Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-04-04

and arbitrary power or some irresponsible member
of the system to sacrifice liberty to order. That
time will never come in this country, unless
you, my friends, disregard the plain teaching
also look occasion to say in alIusion
to the executive of the country that his title in
doubt and his tenure not yet certain. l do not
think my friend meant that because If ne did, he
meant to appeal to the grant of revolution Let me
say TO him that the responses all over the country
to day are but the mutterIngs OF the storm which
will increase In vigor and fury, and resstleSs
settle the title of the President will be swept for
ever from the political horizon Applause on the
Republican side and in the galleries.
Mr. Blackburn said that he was but poor student
of his couItTy's history who was not able to satisfy
himself that from the foundation of the constitu-
ton down to the present time 1t had ever been held,
and that by the highest authority in the land that IL
was in The power of the house to control tbs employ
ment of the army BY withholding SUPPLE In the
very nature OF things the proposed repeal could not
Negatse Ia On, was meyer yer
President tue right to send armed forces into any
State even to suppress domestic violence By no
means. 1t required the President to protect any
state from invasion, but only conferred upon him
the right send soldiers to that State to suppress
or the governor make requislton upon him. He
was not permitted to anticipate domestic violence;
neither he nor the legislature, nor the governor.
Domestic violence must have been In existence, and
that fact must have been certified TO him by the leg
islature. More than one third of all permanent
legislation affecting that of the government had
been put upon the statute books as riders upon
army appropriation bill. II lectures to be read
10 the Demo cIats let them come from some quarter
and some member not convicted on the record. Did
the gentleman from ONO l(I3rIlelQI remember the
record he made in 1868 on an amendment made by
Mr.. Wilson lIowal to an appropriation bill propOS
ing to revOlutiOnze the judicial system of the cOun
try proposing TO rob the ordinate branch of the
government. proposing to strip the supreme court
tuition had clothed IL with. Revolution! What was
there that the party that gentleman ably led had
not done In that catalogue OF crmeP Ia his speech
OF Saturday the gentleman from ohio had challenged
all corners to SHOW single instance In the history
of the country where the consent OF the Executive
the gage OF battle which the gentleman had thrown
down. BE would read from the record aud show
him an Instance. On the second OF March. 1857,
Andrew johnson had signed an army appropriation
bill under protest. Was there no coercion there?
Why, the record was 1ull or instances, He found
that in the thlryninth congress that had occurred
which would never fade from the minds of the
American people. He referred to the effort which
was made and which came so near resulting in the
successful Impeachment of the Chief Executive OF the
Indictment on which it was proposed
to impeach the executive. One was the exercise of
the veto power and the other his interference, not
the election, but to prevent any Interference of
the army power In elections. The counts had been
voted upon more than once. and the gentleman
from Ohio was record every time voting in their
favor and he had been supported In his action. and
had standing by him, voting side by side with him
to impeach the President for the exercise of the
veto power. one. then comparatively obscure, and
VINO, but for combination OF accidents, Oud have
remained this day, and until his dying day. in that
ooscurity for which nature and hi creator seemed
to have designed him; side By side with the gentle
man from Ohio who stood and voted Mr. Hayes OF the
same STATE. Applause GU the Democratic side and
in the galleries / And now, by what sort Of authori-
ty had the gentleman from Ohio come to threaten
the house with a probable and possible action of
the executive? what provision OF the Federal
Institution undertook to clothe any body. either The
President or one OF his prvy council even including
his premier, the secretary of State, to act
as hs had done the floor of the house last satur
day. and by his preSence and approval seem to in
timidate oSsraWe and brOwbsat the American con-
Referring to Mr. G2rfield's remarks regarding Sena
tor Powell, Mr. Blackburn said Did not the gentle
man from Ohio know that an amendment TO Senator
PowelFs amendment had been Incorporated upon IL
IT.
far for the gentleman from Ohio to place dead
statesmen n such a false position. Let one take
the daTkened pages or his counryS history for the
teII me then whether it lies in the mouth of this
leader OF once great but now waning party, 10 read
tonary legislation the eXtraneous Introduction of
legislation on appropriation bills Better for them,
in the face OF the record which they have made,
better TO listen patiently to the confirmed Inc
brlate, as he dwells on the virtues of tenn
Perance, or better let the queen of the
virtue or let the deYi pirate of schemes of universal
redemption, than for homllies on good morals an
lectures revolutionary legislation to be delivered
from such a sOurce. Applause on the Democratic
side Let 1t go TO the country that party in this
congress asserts that the manaceS shall fall from
the limbs OF freemen and that the army shall not
hold It's mailed hand at the throat of sovereign.
