National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-04-05

sent here. This method of putting legislation on
appropriation bills might be inconvenient,, but
when Vicious legislation had been passed which |
imperiled the liberty of the people tho House
was bound to say that ~ would appropriate no
money until that vicious legislation was repealed.
The position of the gentlemen on the other side
amounted to this: That, If by hook or crook
vicious legislation had been once put on the stat.
money In order to sustain the Government, Il
would not be repealed on an appropriation Bill,
,bc r tns sueh APPROXIMATION was mandatory on
Us repeal In the present case there was vicious
lazy which invaded the liberty Of the people;
The President said, ~ will not consent to Its re-
peal the law Is on tho statute book and want
your supplies. Hurry them mp. aud then adjourn"
Inc House had had hints Of that kind from gentle
men on the other side, saying You have only got
TO give His Majesty his supplies and then adjourn.
on that question II would be found that there had
always been in England principle that supplies
and grievances went together The House was
bound to do what II was doing
1t was part of Its Inherent privilege TO hold the
purse III hand as means Of redressng grievances
IL had been the means by which tho Saxon people
had upheaved the imperialism of the Norman
monarchy and transformed that monarchy into
the Old World, Was the American Congress to
claim less power here than the House of Commons
claimed against the ROYALTY Of England The
Damocles hanging over the head of the Crown, and
that when the Commons demanded repeal the
Crown ut once yielded, and the Ministers yielded
or the Ministers resigned the next day
In England the Commons could regulate and
control the mode In which the troops should be
used, though the king had the power of raising
those troops. A Jori0ri, in this country Congress
had the right to say how the President should use
his troops raised under the authority of that Con.
gress. The army would die on the 30th of June
unless Congress restored IL by legislation. What
was the question In this blll2 Congress would re-
store the army after tho Both Of June without giving
to the President the power 10 keep the troops at the
polls.
1t was not question Of repeal : II wns a question
Of re-enactmont. 1T Congress did NOS appropriate
this money there would be no army after the 30th
of June The only way In which there could be
was to appropriate the money. Shall Congress ap.
propriate the money to keep up an army and to
allow them to be used as keepers of the polls? No
a thousand times mol Never with his CONSENT
Applause oil the Democratic side.l Would Con-
gress give money for the support Of an army TO be
used as keepers Of the polls at so-caed free cleo.
tons? That was the whole question:
Would Congress re-enact the existence OF an
army with such power. That army should be on
foot for the defense Of country against foreign in
vasion for the enforcement of laws but never for
the purpose of controlling free elections. So far
from being revolutionary and unconstitutional, the
power was vested In Congress to doeverything that
1t was doing. Hamilton had said that II was In the
power Of Congress every two years to consider
this question and deliberate upon the prOprley of
keeping the army on foot. Congress had said 1t
had come to the conclusion that there was not only
no propriety. but great imprOpriety, and an inva
sion of public liberty for the army to be used to
keep the peace ut the polls.
He had always been jealous of military power
He liked the army in It's place, but its place was
not at the polls. He did not like the army TO dis
army when II invaded the houses of private citi-
Gems, and threatened them with court-martinls
i was said that the only thing proposed was 70
story OF the gentleman who offered to bet, and
whose bet was tassn mp. II was asked, who will
would hold Squire Jonesg, Who Would hold
these men so that they would, not interfere in the
elections?
