The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-07-12

| ana tnAt inc CONSTITUTIONAL guarantee W
every State In this Union Of q republican
form Of government and of protection
against domestic violence, 10 henceforth
Intellectual and worthless.
When President Hayes assumed his Of
fee, he found In Louisiana State Gov
ernment complete in all it's departments,
executive, legislative and judicial, with
Governor Packard as Its Chief Executive
That Government rested for its legal title
upon an election held and conducted &C.
cording to law, the results of which had
been ascertained and declared In the
manner provided by law. Those results
and the mode of their legal ascertain
ment and declaration had been subjected
TO the examination and judgment Of an
august special tribunal. BY the judgment
of that tribunal, the agencies established
by the laws of Louisiana for the conduct
and declaration OF that election had been
declared legal and competent for those
purposes. That judgment was an indis-
pensable support to the Presidents title
to his own office. Without it he was
himself usurper, without a shadow OF
legal right or semblanCe Of lawful au
thority.
Now, | undertake to say that no public
exigenCy ever arose in which the consti.
tutional and political duty of the Presi-
dent of the United States was clearer or
more imperative than in Louisiana at the
time to which have referred. / leave
out of view, for the moment, all consid-
Grafton ofthat most peculiar, and, to many
most humiliating feature OF this business,
which consists in a willingness, on the
part of the President, to accept for him.
self the fruits of the election in Louisiana
although 1t is an indisputable fact that
the vote in that State for the Hayes Elec-
tors fell short of that for Governor Pack
ard by several hundreds, and yet while
clutching those with ready, if not eager
hand, to plan and carry out the oyer
throw of Governor Packard. leave out
Of view here, also, the general question
of party fealty, of which | shall hereafter
speak, as well as of the general Conse-
quences of the Presidents conduct. do
not stop now to inquire what sort of man
Governor Packard was, or what party he
represented. If Governor Packard had
been corrupt poltroon, instead of a man
whose honor and courage matches that
of any man in the Union, the Presidents
duty would have remained the same.
inquire only at this point, what was the
duty of President Hayes toward the State
of Louisiana And l answer that it is
beyond intelligent dispute or reasonable
question that it was his duty to protect
the lawful Government of that State from |
domestic violence by the military forces
of the United States, and to make the
measure of that protection, as we'll as its
the extent necessary to
render Governor Packard's authority
effective throughout the State of Louisi-
ana.
And now let me inquire what was the
action of the President under the cirCum-
stancesP Did he discharge his constitu,
tional duty by protecting the State of
Louisiana from domestic violence? He
made no attempt to do it. Being called
Upon by the Legislature of Louisiana, in
strict conformity to the Constitution, did
le inquire and determine" to use the
words of Chief Justice Taney, "what body
If men constitute the Legislature, and
who is the GovernorW No, he did not.
Assuming the right to preserve the peace
n Louisiana by the military forces of the
United States pending his negotiations,
! right the exercise of which was a bold
md fagrant usurpation unless derived
rom the duty which he was at the very
moment refusing to perform, he enters
lpon negotiations with those who, by
.rmed violence and in military array are
nenacing the lawful Government of the
State. Sir, have seen the hot indigna-
ion of outraged patriotism poured upon
he weak old man in whose feeble hands
he greet rebellion found the powers of
his Government in 1860, because he
reated with the leaders and agents of
hat rebellion, and could find no warrant
n the Constitution for ''coercing State" {
could frame an excuse for James Bu- j
hanan. He was the decaying fruit of &
Ialf century of Northern subservience
0 Southern dictation, the poor dregs of a !
Torn-eut politician whose life had been /
pent in covering submission to the will '
fthose whom he was now called to con- /
ront. But what shall be said of this {
resident, educated by the events of the
asst seventeen years-the long and peril {
us struggle to save the nation to free. |
om and justice-the representative OF a
arty whose life and inspiration in every i
our of its existence has been political 6
lstice and freedom for allAmerican citi- {
ens-a President who had literally
limbed to his high seat over the dead {
odies of hundreds Of loyal men in Lou. g
'iana, who had met death in forms far t
lore terrible than any battlefield in Or '
er that the liberty of which they had t
isted might be kept for their children2 q
ames Buchanan could say he negotiated t
nh those who were in arms against the c
Inited States, in order that he might by a
eaceful agencies preserve the integrity :
the Union and avert a fratriCidal war. .
his President enters upon his negotia- C
ons with those who were in arms against s
le lawful Government of Louisiana, in /
rder that he might the more surely be- i
ay the friends who had trusted him and a
le cause he was sworn to uphold. 7
You are familiar with the story. Presi- e
ent Hayes, instead of seeking to dis
barge his Constitutional duty according g
J the plain letter ofthe Constitution and I
.ws; instead of inquiring, if he had r
oubts, "what body Of men constitute the b
legislature and who is the Governor !" 8
istead of recognizing the palpable fact /
lat an armed insurrection against the IL
wful Government of Louisiana existed s
I'd had been arrested in mid career q
'lely by the presence of the military s
rec of the United States, and was still Z
terally resting on its arms, dispatches to I
ew Orleans Commission of Five-for v
hat? Let the elaborate letter of in p
ructions of his Secretary of State an. P
yer. Is it to inquire "what body of men l
the Legislature and who is d
overnor% No, that inquiry was for r
gn to his purpose. Is it to inquire u
neither in point of fact an insurrection q
I'D arisen against the Government No. Il
hat inquiry was already answered by i
e fact avowed on the one hand and ad. o
itted on the other, that Governor Pack Y
d held his place against the insurrec- Il
Iol,, l. L. N