aud that the other party declares that rather than
release its grasp 1t Will bring the government to a
standstill !, and those with whom 1 stand identi-
fed are willing to accept the issue. Aye, more;
GO further, ana admit that we are the ones who
make the ISSUE and We are ready for you TO accept
welcome controversy For the first time In eighteen
years the Democracy is again In power in both
branches of congress. We propose to celebrate our
return to power by wiping from the statute-book
those degrading restrictions freemen and By
ton has imposed. We do not Intend to STOP
until we have stricken TIE last vestige
of your war measures from the statute
book, like those which we're born of passions Incl
dent to CIVIL strife, and which looked alone to the
| aOrdgement Of the liberties Of the citizen. Until
We have untrammeled the election and an unsuper
vsed ballot and an absolute free right for citizen
which we offer to you for the passage Of this bill
the gentleman from Ohio is to be excused (for Ger
tainly he cannot bs lusthed) for parading before
this house the arg13nentlsnl IN terForeI OF vett
that is cut aud dried to be put upon the BIZ which
warn ng the house that the executive branch OF TIT
government will never yield its assent TO this meas
! ure in its present form; l ask Wh9ther may mo-
dor IN assuring that gentleman and his associates
that The dominant power In this congress, thu
Iullng element in this body Is also equally deter
mined that until its just demands are sanctioned b.
| all laws, human and divine, protected anC
| hedged round By presidents Ylthout number
demanded by people Of this land
without regard to ~, seco BIN ci aE,S
| wei IS in New Orleans, In San Francisco and Bos
ton as well as in Charleston and Savannah, ar
! eOmg!!ed with, this side of the chamber, whic
has demonstrated its power. never means to yiel
OF surrender unless this congress shall have died
| virtue OF its limitation. wild applause on tn
| Democratic side ] principle cannot be compro
missed; II may be surrendered but that can only b
done by its advocates giving proof to the world tia
| of their own convictions. We cannot yield, and W
assure my friends On The other side that this is tn
restoration 10 power of party old the govern
| ment itself, which, for one hundred years almost
| has stood the bOldeSt, ireeSt tTueSt exponent an
champion and defender of the doctrine of constitu
tiona Limitation against me doctrine OF .agsran
come back to Iule, and 10 rule in cbed
the pa9E w of battle Issue seveTed an
lift il when you please; and we willing to appea
to that sovereign arbiter to which the gentema
FuArr A m rs.
| people, TO decide between us. We,iLtend to deny
the President of this republic the right to exercis
such unconstitutional powers. We do not mean
pitch this contest on The grounds OF the objection
him who happens Il not by 'the grace of God
II from yonder canvas pointing TO picture hang
10 the east of the speakers chair the first Pres
tine powers which the grateful people of an infar
republic conferred upon him as their Chief Magls
which moved him in the earlier and better days
this great Eoyernmen t-to him we would never cor
lib"Tty of the citizens Ia any mans discretion, nc
would he receive IT, Il was not toE Or q, th
government TO grasp and seek to retail
| such questionable prerogatives. 1t is mad
rendered. Standing on such broad grounds, clOthe
| in such pahoply, and resting this case on tn
bTOadeSt principle or Justice, are content TO al
peal TO rhe people of this land. There is no tTibI
nal before which not willing to carry this cas-
| the destlnles OF man 70 Judge between us and CIV
the victory 10 the right do not mean to initial
| the gentleman LON OllCi qlSeldlln any dutlOfit
| TO state what others may do, but dc mean to "a
that 1t is my deliberate conviction, that there is M
| to be found single man on this side OF the hous
who Will consent to abandon one jot Or little
| the faith that is IN him. He could not surrender
II he would, and he would not; he begged the Otht
side 70 believe that he would not be coerced
| threats or intimidation by the party in power
| are planted on convictions, and there we wi
| stand; he who dalues is a bastard. and he who d
I 1 nies Is damned Loud applause,l When NJ
| Blackburn concluded his speech he was Surrounde
by his colleagues, who congratulated him upon IT,
Speeches upon the legal and constitutional que
/ lions Involved were made by &essrs. Gibson and
Turner, and then the house took recess.
EVENING SESSION,
There were not dozen members pr3sei
! and but few persons in the galleries Vhe
the house met at half-past seven o'clock. IL
first speech of the evening was made by M
Barrier, who promised his speech by sayin
! that lie tool; the present opportunity fl
speaking because il seemed probable fro
the resent condition of things that t.:
2 | would be the last session an American COZ
! ! gress would ever hold. He concluded Wi