National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-04-18

bA'fff fss
THURSDAY. April II. 1870.
Mr. WALLACE offered resolution providing that
The order Of the Senate regulating the appointment
and removal OF clerks and employees from Office
beamendcd so as to read "that such officers of the
Senate DO removed and appointed by the Secretary
of the Senate and tho Sergeant-nt-Arms, respect
lively"
Mr.. ANTHONY objected to the consideration of the
resolution, which therefore lies over.
The Senate proceeded to the consideration of tho
army bill
Mr.. MORGAN said that so far only the Border
and Northern States had been heard from in this
debate No Senators from the late rcbcllious States
had participated In the discussion, while the South
had been referred to often In terms of great sever.
fly, and almost always in the spirit of complaint
While he felt wounded and mortified that the dc.
bate took that direction, ho proposed at n future
time to enter upon vndIcation of tho South In
the matter OF legislation since tho termination OF
the war.
detail certain laws on the statute book and to
show that some public man clothed with power
might use them for the overthrow of the Republic.
In spirit and in form---"from urret to Foundation
stOnc.' In these malign laws were found oil the
machinery for subvcrtng free government and
destroying the most hallowcd safeguards OF liberty
tho legislation of the past fifteen years.
The first chapter OF the Revised Statutes OK.
ammcd by him was that entitled Grimes" AMI re-.
lated to elections annoxing penalties for viola.
be more malignant than this as II, in effect. sup
pressed freedom of elections. Federal officials
with their interference In behalf of a political
party were more replgnant thnn any reptile found
In the animal kingdom.
Tho dictionary gave the supervisors Of elections
a happy and truthful definition. nnmely-oyer-
secrs. The American people, by going to the polls
and voting under ovcrSccrs were n nation ri slaves.
and If they submitted 10 the injustice deserved
ballot-box had been wrcstcd from the proper local
officers and given 10 corrupt Federal officials.
The spirit that dictated this law was n dlsrust OF
the people and their capacity for sclfgnvernmcnt
under free elections. All history showed the
danger and injustice of leaving mems for usllrp-
ing liberty on the statute book. Caesar, Cromwell
and Napoleon the First were not slow to secure
sovereign power when the people left their laws to
pave the way TO despotiSm.
In order to show the abuses committed on suf
fragc he referred TO the city of New York, where
acts had been committed which brought shame
and disgrace to the whole country. John DavGn-
port was the chief supervisor, the auocrat Of the
ballot.boX. lie with his cohorts intimidacd voters
from going to the polls and thousands remained
away rather than place themselves in the way of
prosecution. Tho deputy mNrshas and supervisors
were the Federal Ku.lSluX organized TO intimidnto
irccmen and cheat them OF their rights What
happened in New York might occur elsewhere.
lie then proceeded TO another branch of law on
the subject of popular elections, the President ~
certain cases being authorizes to employ ,he i@nd
prccNt of keeping the peace, the President, MS com
m0ndcrin-chcroI the army and navy could give
such orders as would tend 10 crush tho liberties 81
the country, after the manner of Cesar Napoleon
the Great and Napoleon the Less. Like them, iht
the President could send out his cmiSSorics TO sti
up trouble in the South, and thus prctext iounc
for the employment of the army in that section.
