The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-03-22
The Army In Politics.

fourth Congress will pass into his,
toryas memorable for the vindication
OF the right of tho peoples Repre-
sentativeslto hold the purse strings
OF the nation, and in the exercise OF
that right to check Executive en-
.croachments. After prolonged
and angry struggle over the Prosi'~
DENTAL question, which had SEEM
ingly divided the Democratic party
during the last days of the contest
into two wings, they were reunited
j, IN an instant and welded together
ina solid mass when this great
principle was assailed. 0 .
The Army bill reported by tho
'co1nmittee of the House contained
two leading, elements. First, a TO.
duction OF tho force from twenty
five Thousand to seventeen thousand
men and secondly, q prohibition
against tho Presidents using any
paft of the money or tho troops
thus granted, in sustaining illegal
governments in South Carolina and
Louisiana. Twenty years ago the
Republicans. then a majority in the
House, tackled on q similar condi-
ton to the Army bill, making it ap-
plicable to Kansas. ~,
,Wben free speech and free immi
grafton into that Territory wore to
be defended, the Republicans Of that
day, in the freshness Of their youth
and in their fidelity to the principle
which called that party into exists
ence, demanded that Democratic
President should not use the army
to aid or abet in the extension of
slavery. They were right then
Now, whcni is proposed = to, curb
the Executive and defend the rights
Of the States against oppression, to
protect liberty and to put down
tyranny and fraud, some of the
same men and the same party,
grown corrupt and loose, &c and,..der
moralized, turn around and renounce
the very principle which gave them
the only claim TO- popular, conf
.dence and support.
- The. Senate, led by Blaine and
seconded by all tho extremists,
would neither accept the reduction
Of the Army nor, yield to the. clause
prohibiting tho >, use of troops, to
maintain Paeknrdanh da G Cha,siBerhinA
Nor would they even submit to any
diminution of the great pay emolu
ments now received by our super
fiuous Generals and their magnifi- =
cent staffs. Repeated conferences
were in vain The revolutionary
leaders who are'now striving for the
possession Of Hayes, and are inimical
to every suggestion of a conciliatory
policy, determined to, force this
issue, and thus to drive the moro
moderate wing of the Republican
party into line: >.
The House of Representatives
stood up bravcly and faithfully to
its duty, and insisted upon main.
tanning its position and the Army
bill was lost by the obstinacy of
Hayes professed friends in the
Senate. No injury will be inflicted
on the service or on the country by
tins mishap. We rejoice Ut the
failure, because public attention will
now be drawn to a huge military
establishment which the people are
required to support by oppressive
taxation, and to the ,disgraceful
abuses which have grown up under
it. The money for the army is
already appropriated for the current
fiscal year to the 30th iof June, or
four months ahead There is
abundant time for reflection, and if
an extraordinary session of Congress
be- required, why, let it come,
Meantime, the Fraudulent President
will have shown his hand BY his acts,
and his intentions for the future
can be better gauged than is now
possible.
During the last eight years, the
army has been used as q great ma
chine to pull down honest and set
up fraudulent governments in the
South Or in other words to uphold
one party and to defeht another.
The spectacle recently presented in
South Carolina, Florida snd, Louisi-
ana, was not only d humiliation to
American character, which has sub
mitted tamely to these repeated
scandals under Grant, but was an
outrage upon the namc of free insti-
,tutions. Step by step we have been
following gin the beatens paths