The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-04-09
Taking up the Cage

! taxing up the Uage.
BLACKBURN PICKS UP GARFIELD's
CORY GAUNTLET,
Spectre Of the 'Man on Horse Back.
: Continuation Of Debate in the House
The Army Appropriation Bill
Blackburn Vents His Fiery Dcclas
malion--An Aggrcssivcly Powerful
Speech--IIauk and Robson Fore
shadow tho Hcto-A Long and Pow
erlul Debate Winding Up.
[CHronicte and Cbnsttuttonutst.l
WASHINGTON, April 3.-1he debate In the
House of Representatives on the Army Ap.
preparation bill WAS opened by MIR. Knott, ol
Kentucky. he spoke OF the great and llstcr'
icI Importance Of the principle Involved in
the question. He characterized 1t as the great
fundamental principle Of Republican liberty
that the bullot box should he protected from
the slightest approach OF military power, and
the voter shall be left absolutely free In eXcr-
cising ut the polls the highest prrrogative OF q
citizen. He quoted the English statute OF
George II, for tho :rcmoral of troops from Il
place where IN election * to be held, and cit,
cd Blackstone rs writing that 1t Is essential
that elections shall be absolutely free, and
that therefore. MI under influence are illegal
and are polluted. lie had expected that such
Il question would have been discussed, on the
other side, with calInncSS and dignity, but IN
this be had been grievOusly disappointed,
particularly In connection with the speech o
the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Frye. That
speech, while H. might have been appropriate
! n, thn ~ ma frv' N lie n IN IF - "a IL prn2S fnllS
or village bar.room. was unJustto that gentle
mans genial and generous nnture.
MIR. Hunk, of Tennessee,
followed. He was Southern born and syInpa
thizcd with that section, but he said when the
President had offered peace and Cancellation
he had been answered with hlomtlslicd and RI
ut. To-day 1t was well known that II %lnn]orl'
~ OF the Southern States were Republican l
an honest election could be had, and yet Inc
looked around him and saw but three Rcpub,
lic,nS from the Southern States. lie placed
his opposition to the present measure on the
broad grounds OF It's merits. II permitted tt
stand on the statute books there would be FREQ
elections In the South, and Republicans woult
be returned to Congress by the voice Of Il free
people. unnwed by bull-dozcrsa and rifle clubs
Others might do M they pleased, but never
while he had u vote on this floor would hi
vote to rcpeul those statutes until every maj
In the South, whether white or black, whether
a .bngger" from the North or n 'scnlla
wag'' from the South should have u free aSt
equal chance nt the ballot box. [Applauseo or
the Republican side He was not authorizct
to speak for the President but he knew that /
the President was Il good Republican he woult
veto the bill.
Representative Robson, Ex-Secretar,
of the Navy,
then addressed the House. He intended tc
volrcd in tho discussion. 1t is proposed he
said, to restrain tho civil officers OF the Uni
ed States from keeping the peace ut my clcc
tion in amy state. by what means? By civi
OF civil officers, the Marshal OF the District !
you plense, to summon the posse comitaius Is G
right to summons ordinary military compa-
MES that may be within the body Of his BALL
wick. The right to summon armed troops !
they be within the body OF the balliwick, Is n
civil not q military right, and Is in the Inter
est Of the invlolabllity and the strength o
the civil law. There Was considerable con;
Lane, OF Maryland, as to whether there had
ever been any ..ruIing OF the Supreme Court
recognizing the right or the United States tc
keep the peace. Mr.. Uobeson said he had
never known that question to arise In tina
form, but there have been rulings OF the SUI
preinc Court to the effect that wherever there
was Il power given and guaranteed or secured
by the Constitution Of the United States then
the power resided In the United States 10 tn
force and secure 1t, continuing ltat cOnsidcra'
BILE length.
In a Iegal argument upon points now In,
Ohio tMr. Hurd) had said that 1t becomes u
to.look sharply and kecnly US to the use Of
military power, for that by it Republics have
always died. ! take issue with him there
The last final blow ut the liberties OF Repub.
lies has come from the sword, but II was not
until some brunch of the government In.
usurped to itself rights which 1t did not on
10y under the constitution and laws OF tho
country. 1T has not been until some branch
I,f tln unvprnnlpnt - ngiInl1y gnTpp lrn prl
claiming to more specially represent the pop
u!ur wiil-hns usurpcd to itself powers thai
did not belong to 1t.
