |
even, so far as | am advised, has not in any |
case been done. The stationing of a com |
pany, or part of a company, in the vicinity !
where they would be available to prevent !
riot has been the only use made of troops
prior TO and at the time of election. When |
SO stationed these could be called in an |
emergency requiring it by Marshal
or deputy as a posse to aid in sup |
pressing unlawful violence. The evidence |
which his come to me left me no ground to |
doubt that If there had been more military |
force available il would have been my duty |
to have disposed of it in several States with |
view to the prevention of violence and in
timidation, which have undoubtedly con-
tributed to defeat the election law in
Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, as well as
in South Carolina, Louisiana and Florida.
BY act of Congress X. s. L. s., Sec. l634.5l |
the President, in case of insurrection in any
State, or of any unlawful obstruction to the
pnfOrppmpnt the IInitp1
by the ordinary course of judicial proceed
| ings, or whenever domestic violence in any
State so obstructs the execution of the laws
thereof, and of the United States, as to de-
| priye any portion of the people of such State
of their civil or political rights, is authorized
to employ such part of the land and naval
! forces as he may deem necessary to enforce
| the execution of the laws and preserve the
peace and sustain the authority of the State
and of the United States. Acting under this
title of the Revised Statutes of the United
States, accompanied the sending of troops
| TO South Carolina with proclamation, such
as is therein prescribed. The President is
also authorized by act of Congress to employ
| such part of the land or naval forces of the
! United States as shall be necessary to pre-
vent violation of, and to enforce due eXecu-
| ton Of, the provisions of Title "A of the Re-
vised Statutes of the United States, for the
protection of the civil rights of citizens,
among which is provision against con
]
| or threat any citizen who is lawfully en-
| titled TO vote from giving his support or ad-
! vOcacy in II legal manner toward, or in favor
| Of, the election of any lawfully-qualihed
person as an elector for President or
| Vice-President, or as a member of the Con
gress Of the United States. United States Re-
| Yised Statutes $3.50.
In cases falling under this title have not
considered il necessary TO issue proclama-
ton TO precede or accompany the employ
amt q g.ff -
necessary. In case of insurrection against
the State Government or against the Govern
| ment of the United States proclamation lie
appropriate, but in keeping the peace Of the
| United States at an election at which MEM
| bers OF Congress are elected no such call
from the State or proclamation by the Presi-
dent is prescribed by the statute or required
| by the President In the case of South Caro-
lima, insurreetion and domestic violence
against the State Government were clearly
! shown, and the application of the Governor
! thereon was duly presented, and L could not
deny his constitutional request without
abandoning my duty as the Executive of the
! National Government. The companies sta
| TONED in other States have been employed
TO secure the better execution OF the laws of
the United States and TO preserve the peace
of the United States. After the election had
been had, and where violence was appre-
hended by which the returns from counties
and precincts might be destroyed, troops
were ordered 10 the State of Florida, and
| those already in Louisiana were ordered 10
the points in the greatest danger of violence.
have not employed troops on slight oc-
casons, nor in any case where 1t has not
been necessary 10 the enforcement OF the
laws of the United States. ln this have
been guided by the Constitution and the laws
which have been enacted, and the precedents
which have been formed under IL. 1t has
been necessary to employ troops OCCASION
ally 70 overcome resistance to the In
ternal Revenue laws, from the time OF
the resistance TO the collection of whis-
ky tax in Pennsylvania, under Wash
ington, TO the present time. In 1854, when
it was apprehended that resistance would be
made in Boston TO the seizure and return TO
his master of a fugitive slave, the troops
there stationed were employed 10 enforce
the masters rights under the Constitution
aud the troops stationed at New York were
ordered 10 be in readiness to 20 to Boston
If it should prove 10 be necessary. in 1859,
when John Brown with n small number OF