Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1879-04-10
WASHINGTON.
Garffeld's Speech of Saturday
~ Answered by Blackburn.

GarffeId's Speech of Saturday
Answered bv Blackburn.
April Sd: Mr.. Blackburn. of
Kentucky, said that the mau, who.
ever ne might be, was but a poo-
student Of his country's history, who
was not able to satisfy himself that
from the foundation of the constitu-
ton known to the present time, IL has
ever been held, and that by the high
est authorities in the land, that it
was in the power of the House to
control the employment of the army
10y withholding supplies. In the
very nature of things the proposed
repeal could not be revolutionary.
Negative legislation was never reyo-
lutlonary. he constitution did not
give the right to the President to
send armed forces into any state,
even to suppress domestic violence.
BY no means. 1t required the Presi
dent to protect any state from lnya-
sion, out only conferred upon him
the right to send soldiers to that
state 10 suppress domestic violence
when The legislature OF that State or
the governor should make a reousi-
tion upon hir. He was not permit
ted TO anticipate domestic vic enee
neither he nor the legislature nor
governor. Domestic violence must
have been in existence, and that fact
must have been certified to him by
the legislature. More than one
third OF all permanent legislation af.
iectlng that arm of the government
had been put upon the statute books
as iivers upon an army appropria-
ton bill. LII lectures were to be read
TO the Democrats, let them come from
some quarter aud some member not
convicted on the record. Did the
gentleman from Ohio (Garfield) re-
member the record he had made in
1868, on an amendment offered by
Mr.. Wilson of Iowa to an approcria-
ton bill, proposing to revolutionize
The Judicial sy stem of the country !!
proposing to rob Il coordinate branch
OF the government Proposing TO
strip the supreme court of preroga-
lives and powers that tie federal con-
stitution had clothed it with! Revo-
| lntiou! What was there that the
party the gentleman SO ably led had
not done III that catalogue of crimes !!
In his speech Saturday the gentle
inan from Ohio had challenged all
comers TO show single instance in
the history Of tue country where the
| consent of the executive had ever
been coerccd. He (Blackburn) ac-
cepted the gage of battle which the
gentleman had thrown down. He
would read from the record and show
him an instance On the I'd OF
March, 1867, andrew johnson had
signed an army appropriation bill un-
der protest. Was there no coercion
there? Why the record was full OF
instances. lie found that in the
Thirty-ninth congress that had oc-
cured which would ne;er fade from
the minds of the American people.
| He referred to the effort winch WIS
made, which came SO nigh resulting
in the successful impeachment of the
chief executive of the country. There
were two principal counts in this in.
| dietment on winch 1t was proposed ts.
impeach the executive. One was eX-
ercise of the veto power and the 9TH
er his lnterference-not in elections
but 10 prevent interference oil the
army power in elections. The counts
hal been voted upon more than once
and the gentleman from Ohio was on
record every time rs voting in thciI
favor, and he had been supported il
his ncti"u and had Standing by him
voting siie ny side with. him to I'M
peach the president for the exercise
of the veto power, one then compare
lively obscure and who but for com
i'ination of accidents whould have re-
nsined TO this day and until his dy-
ing day in that obscurity for which
nature and his Creator seemed to
t,ave designed him - side by side with
the gentleman from Ohio, who stood
aud voted for MIR. Hayes of the same
slate. Applause on Democratic
side and in galleries. And now by
what sort Of authority had the gen.
iirman from Ohio come to threaten
the house with probable and posi-
hle action Of the executive? What
provision of the federal constitution
undertook to clothe anybndy, either
the president himself or one OF has
piivy council, even including his
remIer, the secretary of state, to sit
as he had done on the floor of the
house last Saturday, and by his pres
ence and approval seem to intImidote,
overawe and brow-beat the American
congress? Dersive laughter on the
Republican side.
Referring to MIR. Garfielps state
ment regarding Mr.. Powell, Mr..
Blackburn said: Did not the gen
tleman from Ohio know that the
amendment to Senator Powell's bill
had been incorporated in it upon mo-
tion of Senator Pomcroy, and that
| every Democrat had voted against ii
f-Senator Powell awong the num-
ber! 1t vas not candid, it was net
fair, for the gentleman in such false
position. Let one take the darken-
ed pages of his country's history for
the last seventeen long years and
read it carefully and tell me then
whether it lies in the mouth of this
leader of a once great, but now wan
ing part. to read lectures to anybo.
DIV, either on the score of revolutions
airy legislation or extraneous intro
duction of legislation on approprla.
ton bills. Better, far, in the face OF
the record which they have made
better to listen patiently to confirm
ed inebriate. as he dwells on the yir.
tnes of temperance; or, better, let {
queen OF the demi-monde elaborate
ON the beauties of female virtue; OF
| let the devil prate of schemes of uni
yerssi retlemption-than for homiiiei
on good morals and lectures on revo
llationary legislation be delivered
from such a source. (Applause OF
tDemocratic side.) Let it go TO tn
country that one party in this con
At. II t.s.t