The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-28
The Army In Politics-A Leaf From
History.

On the Fourth Of July, 1850 a remarkable
scene took place at Topeka, Kansas. The
Legislature was in session at that place,
quietly and peacefully celebrating, when
column of armed horscmen, two hundred in
number, and followed by two brass field
guns, rode into Topeka and drew up in front
OF the Assembly Building. The blue coats
aud orange facng7 If those horscmen an
nouncc'l them a. Dragons Of the regular
army. and they commanded bya stout,
gray-hoadcd man, Col. SUMNER, better
known aitcrward in the Army of the Poto-
mac a. OLD BULL SUMMER.
This officer placed his guns. loaded with
grapeshot, SO as 10 sweep the street on
either side of the hall, and ordered the
gaping crowd Of sghtscers To- disporso Oh
penalty Of being fired on. The order was
promptly obeycd. Then SUMMER dis
mounted from his horse, entered tho hail
Of the Assembly, and addressed the follow
ing speech to the Legislature Of Kansas;
am called on to perform the most disagree, able luiy
ofmy lite under the authority OF te Presidents lama.
uon ain here 10 di'lcrse his legislature. and u,re.
fore inform you that cannot meet therefore IN ac
rancc with my orders command you 90 dlpersc Con
knows have no party feeling In hi. matter and will
have none so long n hold my pro sent position In Kan
ILayo just returned from the borders where have
been sending home companies OF M,sounans, aud
nm ordered here to dispcrse you such my ORDERS
md YOU must disperse Inow command you Ia disperc
II necessary, / Will employ my whole command 70 ca
fofco the oIder7
Although this speech was not eloquent. it
was very plain. The Speaker inquired
whether the Legislature was to I'M
derstand that it was dispersed at the
~ l. Io 4, m =,
BULL made no reply which history records
beyond repetition Of his command to dis
perse, with a threat to bring In his whole
force If obedience was refused. The re-
suit was that tho Legislature Of Kan
eas dispersed in silence, urder the pres
sure OF military coercion by regular troops
Of the United States, on the anniversary of
the national independence.
This was the first instance In American
history where Federal troops intcrfercd in
the local concerns Of a part Of the Union to
favor one political party at tho expense of
another; and 1t excited great and wide
spread Indignation. The effect Of SUMMERS
action was to consolidate the infant Rcpub-
lean party. and to divide the then dominant
Democrats into three factions disputing
over questions Of squatter sovereignty, ex-
tension OF slavery, and conservatism. Four
years later these divisions caused the cleo
lion Of ABRAHAM LINCOLN, and the dlsrup-
ton OF the Union by civil war.
We refer to the incident here because it
shows Enthusiastically the danger to the sta
bility Of a republican government resulting
from the employment, in civil affairs, Of
hired mcrccnaries, led by officers trained 10
tfli Lt1.,. t..-t... az
unlawful. The direct result Of the dragon
made OF OLD BULL SUMNER on that July
morning twenty-five years ngo, was the
temporary overthrow Of tho United States
Government; while those very regulars who
had been so swift to dispcrsc tho represent
ntives OF a suffering people, powerlcss to re-
Dist them, quailcd and submitted tamoly
when n powerful faction called on Thorn TO
burrcnder tho forts they were enlisted 10
protect. All that they proved good for was
T. excite public Indignation when they were
IN power, and TO cover before the first real
ronnict that needed the qualities Of hcroism
md self-dcvotion
Itmight be thought that the lesson learned
In Kansas by the Republican rarty, then in
minority, would have commended itself
t. them in happier times; but the melan-
chuly fact Is, that ever since 1866 tho
snme party has done little bat initiate the
worst errors OF the old Democrats, which
Jed them to destruction. OLD BULL sum
NER, unwillingly enough. perhaps made the
army odious to the people Of Kansas in
1906 Since 1866 nnumerable regulars, from
Lie General Of the Army down TO the lowest
Buoalten on tho list by dispensing other
Legislatures and, above all, by assembling at
Washington in the winter Of 1867 for the
slrposo OF oyerawlng Congress In the