The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-05-11
.Jts 1ailgz Arg,,s,
RocE ISLAND. .rLnruors
The FEDERAL Arm

Orleans Times (Dem)
Yet It would be vel, enough for the zs,oes !,
remsmber that scoming events cast their so !.
before !" Whether the substance follow tSs
SHADOWS depend On whether there is a shadow NJ
ruin u sonthern s'honah., The one is SHADOW.
shs s. 'ne other Just w:-Chicago Tribune.
We have heard something like this be.
lore from the papers which sustain
Hayes 5 southern policy, and the central
l1ea CT these mysterious outgiyipgs an.
pears to be that if The people Of The
southern states should fail to satisfy the
fpresident or bis advisers in some unknown
matter of conduct, he will again order the
troops to take possession OF the state GOV.
ernments IN Louisiana and South Carolina.
his Inter probation by the real or pretend
ed oracles seems to be partially iustfed
Dy the statements made by the more YER
mlnous class OF Republican edi-
tors, to the effect that the gov
errors of Louisiana and South Caro-
lima made certain pledges to HAYES. where.
upon he issued to them his license TO he
the governors of those states. and the
further statement that the alleged pledges
had been broken The fact is that Ha9es
could not require any pledges at all from
those executive officers, and thew conld
gave no official pledges as to their conduit.
they were elected to the Offices they now
hold by the people Of their respective
states, and In law and upon principle
would have been perfectly justified in as
SAILING the pretenders who opposed them,
ana any force sustaining those pretenders
Policy, however, dictated different
course, and is justified by the rasult.
But now that the federal arm is only
a shadow, it does not depend at all anon
the honah or any other quality of the
southern people, whether it shall become
substance or not. The duty of the federal |
arm is strictly prescribed BY the federal
constitution, and to that duty it must in |
me future by strictly confined Is it not
proper to say. IN the light of the exper-
ience OF the reconstruction era, that the |
people OF this country will not endure to
see again state governments set up or |
puhed Gown by virtue of orders
from Washington. Or to see
the legislatures of sovereign states /
purged by orders from the commander
Of the district, or to see the corporal of |
The guard inspecting the passes of mem
0ers elect to legislatures Those who
would truly record all events, must admit
that, tor the present at least, the people of
the United States have forfeited the right /
10 claim that IN this country the military I
power is In strict subordination to civil
authority. but it is not impossible they NAV
reassert that right. The general satisfac-
lion which followed the withdrawal of fed
eral troops from the support of the Garnet.
bag pretenders must have its effect on
even the dullest ana most malignant mar
lsan of Hayes, but the people do not nee
sssarliy depend upon the impression made
oy popular sentiment on the pretender at
" ashIngton or on his supporters.
The I nited States army will cease to
exist on July 1st unless an appronriat;on
$ made by the house of REPRESENTATIVES
.or Its support, and that appropriation
may be coupled with such conditions as
the house chooses to dictate. There is no
reason to doubt that the house will in
granting money for the support of the
army, impose the condition that the traons
shall not be used to interfere in state
affairs, or that this condition will be so
expressed that every officer and soldier can
clearly understand the difference between
those lawful orders he is bound bv the !
tenure Of military discipline to obey. and
those unlawful orders be is bound by his |
duty as an American citizen 10 disregard |
80 1t will trauspire that the use of the |
army in the future will not ,epeud unon
any notions of southern 'honah," nor upop
any pledges made by the governors OF apy
states, nor upon any stories invented by
carpet-baggers or scalawags. The next
house OF representatives will decide how
much money may be lawfully expended
tor the army, and how the army may be
lawfully employed, Any attempt to trans.
oend the limits of law, either as to exnen-
dltures or operations, will deserve and
receive punishment which will be a |
large proportioneof what even the most
distinctive Republican deserves.-.StafeI
Register.