The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-05-01
THE NEW REVOLUTION.
Synopsis of Mr. Allison's Remarks In the
United States Senate.

| Synopsis of Mr. AT1ison's Remarks In the
United States Senate.
Mr.. Allison in the commencement of
his remarks asked if it was possible
that they had been sitting day after day
and hour after hour debating whether
in a republic there should be free and
honest ballot? Was there any party
arrayed against principle so wen
grounded? IF there was such a party
it was not the Republican party. The
pending bill was professedly an appro-
priation bill, providing for the support
of the army from the LIST day of July
next for one year, and, unless the bill
should pass before then, all the uses of
an army must stop or go without an ap-
preparation. An army was necessary
for the protection of the frontier, and
forts and arsenels, and for the protec-
tion as well of our treasures and arch
ives, and other property concentrated
here. The army was as old
as the Government itself. The
Democratic Senators insisted that
the sixth section of the bill was put
there for the purpose of redressing
grievances, although there was no pend
ing grievance which required to be re-
dressed now and here. He believed it
was the Senator from Ohio CIhurman)
who first intimated a redress of griev-
ance. The Democratic party had been
in power in the House since 1875, and
he challenged contradiction when he
said that no petition from any source
had been presented asking the repeal
or modification of the existing law, nor
had any such petition been presented
in the Senate. This proposed redress
of grievances was suddenly discovered.
and had no foundation for action
There was no necessity for encum-
bering the bill with new legislation.
At this time the Republicans
have majority of all the voters
in the country, and this would be every
where apparent if there were a free
ballot, and therefore it was unfair to
them to insist upon such legislation;
besides, it ought not to be done, as this
measure affected or might affect the
enfranchised race, considering that of
the forty Democratic Senators thirty
two are from the section more nearly
affected by the Fourteenth and Fiji
teenth amendments of the constitution.
To force this legislation upon appropri-
alton bills was an unfair procedure, es-
pecially in view of the fact that this
question has not been discussed on the
hustings, and no protest has come here
against the use of the army, and it was
still more unfair because of the avowal
that these sections are placed in the bill
as conditions of the appropriation.
Mr.. Allison believed 1t was revOIu-
tionary to force an amendment of the
constitution without the ordinary pro-
cesses. The constitution says bills shall
be passed by both houses and receive
the signature of the President in order
to become laws, yet it was now proposed
to make the Presidents signature a con-
dition to the appropriation of money to
defray the Government expenses. Gen.
Jackson would have been amazed at
such a presumption. He lead from
Jackson's message to the Senate in 1884
protesting against a resolution passed
by that body to the effect that the Pres
ident had acted outside his constitu-
tional prerogatives, and saying that if
such interference with the independ-
ence of the Executive was allowed to
pass unnoticed and grow into custom
it would be as efficient in destroy
ing liberty of action in independent
departments of the Government as
if a constitutional amendment were
adopted throwing into the hands of
the President the power delegated to
the Senate. The real issue, Mr.. ALI
son continued, is whether civil officers
of the United States shall be permitted
to enforce the laws by calling on the
military in case of necessity. If troops
had ever interfered in elections they
had done so in violation of law, and
were liable to fine and imprisonment
for it. There was ample legal protec-
ton against undue interference. Con-
tinuing, he showed that under Wash
ington the army had been authorized by
Congress to be used to restore peace in
Pennsylvania and under Jefferson to be
used as militia in certain States, and
such had been the practice since. In
conclusion, Mr.. Allison said there must
be laws securing to the people fair
representation, and they would not
consent to any infringement of their
rights by overriding of one department
of the Government by any other de-
partment.