Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-04-09
"TrOOps at the Polls. +"
SPEECH OF HON. J. RAN. TUCKER IN RE
PLY Ts GEN. GARFIELD OK THE ARMY
APPROPRIATION mn

After speeches By Hendricks, Ii
Matyr, aud Jones of Texas Green
hackers, on The repeal of this clause
all OF whom seemed to favor it, Hon
j. Ran Tucker obtained the floor 70
the closing argument. As he ha'
but half an hour, brevity and conden
sation were necessary. aui we give
below the main points.
Mr. TUcKERs SPEECH.
He could see no reason why tn
House should hesitate in its purpos
to pass the present bill. There wa
nothing in the Constitution or rule
of the House to prevent it. Gentle
men on the floor (alluding to Mr.
Gar6eld) had brought the opinion o
stranger unto the deliberations o
the House. What right had any
member to say that the Presiden
would object TO the rules Of proceed
| ing IN the House? Those rules were
to be prescribed by Congress, and by
Congress alone. The President could
not veto on account of the method Of
its passage. That was not his business
| II he vetoed it at all it must be on
The merits Of the bill and what were
these merits? They took away from
his Excellency the right to preside
with his troops at the polls. Gap
plause on the Democratic side ! Tic
gentleman said there mus be no
coercion of the President. What
right had the President to coerce! |.
was coercion Que way or the other
The President demanded uncondi'ion
al supplies. Congress said: I'VE will
give you 10 supplies except on condi-
lions, we will give you the army, but
you must keep the army from the
polls" Applause on the Democratic
side The only question was, Was
that right" What WAS right! Ne
would formulate it. lie equalled
power plus duty. If it was the power
and duty Of Congress to do what II
was now doing it was bound to stand
there forever. [Applause on The
Democratic side and galleries. Gen'
rlemrn on the other side had said Ihry
would never yield He woull tell
them that in the conflict between
p wrr aud liberty, If power would not
yi'ld, liberty was just as firm. Ap
clause on the Dem Gratis side Inc
method of putting Legislation ." ap
preparation bills might be inconveu =
lent, but when vicious Legislation had
been passed which imper'lled the
| brrly OF the people, the House was
bound to say it would appropriate No
money uu!ll H. VICIOUS LEGISLATION Was
repeal d In the present case there
Aas vicou law, which invaded the
liberty Of the people. rhe President
saws Il ~ill not consent to It's rePr"l.
rhc las is on the >ta,utr-b1ok, aud
want your supplies, Hurry III m up
and then adjourn" bu' 1t w"uIu be
found that lhere had al%ay. bern III
Engl md a principle IuaI supplies suu
rri, vance. went together. 1t waS
part Of .he Inherent pr ylle-e OF he
ilou.e to holl the purse III hand as Il
m ans OF redressIug grirvanc +. 1t
h ID been he means y Which The
saxon people had uph~aved The I'M
pe ialism Of the Norman mona'ch!
and Transformed th,t monarchy Inl"
The proud 81 monulnent "t c"'sl iu-
ton ! liberty IN he wulll | Eng
land. Commons could regulate and
contiol the m DE- by which iroop'
>hould be- used, though the kn+ had
the power OF raising those tro"p'. 81
in this country COn-r IS had the rlghl
to ~, how the President Nroul u'e
his troops raised under Us aui' OIL J
Thr Amy wouli die n The 3Vth ol
June unless Congress restored II ny
lcui>laton. Whit WAS the qnes'i"n
in This bl ? Con r,ss W uld restore
the arm, AFTER the 3Jlh ol Jane with
uur giving to the President the power
to keep troops at the polls. 1t was
not "A question OF repeal 1t vas a
question OF reenactmeui. Ii Congr' IS
did not appropriate this money tnele
would be no army after The 3Oth OF
June. Shall Congress appropriate
money to keep up the army and al
low i. to be used as the keeper OF the
polls No "a thousand times no
Never with his consent. Applause
on the Democratic side. The army
should exist for the defence Of the
country against foreign invasion, for
the enforcement OF laws, but never
for The purpose of controlling free
elections. Hamilton had said it WEE
in the poHer of Congress every two
years TO consider this question and
deliberate upon the proprlety OF keep
ing the army on foot Congress had
considered, and had come TO the COIL
cluson that there was not only no
propriety, but great improperly, anu
an INVASION of public liberly in allow
ing fhe army 10 be used to keep
peace at thu poll.. He liked the army
in its place. but its lace was not at
the polls. Tie d d not like the army
to disturb the exercise OF justice. He
did not like The army when it invaded
houses of private citizens aud threaten
ed them with courts martial This
act gave The Pr, sidet the right to
keep troops at the polls at all cleo
mons municipal, congressional, or
presidential At the very time when
he might be nppealing to the people,
TO say whether he should longer re-
main in office e. President he might
mu ter his troops at the polls and
preside over the election. And So
did Louis Napoleon do, aud every
body knew the result The empire
vas elevated on the bayouetS OF the