Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-05-08

Judge of what constitutes grievance, and also
of the means and measure of redress. An act
of Congress to protect elections is now the
grievance complained of. But the House
may, on the same principle, determine that q
treaty made by the President, with the ad-
vice and consent of the Senate, the nomina-
ton or appointment to office, or decision or
opinion of the Supreme Court is grievance,
and that the measure of redress is to withhold
the appropriations required for the support of
the offending branch of the Government.
Believing that this bill is a dangerous viols-
ton of the spirit and meaning of the Consti.
tuition, I am compelled to return it to the
House in which it originated without my sp.
proval."
CONGRESSMAN EVINS ON THE VETO.
The Washington correspondent of the Nsus
and Courier has been at the pains to inter.
view the South Carolina members Of Con-
gress in regard to the present state Of affairs
at the capital. The expressions OF opinion
are eninently conservative. As our readers
are more directly interested in the views of
their Representative, Col. Evins, we quote in
full the report of his remarks:
He thinks conservative course is the
wisest to be pursued, and indeed the only safe
one The Democratic majority have done
all they could to secure the repeal of the
odious laws in question. 1t was in the power
of the President to defeat their efforts, and
he has exertei that power. The responsible
ity for the failure rests upon him and his
party alone, as the Democrats cannot pass
the measures in the face of their opposition.
We ought now to accept defeat gracefully
and pass the appropriation bills at once, with
out the political riders. We ought even TO
pass them first and then offer bills repeating
the obnoxious laws as separate measures.
This course would leave the Republicans
without excuse for their. opposition, as We
would be acting inmanifest and perfect good
faith and they could not say we were holding
back the appropriations by way of threat. If
they refused at last to pass these measures we
could 90 before the country and let the peo-
pie decide upon them. have no doubt as
to what their decision would be.
It's important for Us to get these issues be-
fore the country without aAording any oc-
casion for having our motives 90 much as
doubted, and without the measures them
selves being entangled with any other .ques.
ton. They should be fairly and squarely pre-.
sented for judgment upon their merits alone.
By adopting this course we would relieve our
selves Of any charge that we have used coer-
Give measures or questionable methods. We
should not allow ourselves, as Southern men,,
to be diverted from what we think is the true
interest Of the people, by any pleas of party
necessity on the part of the Northern Demo-
Gratis. We are really the majority of the
Democratic party in each branch of Congress,
and will be held responsible for the legisla-
ton of Congress. We have the right, there
fore, to dictate the policy to be pursued. Any
attempt to adjourn without passing the ap-
preparation bills will be considered reyolu-
tionary by the country, and we cannot afford
to be put in that position. We have been be-
tween the upper and netheri millstoHes long,
enough. We are willing to do the voting
and allow the Northern Democrats to hold
the Offices; but we claim the right to shape
the policy of the party for which we must
and will be held responsible. What Conk-
ling said in his recent speech is true, that we
are the controlling power in both branches.
and while it may be very pleasant for North
ern politicians, seeking their preferment, to
keep up sectional strife, our interests demand
that we shall have cessation of such strife.
Should we adjourn without providing the
means of carrying on the government, / be-
lieve it would solidify the North as much as
did the firing upon Fort Sumter in 1851.
Our Northern Democratic friends might then
find the tide too strong for them, and leave
us in the lurch by seeking new alliances with
the National or Greenback party. We cam
not afford to take the risks which they can.
We cannot afford to play cat to their monkey
any longer. If there are any chestnuts to be
had they will get them-the burnt paws are
ours every time. They stand in very differ
ent position before the country from, ours. II
is natural that the Northern men should look
upon US with distrust, coming as we do into
control of the government SO soon after the
war, and we must learn to labor and to wait.
do not mean that we should abandon this
struggle. We must renew it on every occa-
sion until we accomplish our purpose, but we
must con6ne ourselves to the uss of regular
and constitutional methods. r.
1t is in no sense "back down. for US to
take this course. We have certainly pressed
the matter as far as We could. / do not con,
slider that the party has been committed to
doing anything more than to exhaust all the
constitutional and parliamentary means to
secure the repeal of these laws The declar-
ations Of individual members Of the party in
Congress that we would withhold the appro-
priation in the event of q veto, binds no one
but those who made them. There has certainly
been no authoritative declaration of the kind,
and l fail to see how we have been commit
ted to such course. True, the Republicans
have given this as our programme" but it
will hardly be considered incumbent upon Us
to stand up to their declarations as to what
we intend to do or not to do. ,...
The discussion has done a great deal of
good already by awakening the people to q {:
sense of the real danger we are in Of having
legislation, which was the outgrowth Of war,
established as precedents. We were bound
to protest against these measures as soon as
we came into power we have done SO and
have placed the Republican party and the
Executive on record as standing by bayonet
rule, packed juries and the use of all kinds of
partisan machinery to carry elections. We
would be unwise, indeed, to follow any course
now which would lose us this advantage of
the position, and furnish the Republicans
with material for an offensive campaign on
other grounds. We must be circumspect,
and think the present occasion furnishes US
with needed opportunity of giving the lie
to all the fierce denunciations which have
been delivered on the Republican side of the
House, and to show to the country that we
can be safely trusted with power. A. further