Mr.. VOORHEES, next alluded To the civil rights bill
OF 1869, under which, lie said, the President coult
use the army anywhere under pretcnce OF eniorc
'ag It's provisions, there being placed under the
power of the President n range OF subjects as eX
telisive as the rights of man under free Cohstiiu
Mr.. VOORHEES, read other laws to show to VIVA
base uses tho military force might be applied u
f,n1n al
United States commissioner could call upon mil
itary and naval forces to support him IN Ihls pro
Cceding
Mr. VOORHEES, said the Senator from Maine (Nfr
Bnine) saw reason for alarm in the provision
which the pending bill designed 10 repeal but h
would refer him to what Daniel Webster uttered
II was az men would enjoy the blessings Of Icpuh
lean government they must govern by reason ant
mutual concession, and with n due regard to TIN
general Interests, and an ncqutcsccnce OF thc.mlnor
ity IN the will of the majority, and that the mili'ar
must be Kept, according to right IN strict subleC
ton to the civil authority. Wherever these prnGi
dom"
In the rccnpitulatlon of his arguments Mr.. VooR
HE'S said the laws TO which he had referred fonnc
complete system to withdraw oil power from IN
people and the States aud to cenirnlze II III IN
Executive Department for rey"lnIonary, NOV, movS
monarchy. III the earlier days OF the KepuDil
there was n party In favor OF monarchy, IN
party is larger now. and there were laws In fore
by which the scheme could be put into Gclua
operation
Would any one here say that the laws to whicl
he had alluded We're required lest our libertie
should be dcstroyed2 Were the measures cnactc
fourteen years ago to be upheld for the government
Of the Southern States? If So then indeed had III
North paid dcarer price than the preservation Q
tho Union demanded because for the loss OF llbert
there was no reparation The conquest of the sout
at the expense of the courts and free elections wa
dear price. He denied that the South disregardc
law on the contrary they submitted to every lego
requirement The people of that section had, NJ
der adverse circumstances, vindicotcd themselvt
as Il lawabiding people. They had been slandeie
by sectional spirit. He had pointed out the law
to the repeal orwhich his party stood pledged, an
such repeal was important TO the liberty Of tn
Northern, as well as the Southern States.
Mr.. TELLER followed Mr.. Voorhees,, III his oper
ing remarks he said tho Democratic party ha
heretofore sustained the exercise of the veto powt
by Democratic Presidents, and he could not reca
single instance TO the contrary; Thtsiaw mad eN
the opposite party. and If twas unconstitutional h
thought 1t strange that the fact had Just been d.
covered. The proper place TO test the validity OF
law was In the courts of the country, and all pal
ties should be willing to submit 10 such arbitration
lilo quoted from The decision of Judge story
1916 that the Constitution had stripped the state
of some Of the highest attributes of sovereignty an
conferred the same upon the United States Govern
ment This doctrine had been accepted by all pa
ties until now and in 1856 the United States senat
recognized It's force by prescribing regulations 70
elections in the State of Delaware. lie quote
and said that the constutonality of the law beln
established the only question was as to the expC
diency or policy of retaining il. He himself depr(
except in extreme cases; but the Democrats ma
not always been so afraid OF military power us the
now are,
In tho course OF his remarks Mr. Teller said III
Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Beck) had yesterdn
quoted from speech made by Mr.. Seward in lsjt
protesting against the use of the army but Mr.. Tie
Ter proposed to show that on that occasion MI
Seward was earnestly combating a Democrat
plan TO send the army into Kansas to enforce Gel
tain odious laws of the Territorial Legislature
Among other things, these laws denied TO men cor
BCicntiOusly opposed to slavery the right TO set o.
iurics in cases where the right to hold slaves wa
IN question; compelled Territorial officers to SUI
Scribe to an oath to support the fugitive slave lazy
made 1t q criminal ofenso to assert the ilegalit
ofslaYery, to introduce into Kansas publication
teaching or limiting ut that doctrine, or TO assn
slaves TO escape. Mr.. Seward had denounced thes
laws as subverslye of the right Of free speech and
trce press, but not u Democrat voted with nm
keep the army nom enforcing them. lfhs IRENE
Mr.. Beck could extract anything from such iAc
70 support the present Democratic policy he reu
history carelessly.
At the conclusion of Mr. Teller's speech NJ
CONKLISG asked If Il vote could not now be take
on the pending question (Mr. Baine's amendment
Mr., BUTLER theTeupon moved lat 1865 d. my
go into executive session, which was agreed to- an
upon the doors being reOpened lat four D. m j N
Senate adjourned. '
HOUSE or REPR SENTITIVEs
The regular order of business was announced
the Speaker to be the consideration in the mornln
hour of the bill reported yesterday from the Con