New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-04-03
NOT C0ERCED BY HIS OWN PARTY.

NOT COERCED BY HIS OWN PARTY.
Tur PRESIDENT INDEPENDENT IN HIS VIEWS ABOUT
rgE ARMY BILL AND A LEADER or HIS PARTY
--riE CABINET AND THE EEPU BiICANs.
tpY TtlEGnLPU To THE TRIBUNBI
N-,eurvcTOS Aprl 2.-Now that the Presidents
ori,i,q on the general subject of the political leg
i-ls,iop which the Democrats propose to attach to
1le concentration bills has been made known IT a
manner that can leave no doubt in regard to It, 1t is
only far to say that systematic attempt has been
made i'm certain quarters ever since the Democratic
o-,cr,pt on the purity Of the ballot-box developed
itself to create an impression that the President
has haeu undecided as TO what his duty was, and
that uc was in need Of The attention Of "stalWart
Ecau5Etaus in order TO ,tiaen mp his backbone
Nor is this all. Since the perfect accord of the
President with the majority of his party has be-
come uuqucst:oned, new effort has been made to
make it appear shat he has only been brought up 10
his present stat, Of mind by persistent labors ON
tEc mart OF prominent Republicans 1t is simply
lust TO the President TO publish the fact that there
has not at any moment been a shadow Of founda-
ZION for such rcrrescntatious. The very opposite is
true. From the very first the President has
bccninore 4ecidcdin his opinions in regard to tins
roitical legislation than some of the prominent Rc
publican leaders who have been looked upon as
possessing the most backbone in this matter
It's true that while the President has given no
gard to the proper course for them to pursue, the
very decided and vigorous views expressed by the
President in conversation with his party friends
have had q marked and most excellent effect IN
making the Republican minority in Congress as
solid. confident and aggressive as it Is. During
the short of Congress, and before 1t became
clear that the Democrats were working according
10 a different plan, which had for its object the
striking from the statutes of every guard thrown
oloo+fn ta ont
mon with many other Republicans, was inclined TO
Weld the repcal Of the clause in regard to the
Of troops at the polls and also the repeal of the
tcst-oath a clause for which has been incorporated
in the Legislative Appropriation bill introduced in
the Housc the other day. At that time paragraph
appeared in many of the newspapers which was
understood to have represented the Presidents
views as authoritatvcly expressed in which it was
announced that he would sign bills repeating the
test-oath and prohibiting the use of troops at tho
polls but did not believe that the election laws
ought to be repealed. This was in accordance with
the Presidents wel-known views that in time of
peace there should be as little as possible of
the military arm of the Government in execut-
ing the laws; but the only condition on
which he ever thought of approving either
of these measures was that they should
come TO him as Independent bills, and not
that he would sign them unde cOmpulsOn as part
before they held their caucus in which it wasdeter-
mined to attach the clause prohibiting the use Of
the Army at the polls to the appropriation bill,
tbaethe might easily accomplish their object in
that regard if they allowed it to stand upon its
own merits. This they did not wish to do because
they intended to make the President establish a
PRECEDENT i'm fine case of the Army bill which it
would be impossible to disregard when the Legs
lative bill containing the more obnoxious leglsla-
tIon, was submitted to HIM Tor approval: but from
the moment that it became clear that TINS clause
in the Army bill was only part OF a general plan
to DESTROY all guards now thrown around National
elections by the Federal laws there mas been no
man in the Republican party more ueciueu III Ic-
gard to the course that ought TO he pursued than
The President No one IN Washington has more
clearly and vigorously impressed his views upon
those about him than President hayes
The Democratic situation Is now properly under
stood The Democratic attack upon the purity Of
the National elections, fit succeeds in Congress,
will fail by the Constitutional exercise Of the Prcsi-
dents veto power. The election laws will not be
repealed. The Democrats may stop the business OF
the country by closing the Executive Departments,
but the Presidential election Of 1880 will take
place under all the safeguards which the United
States laws now give, and the Democrats Will not
capture the Capitol. In all political matters now
absorbing the attention of Congress and the country
there is that is more d leader IN lns party
In regard to the Cabinet, it may now he said that
ii stands solidly In sympathy with the President
Evarts earlier III this contest were lhierpreted by
number of prominent Republicans and some Demo
Gratis, also as Indicating willingness TO c0mprO-
mise but now that the situation has changed ana
the whole scope of the Democratic plan has been re-
vealed, II is certain that Mr.. Evarts is as decided
concerning the course the Republicans and the
President should pursue as the most stawart IN the
party He has been in favor of sufficient discussion
in Congress to bring the subject fully before The
country. and there is the best reason Tor DeIeVlng
that he will not advise the President to take any
other course than that which his own inclnatlOns
suggest
the day about the situation in which the Democrats
find themselves. They now for the first time believe
that the President Will veto both of the appropria
ton bills. and they understand that he Will holu
them here by repeated calls, II necessary, to lace
whatever embaUassments may come TO the puhlc
business in case there is no money available on the
3Oth OF June. AFTER the experience OF the speeches
of General Garfield and Mr.. Frye, and the certainty
that the advantage III the debate must remain on
the Republican side III the House and pass over with
the bills to the Republican side in the Senate, there
Is less exultaton among the Democrats than on any
previous day of the session. Their anxiety has also
been greatly increased by the decision of the Green
hackers last ght TO move that all political legSla-
ton be stricken from the appropriation bills. Mr..
Weaver. of Iowa. will speak Tomorrow being the
first of the party TO take part III the debate He
Will make known his purpose TO Oi1cT a motion,
whenever 1t is in order. to strIke out tue sixth sec
OF the pending bill, which is the section regarding
troops at the polls now under discussion
NO AMENDMENT OF THE ARMY BILL
THE REPUBLICANs THINKING OF HAVING THE VOTE
TAKEN oN THE BILL JUST AS IT STANDS.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO TRIBUNE.
WAsHINGToN, April 2.-The House decided this
morning that general debate on the Army AppTo-
priatOn bill shall cease Friday afternoon. After
that time the bill will be subject 10 amendment on
TIE section now under discussion