The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-04-25
Short Memories.

The Army bill was defeated by the Senate
In March, 1877, upon section involving the
principle now at issue in the present appro-
priation. The Republicans would not yield
10 an amendment OF the House forbldding
the use Of troops in unfolding State Gov
ernments at the South and the hill was
lost. Consequently, an extra session was
called in the following October. for which
the Senate was entirely responsible And il
the Republicans had a majority in that body
now. they would doubtless repeat their
former action.
The House in 1877 imposed a condition on
the Appropriation, the right to do which
was not seriously disputed by the Senate,
but only the policy OF doing it. The Repub-
licans wanted 10 reserve the power TO use
bayonets, as they had been accustomed TO
do, in propping up their carpct-bag
reconstructions, and they preferred TO
"starve the army rather than yield the
point. One Of the great factors in the Re-
publican organization is a large standing
army, TO be employed in pulling down aui
putting up State Governments, and in car
rying elections
After the House OF Representatives passed
into the hands of the Democrats the Repub-
lican majority in the senate opposed all
measures looking TO reduction Of the public
expenditures, 10 the reform OF abuses and
10 the repeal Of partisan laws which had
been passed as means Of continuing their
Rscendancy. As n minority they cannot
make tins resistance effective, but the spirit
OF hostility survives the loss of control, and
Is perhaps intensified 10y the knowledge that
their opposition is comparatively impotcnt
The Army bill for the current fiscal year,
which passed only ten months ago, and
therefore ought to be- fresh in the minds Of
Senators who voted for it, contains a section
identical in principle with that which is now
held up to the world ms an outrageous de-
parture from the accepted modes OF legisla-
ton. Here it is:
SECTION l5 From and after the passage Of this act it
shall not be lawful to employ auJ part of the army the
United states J.e oouitrt' otherwise Tor Tie
purpose Of executing the laws except IN such and
under such circumstances such employment OF sand
force may be expressly authorized 10y the Constitution
by act Of Congress. and no money approprated hy this
act shall be used 10 pay any OF the expense incurred 30
the employment Of any troop. In violation of this seo
uon and any person wituy violating the provision, %
this section shan he deemed guilty of mi.dcmcanor
and conviction thereof shall be- punished hy not
exceeding ten thousand Dol ar., imprisonment not cN
eeeding two years by both such fine and iuprson-
mont"
In the debate upon the Army bill i'm the
Senate, when this section was under cun-id-
grafton, no Republican of the many who OPP
posed it ever suggested, in the rcmotc~t
way that it was not germane or treated it
as revolutionary" or called in question
the propriety of such legislation. BLAISE
CHRIsTIANCY, MATTHEWS, CoNKLGNG, kirk
WOOD, DAWES, EDMUNDs, MCMHLAN, HOAX,
and others participated IN the discussion,
and not one of them uttered a syllable in the
line Of their present opposition. In fact, four
of the stalwarts, namely, SARGEN1, TELLER
INGALLS,, and PLUMB, voted against striking
out this section from the bill.
That section, as is seen, forbids any part
of the army from being employed las a
posse cOmddius, or otherwise, for the pur-
pose of executing the laws
The Army bill now pending simply forhids
any military or naval officer or other per-
son" from ordering bringing, keeping, or
having under his authority or control any
troops or armed men al the place where any
general or special election is held in any
State, unless such force be necessary to
repcl armed enemies Of the United States
or to Keep the peace At the potts." II IS pro-
posed to strike out the words in italics, and
nothing more.
Existing law prohibits the army from
being employed as posse comtaius for cX-
ecuting the laws. In other words, the mill
tary shall not be used to perform civil func-
tons. Following out this principle, the
present bill simply excludes the army from
acting as police at the polls. In the first
case, the Senate did not even complain Of
the mode OF legislation. but now, when every