Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-04-04

1
the United States to enforce and
secure it. Continuing at consider
able length in legal argument
upon points now involved, Mr..
Robson said; My friend from
Ohio, Mr.. Hurd, had said that it
becomes US to look sharply and
keenly as to the use of military
power, for that by it republics have
always died. | take issue
with him there. The last
final blow att the liberties
of the Republic has come from the
sword, but it has not been until
some branch of the Government has
usurped to itself rights which it did
not enjoy under the constitution and
laws of the country. 1t has not
been until some branch of the Gov
ernment, usually a branch claiming
more especially to represent the
popular will, has usurped to itself
powers that did not belong to it.
It was only after the long parlia>
ment of England had disgusted
the country by its disregard
of civil and personal rights,
and by its assumption of every
thing that belonged to the Gov
ernment that the stern soldier,
Oliver Cromwell, dared to go
To that Ho Ise, and dissolve it with the
military. l. ~as only after The
French Assembly had made Frauce,
with her fair fields aud her vlne>clad
hills, run red with the blood of he.
best citizens EOG until Europe was
appalled, a. the scenss OF MURDER per.
prtrated there MOI unt!l the world it.
self stood aghast at the crimes that
were committed in the name of lib
erty, that the young Napoleon, y itE
bis armed force, was able TO selZ9 upon
the government. We beiOLg asys-
tenn of government with CO-Or-
dinate and limited powers all
bearing relation To each other;
each having its appointed sphere; each
clothed with lis IA ural duties, each
having its special attractions and re-
slTainIs, each, like the solar system in
the heavens, de pende ut Oh the other.
Let he of those spheres. be stricken
down, let II be let loose from the
proper law Cf gIaSItatiOU, If ceu;Tifa-
gal and ceutIiptai forces, aud VIII
Incomes of it? 1t Wandars abroad,
not only to the des' ruction OF the sys-
tenn of which il was a memUer, bat an
OBJ lect OF terror TO jiIG UElN eree. Htle
We are, cO-OTdiuate sNstems of h
Government, all held together by the
attractions, privileges, powers and It.
-fFAg. ION f,E sEnfI
United . ates. If one OF this system
breaks loose from thUse attrac-
tions when the old landmarks
are swept away and the
Old traditions ale wiped OUT when The
old safeguards, all broken down, 1t
riots through the system and an object
of terror and dismay, and more terri
ble than majestic il UecOme5 u mighty
instrument of evil. My friends, ad-
dressing the Democratic side OF the
House, il is from the disrupted system
OF the Government that military pow
er arises. 1t is in the confusion OF di:-
order, the lack of the right 10 be exc
cuted by the civil officers of the law.
IC is within the smoke of such a con-
test that the imam on horse back"
rides in aud liberty is sacrificed
to order. So long as the civil pro-
cess of the law may be- properly
executed by the civil ,fficers OF
this country there is no danger of
military power The strong arms, the
clear heads, the brave hearts of our
people, North and South, would never
yield 10 a standing army, were it mil
lion strong, unless it became absolute
ly necessary uDder the pressure of
usurped and arbitrary power of some
irresponsible member of the system to
sacrifice liberty TO order. That time
will never come in this country, un-
less you, my friends, disregard the
plain teaching of history.
Mr.. Black burn, If Kentucky, was
the next speaker, he promised MS
speech with the hOEe that he would in
no way depart from the plain of fair
ness Ia debate that no utterance of his
would give call to the charge that
any sectional question was involved in
the issue under consideration. No
body had been surprised at the speech
of the gentleman from New Jersey,
(Mr. r )besOn.) The performance
would not have been complete, would
not have been fairly rounded out, un-
less some member of the Privy
Council of that Imperialists dynasty,
under whose administration the
verp vicious practice, had grown up to
test fed on the fl IOr In its behalf 1t
had been argued by various gentlemen
on the other side that this repeal as
revolutionary in it's character that it
had no place upon an appropriation
bill that it was out of line, and should
be considered as an independent prop
Osition. He was but poor student of
his country's history who Was not
able 10 satisfy himself that from the
foundation of the Constitution it had
ever beeA held, and that by
the highest authorities in the
land, that it was within the
power of the House to curtail the en-
plOyment of the army by the with
holding of SUPPLIES. In the very
nature of things the proposed repeal
could not be revolutionary. Negative
legislation was never revolutionary.