1t was only after the Long Parliament Of
disregard Of civil and personal rights, and by
its assumption OF everything that. bGlorgct
TO the government, that the Stern soldier, OH
yer Cromwell dared 10 70 to that House and
dissolve 1t with military power. 1t WIS only
after the French Assembly had made France
It's fair fields und its vine clad hills, run red
with the blood Of its best citizens; not unit
Europe was appalled, at the scenes OF murdc,
pcrpetrated there; not until the world itScl
stood aglia2t vt the crimes that were commit.
ted IN the name OF Liberty, that the young
Napoleon with his armed force, was abl1 to
seize upon the government. We belong to q
limited powers, all bearing relation to cacl
otlier-cach having It's appointed sphere, c,cl
clothed with It's NATURAL dNfies, each having
Its special attractions und restraints, each
like the solar systcm4n the heavens, depend
ent on the other.
Let one Of those spheres be stricken down
let 1t DC loose from thepr"pcr law Of grnvitn
ton. OF centrifugal AID ccntripetal forces anu
what becomes Of 1t? 1t wandcrs about no
only to the destruction OF the system o.
when 1t Is Il member, but an object OF terror
to the universe. Here we nre coordinate Sys
tens OF this Government. all held together
by the attractions, privileges. powers aud re.
sirictions Of the Constitution OF the United
States. If one member OF this system breaks
loose from those attractions, when the old
landmarks are swept away and the old trndi.
lions wiped out, wien the old safeguards nrc
all broken down, II riots through the system
mn object of terror and of dISnIay, and more
tcrribiethah majestic, 1t becomes Il mighty
instrument or evil.
My friends undressing the Democratic side
Of the House,. ii Is from disrupted system OF
Government that military power arises. II
Is In the confusion OF disorder. The lack o.
right TO be executed by the civil officers Ol tho
law, IT is within the smoke Of such a contest
that the Man on Horse back rides In and
liberty Is Aicrificed 10 order, so long us the
civil process OF the law may be properly exc.
cuted by the civil officers In this country
there is no danger of military power Tho
strong arms, the clear heads, the brave hearts
OF our people, North and South. would never
yield 10 q standing army, were 1t Il million
strong, unless 1t became absolutely necessary
under the pressure OF usurped nnd arbitrary
power Uf sOrne irresponsible member OF the
system 10 sacrifice liberty To order. That
time Will never come In this country, unless
YOU, my friends, Disregard the plain ;tcaching
of history.
Mr.. Blackburn, of Kentucky,
was the next speaker. He promised his
speech with tho hope that ho would In nj
way depurt from the plane Of fairness In de.
bate; that no uttcrnnce Of his would give
rise TO the charge that sectional question
was Involved In the Issue undr cOnsidcru'
ton. Nobody had been surprised at the
SiIt.rCh of The gentleman from Now Jersey
(Mr. Robcs0n.l The performance would not
have boon completed, would not have been
fairly rounded out unless some member OF
the privy Council Of that imperialistic dy.
nasty under whose administration the very
vicious practice had grown up 10 whatit was
now sought to repeal, had testified on the
floor in It's behalf. II had been argued By
different gentlemen on the other side that
this repeal was revolutionary In It's chaIac-
ter; that 1t had no place upon an apprOpria.
be- considered an independent proposition.
He was but Il poor student Of his country's
history who WAS not able to satisfy himself
that from the foundation Of the Constitution
down to the present time 1t had ever been
held, and that BY the highest authority In
the land, that II was In the power of the
House to control the employment Of the
army by withholding supplies. In the very
nature OF things the PROPOSED repeal could
ton might be revolutionary. but not mega.
tive legislation. There was no one who
could assert that previous to 1865 the Exccu.
tive had held the power which this bill pro:
posed to deprive him. The Constitution did
not give to any President the right to send
armed forces Into any State, even to suppress
domestic violence. l'y no means. 1t req uir.
cd the President TO protect every State from
Invasion, but only conferred upon him the
right 20 send soldiers to that State to suppress
domestic violence when the Legislature OIL
that State or tine Governor should make II re.