This act gave the President the right to keep
troops at the polls Mt State election municipal
election, Congressional election Presidential
election. At the time he might he appealing TO
the people To say whether he should longer remain
In Office as President, he might muster his troops
at the polls and preside over the elections. And so
did Louis Napoleon do, and everybody knew the
result. The empire had been erected on the bnyO-
net of the soldier II was impossible TO believe
that when the President was appointing his mar
shals to make arrests if question should arise In
which he was interested, in favor OF certain voters
being admitted and otheas excluded, the question
would ever be decided except in his favor. The
great danger when troops were used at elections
the ballOt-box the bullet for the ballot that the
sword protesting to guard the voter at the polls,
would intinidate him away from the polls
Would his friends from Ohio and Connecticut
(MesSrs Garfield and Hawley) vote forthe proposed
repeal as separate measure?
| Mr.. GARFIELD | would vote to repeal that clnnSc
If brought up separately but not TO make them as
yon propose TO make them.
| Mr.. TUCKER replied that his friend stood on the
| very narrow ground that on the merits the law
| ought to be repealed. but that on account of the
method Of its passage the President ought to veto
dent to say anything in regard to the method of its
passage II lie had no objection on the score of its
merits? The matters which it was proposed to in.
tcriere with were matters under the peculiar guar
| dianship of the House of Representatives.
The President represented the Electoral College.
o see a
| States and the House represented and was init
motoly connected with the people. That body now
hands of the President condition that Should
| never be used Mt the polls. Would the President
withhold his consent and say that unless CongreS,
gave him the power To control elections he would
| let the Government die of starvation? Would he
| say in the language of n highwayman Of Il Prcsi
| dent could use such languagel "YOur money OF
| your life. The money demand or the life Of the
| Government
1t might be said That he (Tucker), as q Southern
had never voted for any hill which would impair
its efficiency at all. But he in favor of an army
as the servant, and not as the master of the pco
pie. lie was in favor of an army subordinate Il
civil power, and not superior TO It, lie remembered
the fierce struggle Of four years. lie Remembered
was right then and If the time were to be passed
over lie would do again, on his honest convictions
what he had done then. But that time had passed
away. He had come back to the Union with NJ
honest purpose and no man who knew him Womb
gainsay the sincerity OF his declaration that he had
q citizen of the United states, but to make tn,
| Union glorious Union among the nations Of tn,
earth, and TO make this Government success TO
the liberty, prosperity, and independence OF it
people.
The past was dead and buried. The convictions
of the past had no longer any motive power owe
his actions in The present His actions now wer'
and what lie believed to be the highest in
terest OF his mother Commonwealth there tpOintinl
| to the South). standing upon that ground he
looked upon the struggle of the civil war as nothing
| but the cOnvulsve throes of the infant Hercule,
that marked the growth, the progress, and the dc
| velOpment of the country. He hoped that th'
wounds Of the war were healing. God know the!
| would have been healed more rapidly IL gentle
men had not kept the sore running. Let the beck
| onngs of the past be ended. Let both parties join
hands in one noble resolution TO do all that eRcl
could for the promotion oihe glory and proSperit!
ola common country.
If he could map out the future of the country
If he could map out that policy which he believed
TO he best he would say Cling TO the Constitution
as the only hope of the country" lie would main
tain the power Of the Federal Government in all il
integrity, and he would preserve the power of tn
States in all their autonomy and local selfgovern
ment He would preserve the rights OF the citizens
protected by hdbcds corpus give them u free tria
by jury and free ballot. He believed the Govern
ment of the United States to be the best system o
government ever devised by the wit of man bu
In the matter Of the power of government and Tn
liberty of the people, he would put that power q
its minimum and that liberty at It's maximum con
sstent with the safety OF society.
| lie would have Law on the Judgment seat, wear
ing the civic crown and erminc, and gently. AM
| with nmailcd hand leading forth Liberty as hi
|, | welded wife, He would have the army and nav
to be the willing seryiors Of Liberty TO expel OF
her call, all invaders upon her sacred precincts o
| to put down the despotism of liccntious mObs.
| his aspirations and hopes his dreams and vision
could be realized, feeling, rs he lid that the sea
| ana yellow leaf was approaching that the evcnn
of his life was coming To its close he might thei
| with humble reverence, repeat the prayer Now
oh Lord letiest thou Thy servant depart In peace
. | for mine eyes hath seen the salvation OF my pee
pies liberty, and seen restored the grand and nObl
| system of the Constitution of our iOre!athers.'