The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-04-03

1 ~
= political struggle seemed to him 10 |
!. only new form Of the long standing col
!. test between the people who believe thl
the United States are nation, on the on
hand, and those who. hold to the doctrin
oi States rights, on the other. The Deml
): cratic party Is opposed TO oil supervisio
Il Of elections for Representatives in Coz
9 gress by Federal authority, and TO all legi
I latlon which In any way interieres wit
the sole management Of those elections b
local officers, They therefore intend,
) they are able to do so, 10 sweep from th
D statute book every law that has been er
acted Tor the purpose ofPreVenting fraud
In elections.
This the Republicans are determines
that they shall not do II It can be pre-
vented. The President said that he hat
no doubt thatample power was conterret
on Congress by the Constitution TO enac
these laws, nor does he for lnomen
question the necessity Of maintaining
them. The question at issue, he remark
ed, was not sectional one. The laws Il
prevent frauds at elections for Represen
tatives are becoming every year more in
dispensable TO fair elections, and especially
50 in many Of the large cities OF the North
The question Is q fundamental one, and L
the same which was in controversy be,
tween the two great parties before the
war, and which was involved in the wal
itself. ~
In answer to the question whether the
army bill, as it now stands before the
House and the country, did not, In his
opinion, involve the same question that
would be raised when the legislative bill,
with the sections repeating the election
laws, was brought up for discussion, and
whetherit would be proper 10 consider
any one portion ofthis political legislation
independently on its own merits, lie re.
piled that he had taken very little interest
in the debates OF the Democratic plan.
The first, and one OF the clief objections
TO the proposed legislation, wasthe meth.
cd by whichit was proposed to accomplish
Il. That had been excellenlyidescfibed
by Gen. Garfield, in his speech last Satur.
day, as revolutionary.
The President added that he was not
sure that II would not become the duty OF
the Republicans in Congress to take q
stand against new legislation OF any kind
on appropriation bills. He spoke Of tho
growing tendency in Congress at attach
TO these bills measures which can not
stand on their own merits, and illustrated
itby relating oneor two'striking examples
Of such legislation. He said that by far
the greater part Of the "jobs" that had
gone through Congress in the last twenty
five years had been carried through on ap-
preparation bills, and that the party, or
the man in this country, ifhe holds posi-
ton high enough in influence to make his
action ielt, who takes the ground that ap-
preparation bills shall contain nothing but
appropriations, will win. As It now is,
those which should be the safest measures
passed by Congress are the most danger
Gus.
Referring to the Democratic suggestion
that it would require unusual courage for
President TO veto one OF these appropri-
alton bills, the President remarked tliat
that was mistake. He had been for Two
years engaged in a struggle to maintain
the prerogative OF the Executive to nomi.
nate public officers, a prerogatiYe which
had been usurped by the Senate, In, that
contest he had stood almost alone Now,
II he shall be called uponito sindicate the
constitutional right Of the President to
participate in legislation, he will have not
only the Republican party at his back, but
a majority Of the people. Under these
circumstances, It.would not In his opin-
ion, require as much courage and iirmness
to do whathe conceived to be his duty; as
in the former case. t., ilaa
"But Mr.. President said one OF his
visitors, "what will be the worst that can
happen II the Democrats in Congress re.
fuse to grant supplies, and leave the goy-
ernment without the necessary means 10
carry on its functions?n .Is
The President replied that it would not
come TO that. The Democrats have only
five majority in the House, and that major
ity will melt away before the point sug.
gested was reached. Tho Democratic
plan, Us he had heard It explained, was TO
sdjourn the Congress, and leave the Presi.
dent 10 meet the emergency when the
money gives out. But hewiil not have to
meet it alone, for II such time ever
comes, the Congress will be here 10 meet
It with him. The Constitution gives the
President ample power to convene Con.
gress on any extraordinary occasion, no
matter whether 1t is absent on account OF
the final adjournment OF the session, or
because long recess has been takeni and,
when the new fiscal year begins, Congress
will be here TO answer the demands OF the
people. .G.i LIt 5rEE12"SA
"What arc you going 10 do about this
failure to provide funds with which to,
carry on the government"
But that time. in his opihion, would
never come. Before that, the Democrats
will find some excuse for yielding. They
will say that they have made the issue and
will now appeal TO, tho people, OF some,
other pretext for q sprrender3 will be
found. Tie Representatives from tho
large cities may be influenced to give up,
or those from the close districts. lf'thet6
should come time when important
branches OF the government were not pro.
vided for II would, OF course, cause incon-
venience. - - g ~ 49,
Referring again to the army bill, rela.
tive to the'use Of troops at the polls, the
President said thatitvas Of itseifJs matter
Of very little importance.
The troops have been very rarely, II
ever, used 10 preserve the peace at cleo
tions, and 1t will be impossible to use
them for that purpose hereafter. There
has been regiment In Georgia, hut II has
been sent to Montana, and the only troops
left In the States, except q few artillery
men stationed at the forts will be on the
Texas frontier. But the Democrats, he
said, had taken this simply as a prctext,
and as a preliminary to the more i'm.
portant repeal Of the election laws. These
were the statutes at which they were
aiming.
From the above, which gives only tho
substance Of what tho President said in
the course OF the conversation, It may be
seen that hc is in the fullest accord with
the united Republican party In the pres
ent crisis, and i that party stands up, as Il
will, resisting those obnoxious measures ss
long as resistance is possible, they may
then let them 90 70 ths President, in the
firm conviction that he cannot he pOr.
suaded or frightened into any course that
is not 10 accord with his views Of his off
J cial duty. Where ih0se ideas Of his du
ties will lead him no one can doubt from
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