Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-04-23
INEFFECTIVE FIRE.

INEFFECTIVE FIRE
The debate IN the Senate on the
army appropriation bill opened with a
speech from Mr.. Blaine, whose chief
point, against the objection Of the
Democratic majority TO investing the
Executive with power to use United
States troops a. the election polls,
seems TO have been that there are less
than three thousand troops east of the
Mississippi, number wholly insult.
ficient to raise reasonable fear that
such power will enable the President
to interfere with free election in any
place. 1t hardly needs to be pointed
out how very ineffective an answer
this fact presents to the investment Of
the Executive with thepower objected
to; for, should the army remain under
the Presidents unrestricted control,
there is obviously nothing to hinder
him from massing its whole force in
any locality that he pleases, and the
Mississippi river presents no impossible
obstacle TO its being sent into any
State on the hither side Of the great
river. And, too, Mr.. Blaine might as
soundly have argued that tho twenty
five thousand soldiers Of the whole
army are as little capable ofintimidat-
ing the millions OF voters of the whole
country as to have urged that three
thousand of them cannot be danger
GUS. 1t is true enough that an aroused
people would soon dispose of twenty
five thousand soldiers but If these
soldiers acted under executive orders,
Issued in accordance with the law, the
forcible opposition of the people to
them would result in revolution and
civil war and just so would opposi-
ton to three thousand or three hun.
I
dred soldiers result. 1t is not the phys
ical power of the soldier that makes
them dangerous to the people, but it il
the law with whose authority they are
clothed and under which they act.
Mr.. Hayes commands the army
whether or no the amendments to the
army bill arc adopted which forbid
him using the army at the polls. But
with the law forbidding him, instead
Of authorizing him, to make such use
of the soldiery, this danger to the peo
ple's liberties would be taken away
1t is not to be presumed that the Ex
ecutive would order soldiers to any
election poll il the law forbade hi
i doing so 1; and If he should so ordel
!, them the States and the people would
be warranted in resisting them and
putting them away. That authority
is what the Democratic majority de
, mand for the people, TO ensure then
against military interference in the ex
ercise Of their suffrage. 1t is wholly
immaterial how large the soldiery il
that they seek to be guarded against
their power for evil lies not in theil
number but in the lawfulness of theil
!, intimidating presence. Take away
from them the panoply of the law
under which their attendance at tn,
polls is justified, and they cannot com,
. there and il they do they can b
swept away by the power Of the thou
If sands of people whom they threateI
and who would be justified by the Law
in bidding them begone and in enforc
ing their going.
The various methods under which
the Republican majority seek to main
tain the Presidents authority to sur
|, round election polls with troops mel
away as soon as they are presented
and 50 rapidly that they who brinl
them forward are scarcely able t,
formulate them until they disappea
even from their own observation. Th
revolutionary character Of the pro
posed Legislation upon an appropria
ton bill was the main cry Of the Re
. publicans Of the House when they Sc
out to declaim against it; but at tn
heel Of theirhunt their chief champion
Garfield, was compelled to abandon
this ground, and now Blaine declares
!, ''of course, we do not call it revolu
tionary to put amendments in appro
priation bills" But he finds it to b,
"the audacity Of revelation for any
Senator or Representative, or any
Caucus of Senators or Representatives
to get together and say that they will
!, have certain legislation or stop the dc
partments Of the government; /" non,
of which declarations, it is apparent
under his own admission, are made b,
putting amendments on appropriation
bills, which he declares to be very
innocent thing and one that has Otter
been done; and yet in no other way
has the Democratic majority in Con
gress made these declarations. Itpro
poses to amend the army appropria
Is tion bill as its Judgment requires it II
be amended and to pass the bill owe
TO the Executive for bis consideration
Iaod .o..ox, NJ ul. ..t..