The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1879-05-24
To What the Veto Commits the Republicans.

I
Sensible Democrats understand that Their
is no more reason why the army should b
abolished temporarily OF permanently be
cause Grant misased il ia 1876, aud the stall
warts by the help Of Mr. Hayes desire TO miaus
i again in 1880, than there is why the Presi
deney should be abolished because Gran
misused It in 1876, aud the stalwarts with tn,
help Of Mr.. Hayes desire to misuse it again il
1880. The armyis rart Of the necessary ex
eeutiEe machinery ofthe country, and the Pres
ideney is part OF the necessary executive ma
chinery Of the country. The sialwarts, under
the leedershipo "tipsyi Chandlerand sssober''
Chandler, perverted both the army aud the
Presidency to partisan and corrupt purposes
in 1876. They mean TO do this again if they
can in 1880 IL they could succeed in exas.
perating the Democrats into cutting off the
supplies Of the army or into assailng the title
of Mr.. Hayes to the Presidency they might
hope to blind the people 10 their own real
purposes. They cannot succeed ia either OF
these ingenious contrivances, and therefore
they will not succeed in binding the people
to their own real purposes. Chief among
those purposes, the central and dominating
and essential purpose OF them all, of course,
is the denomination Of Grant in 1850, to be
followed by his reelection in 1881. To nm.
derstand this fully aud keep firm hold upon
it, 1t will be we'll for our readers TO bear
steadily in mind what President Grant did
with the army in 1876 to defeat the election
Of Mr.. Tilden, under the inspiration and di.
reetion of the very men, 'tipsy' Chandler
and sober Chandler, who are now bending
Mr.. Hayes to their work at Washington.
On the 10th OF August, 1870, the Presi.
dental campaign being then at its height,
President Grant struck the keynote OF the
Republican campaign. The day was appro.
priately selected, being the festival day Of
Nappr'on. On that day President Grant or
der,,' General Sherman to hold all the avail
able force under his command sin readiness
to be used upon the proper call or reqnisition
of the proper authorities for protecting all
citizens ia the exercise Of the right
TO Vote We had ''small army then,
and there was sharp need Of all on our
Western frontiers to protect the people there
against the Indians, just as there is now.
But under this order OF the day of 81. NApo.
leon, General Sherman assembled no fewer
than 5000 Federal troops in the Southern
States,
After the soldiers had been assembled in
September, 1876, Attorney General Taft is.
sued an order to all United States marshals,
which order was sent to General Sherman for
his information. In that order, destined TO
be notorious in all future American history,
the Attorney. General informed all United
States marshals and their deputies that in ad.
vance Of the election day they might call on
the army at will to protect "any voter against
violence on account Of any vote that he nav
intend 10 qire.n BY these several orders, il
will be seen, at least 5000 Federal bayouets
urgently needed elsewhere were placed at
the service of the two Chambers aud Of the
hackers Of the Republican candidate, Hayes,
in the South.
But this is not all that President Grant did.
On November 10, 1876, after the popular
vote had been deposited, President Grant,
being then in Philadelphia and guest of the
unsnspectng Mr. Childs, from that city order
ed General Sherman to instruct Gen. Augur
in Louisiana and General Ruger in South
Carolina ''to be yiglant with the force at their
command to preserve peace and good order,
and TO see that the proper and legal boards OF
canvassers are unmoested. President Grant
added that SHOULD there be any grounds of
suspicion OF fraudulent counting on either side
it should be reported aud denounced at once
by the army
This was a plain order to the army to inter.
fere in elections, and to interfere in palpable
Revised Statutes now so much discussed. for
otherwise how would the army get official
suspicion Of fraud Grant did not pretend
to use the army then as posse. IL he had
or imagined he had any authority thus to use
the army TO scrutinize counting, il must have
been under the words ''to keep the peace at
the polls which the Democrats have sought
TO repeal and which the two Chambers insist
that Mr. HAYES shall retain
This ''peaee at the polls power escaped
the attention Of those Democrats who framed
the posse section Of 1878 which President
Hayes approved. The attention OF Congress
and the country was called to this omission
by General Order, No. 40, issued from the
War Office and inviting the attention of the
army TO the posse section of June lS, 1878.
In this General Order the War Office recited
all the sections Of laws requiring the army TO
interfere in civil matters, and distinctly in.
formed the officers of the army that they must
interfere TO keep the peace at the polls"
which meant Of course that they must inter.
fere again as President Grant and General
Sherman had made them interfere in 1876.
This General Order No. 40, it will be seen,
really nullihed the posse law Of 1878, and
made necessary aud imperative the efforts to
amend section 2,O02 which Mr.. Hayes, under
the domination Of the two Chambers, so vi.
ciously vetoes.
Here is the situation in a nutshell
If President Grant was right ia 1876 Presi.
dent Hayes can repeat the action and reissue
the orders Of President Grant in 1880. Con
gress understands this perfectly we'll, aud so
do the stalwarts. Meanwhile there Is no oc
casion for heat or defamation. Congress
will press forward patiently and calmly TO
prevent the repetition by President Hayes in
1880 Of the conduct OF President Grant in
1876. The personal pledges of Mr.. HAYES
when confronted by the two Chambers have
been shown to be worthless. He must moi be
at liberty to repeat in 1880 for the benefit Of
Grant what was done for his benefit by Pres.
ident Grant in 1876. Congress, under the
advice Of leaders representing the Democrats
Of the South as we'll as the Democrats Of the
North, will make this plain issue plainly for
the people. Congress will not nnder any
provocation oblge the two Chambers by adj.
lourning without giving to the Executive all
the resources needed TO carry on the Govern.
ment, and the Republicans will find them.
selves called upon next autumn to meet not
any side issue, not any fictitious issue, not
any irrelevant issue, bat the plain aud very
issue made up for them by Grant and
accepted for them by Hayes. N T. World.