Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-06-12
LET THE COUNTRY TAKE HEED.

LET THE COUNTRY TAKE NEED.
The senate committee on appropria-
tions unanimously struck out the sec
tions of the bill by which the house
has proposed to reorganize and reduce
the pay of the army. The democratic
members of this committee seemed to
possess some sense, whatever may be
said of their patriotism. On that Sec
ton of thebill providing for restricting
the use of the army by the president,
forbidding his using it as posse COM
itdt'ts, the committee divided upon
political grounds, the republicans stri-
king out that feature, but the demo-
Gratis sustaining it. This move of
the democracy reducing the army to
a mere handful and invading the con-
stitutional powers of the executive
department by endeavoring to pre-
vent the president from using the
army to suppress mobs when neces-
sary, is very significant at this time
especially.
Preceding the rebellion rebel MEM
bers of Buchanan's cabinet scattered
our small navy to the four winds, and
the little army was so placed as to be
left to the mercy of the conspirators;
"a large body Of it under Gen. Twiggs,
was stationed down in Texas to be
surrendered by that faithless officer.
Now the democrats of the house in
addition to their evident intent to
revolutionize the government, if pos
sible, are preparing the way to that
end by reducing the army, and as
heretofore large body of it is by
means of the constant troubles with
Mexico kept down in Texas. Next
the democracy of both houses unite i'm
an attempt to control the president in
the use of the army so as to bind his
hands in case of an overthrow of the
local authorities, so that in any move-
ment of the conspirators the president
shall not be empowered to step in and
aid the local, city or state authorities.
In these days of communism this is
not the first show of aiding them
made by the democracy. Had the
riots of last year occurred under such
a law as the democracy of congress
now seek to pass touching the army,
and had the president obeyed the law,
the mob at Pittsburg and other places
would have been victors. Should Uni
ted States officers be Overpowered
in the service of process, the military
under the penalty of fine and impris-
onment, would be denied to the civil
officers, to enforce law if this demo-
cratic measure was to be passed; if
within the borders of any state the
federal law was set at naught by mob
rule, the army could no longer be
used to suppress such a mob. This is
what the democracy want: they de-
sire to tie hand and foot federal power
SO as to open the way for their con-
templated revolution. Postmaster
General Key having gone through
with the rebels once and become ac-
quainted with what they have done,
feels to know what they have in view
and what they may do, when he gives
this solemn warning; he says i'm his
recent letter upon the Potter investi-
CATION:
"No man need hope that the schemes
of the men who have engineered the
movement to unseat President Hayes
can be carried out without bloody
civil war;
1t will be remembered that i'm the
last session of congress the democracy
Of the house engrafted upon the APP
preparation bill for the payment of the
army the proviso restraining the pres
ident in the use of the army, and this
was especially to prevent its use
against the kukluX rule i'm the south.
The senate would not permit such an
encroachment upon the constitutional
prerOgatives of the. president, and as a
consequence no appropriation was
made, and the army went without
pay for many months. The demo-
cratic house, rebelliOus, revolutionary
and devilish as it was, and as be-
comes now more apparent it still is,
virtually said to the senate and the
president, pass such laws as we want;
agree to such use of the army as we
shall direct; permit us i'm other words
to dictate in this government or we,
will permit no means to be voted to
carry on the government, and so far
as the army was concerned they did
this very thing. Will they repeat it
now? Will they demand a reduction
of the army and forbid its use when
necessary to prevent insurrection, and
if this is not granted, will they again
withhold the money to sustain it, and
all this i'm the light of their present
movement towards revolution. If
the democracy of the south want
colored race that has been ground into
the earth with the brutes, but now
struggling for light, clutching at their
throats, they had better get up anoth-
er revolution in this country. Ifthey
do, more intelligent contrabands, aided
by a hundred thousand of them in the
free states will verify the old adage,
that justice may be slow, yet it is
sure.