The daily gazette., 1879-05-07
FIRST EDITION.

FIRST EDITION.
From The N. r. World, Yesterday
Csnsrsss cd she Malissry Issue.
II StlH rresident was really candid
when he declared in his recent veto
message that he did not intend TO en-
courage or tolerate "military linterfer-
ence" in elections the bill introduced into
the iHous6 cannot be Objectionable To
him. 1t covers only "the army or navy. -
1t excludes from its contemplation civil
posse, no matter how effectively that
posse may be armed, and it leaves the
Executive and all civil officers free to
employ such force Of civilians when
summoned by's marshal. And finally IL
permits the necessary use Of the army
and navy at voting places to repel armed
enemies Of the United States, meaning
thereby either foreign enemies or domes-
tic enemies whose ofIenss may amount
TO treason, and the use of the army and
navy. As our readers will see, the bill
embodies clearly and precisely what the
World has commended for ever since this
question was forced upon the country by
the moribund Senatorial majority Of the
Republican party at the last session of
the late Congress. 1t sums up and
sets forth the whole Democratic conten-
ton, - to the use of the Federal army at
the polls. H-'15s
Let us briefly review that contention.
60 Gal 4 <,.~
hibiti0n of Federal bay0nets made In
this city by Grant in 1870 for the purpose
Of overawing voters in the November
election of that year; after the even
more disgraceful and scandalous conduct
Of Grant in surrounding the State House
at New Orleans with bayonets and rend-
ering possible the military outrages
which Mr.. Evarts denounced with so
much earnestness and emphasis before a
great meeting Of the best citizens of this
city; after Mr.. TAR (now likely to be
the next Republican candidate for the
Governorship of Ohio) had issued In
1875 his orders and opinions authorizing
the use Of nearly five thousand Federal
troops at the polling places and around
the State returning boards in three OF
the Southern States, it would have been
the height Of imbecility in the leaders Of
the Democratic party not to perceive
that the Republican managers had made
up their minds to use the army and navy
Of the United States as partisan instrH-
ments to accomplish partisan ends. In
the spring of 1877, therefore, the Demo-
cratic majority in the House refused to
make appropriations for the army unless
the Republicans would consent to legis-
lation confning the use of the army
within its legitimate limits under the
Constitution. The Army bill in that
year therefore fell between the Dem
ocratic House and the still Republican
Senate. ...... .r...,.,
In June, 1878, the Democratic House
insisted on posse co,aitatUs section in
the Army bill which the President ap-
proved on the. 10Th Of that month. Sub
sequently itrwas discovered that section
1902 "expressly" declared that the
army or navy couldrb be used "to keep the
peace at the POLLS" and the Democrats
determined to expunge those seven
words from the section. This repeal
was resisted ON avowedly party grounds
by Mr.. Garfield, and the Republicans in
the Senate opposing it the Army bill
failed again at the last session between
the two houses, and the President there
fore called the present extra session. At
Republican caucus 1t was threatened
that II the Democrats endeavored to in
troduce the repeal in the House as q
separate measure the Republican minor
ity would filibuter and use the rules ia
prevent them from doing so. Thereup-
on the repeal was again inserted in the
Army bill as before. Mr.. Garfield i'm.
mediately took up his parable, and in
heartrending accents proclaimed that
such . repeal would not be germane to
the bill, would be "rider" and would
be wicked attempt of untamed rebels
to coerce . loyal President. Superficial
or unrehecting people were distressed
by this clamor for time, but as a reac,'
ton of common sense soon set In Mr.
Robeson, in the course Of the House de-
bate on the bill, was selected by the
hackers Of Grant, In, Philadelphia to
make a new issue. That gallant tar
promptly sent Mr.. Garfield below for a
lubber and put him under matches, while
he himself made the point that the pro
posed Democratic repeal would prevent
United States marshals from summon
ing posse of civilians to aid in the exc
cution of Judicial process If such posse
of civilians should be armed.
Mr.. R0besoi assumed that the phrase
"troops or armed men" In section 2.002
embraced armed civilians, and tried to
infer from this assumption that ifthe re-
peal became law "civil officers" could
no longer use earned" civilians ~ posse
on voting days at voting-places. The
point and the argument seemed to sensi-
BILE lawyers and interpreters Of statutes
too trifing to deal with seriously or even
| to talk about. But Mr.. Hayes, "solitary
| and alone," and without the knowledge
either of Mr.. Evarts (who, 1t Is said, Is
quite distrusted by the Grant managers
and even coutemplates abandoning the
State Department) or of any other mem
ber of his Cabinet, as the Tribune affirms
took up Mr.. Robeson's point and argu-
ment and, to the astonishment alike ol
friends and foes, inserted them In veto
message. Mr.. Robeson's objections as
well as Mr.. Carrie DIS objections that the
repeal was not germane and was ''rider'
were absurd aud unworthy Of q second
thought by grown men, but the Consti-
tuition has, fortunately or unfortunately
made it possible for very weak and
very absurd man, If only he happens t
be President Of the United States, tt
worry Congress into dealing seriously
with the weakest aud the most absurt
propositions be can put forth. The Dem
ocratic majority in Congress, therefore
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