New-York tribune., 1877-11-12
STIRLING At THE CONSTITUTION TO GRIP
PIE THE IPNY.

4 III mn [Ii-N /
The Democrats in the House are again at
tempting to take command Of the army.
Their abortive efforts in that direction last
Spring resulted in the failure Of the Appro-
priation Bill, and made the extra session nee
essary. They succeeded only in demonstrating
Their own folly, and in wrOnging the soldiers
by keeping back for months the well-earned
pay of which they stand in pressing
need. One experiment of this sort would be
enough for any party but the Democracy, but
the Democratic COngIessmen characterlstcally
repeat it at the first opportunity. The Con-
stitution says, in the plainest possible
terms, that the President shall be Commander
in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United
States; but on Saturday the House tackled an
amendment upon the Appropriation Bill which
virtually removes four of the cavalry regiments
from the control of the President, and puts
them under the command of Congress. The
amendment requires that these four regiments
shall be stationed on the frontiers of Texas.
If Congress can direct where one regiment shall
he stationed, it can order by legislation
the movements of every officer and sol
der in the service, and can thus nullily
the power of the President as COmmanderin-
Chief. He becomes a commander who cannot
command except as permitted by a parcel of
politicians in Congress. This palpably uncon-
stitutional amendment was offered as a party
Trick by Mr.. Clymer, of Pennsylvania, acting
as lieutenant to Speaker Randall It's purpose
was to coax the Texas delegation back into the
Democratic ranks. They had been acting in
dependent Of party dictatiOn in opposing pro-
vision prohibiting the recruiting of the army up
to its legal standard of $4,000 men, and their
votes joined to those of the Republicans made
a majority of the House. We are sorry TO say
that they fell readily into Mr.. Randall's trap
and forfeited the respect they had won the
day before by their manly opposition TO the
partisan scheme for skeletOnzing the army.
After the success of the Clymer amendment
it is scarcely to be wondered at that one of
the numerous Confederate Major Generals, who
hold seats in the House by the mercy of the
Government they sought to destroy, thought the
occasion IA good one to tie still further the hands
of the President. General Hooker, of Mississippi.
offered an amendment prohibiting the expendi-
ture of money for the support Of troops TO be
used in any State "f0r the purpose Of sup
pressing insuTection, maintaining order or
supporting any government or pretended
" government" unless such forces shall be ap-
piled for by the Legislature or the Governor
of such State. The eilrontery of this propo-
sition is amazing. An ex-rebel officer gravely
proposes to make it msdemeanor for the
President of the United States to use the army
to put down rebellion, unless he first get,
the consent of the rebeliOus State itself. There
have been a good many astonishing spec
tacles in the House since the Democrats GOT
the ascendancy there, but nothing to equal
this. Still the Mississippi Congressman was
only reasserting the Democratic theory of
Buchanan's time, that the General Government
has no right to coerce sovereign State
Whatever secret yearnings the average latter