The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-07-17


of the state, and that the Federal
Government has nothing to do with
them. To these decisions gentle
men on the other side, with one or
two exceptions, have absolutely re-
Trained in the debate from refer
ring. In addition to that we urged
the argument that the laws we
sought to repeal enabled the super
visors to come into the state and
interfere with state elections for the
selection of state officers, and we
also referred to the fact that In the
state of New York and other states
the greatest outrages had been
committed by the arrest of citizens
without warrant by officers who
had not seen them commit any of
fence against the laws, and who,
upon bare suspicion that an offence
was intended, had arrested them.
We showed from experience how,
in the South, justice had been made
farce; that Jurors were drawn in
the interests of partisanship, and
that cases were decided in the in
terests of partisanship, and that the
courts had absolutely failed to sec
ton. We referred to the city of
New York, where, on an election
day, more than 5000 American cit
liens were imprisoned by the au
thOrity of supervisors of elections,
and afterwards discharged by a
/ - af
who decided that there was no au-
thority to arrest, and that they had
been guilty of no crime. More
than that, we referred in our argu-
ment to the great doctrine of civil
liberty, and maintained that the
measures we sought to repeal were
inimical to freedom, unsubversive
of free government.
No more manly, no more digni-
fed, no more logical debate, so far
as the Democratic side of this
House is concerned, was ever con-
Quoted on this floor; but in what
way were our arguments treated by
gentlemen OF the other side of the
House? With the exception OF
half dozen speeches, the pretend
ed answers to our arguments might
as well have been made on any
other subjects as upon the bill now
before the House for consideration.
When we said that these measures
were violative of the Constitution
of the United States, Republican
orators replied that on this side of
the House the majority were Con-
federate brigadiers, who had at
tempted to overthrow the Constitu-
ton of the United States. When
we referred to the fact of the out
RACES committed on American citi
zens, they replied by citing the out
RACES committed at Andersonville
and other prisons in The South dur
ing the war, and when we urged
that the power of the army should
be so limited and qualified that it
might not be used to overthrow the
people, they said your side was
whipped by that army, and, there
fore, you are opposed to it.
Never in all my knowledge has debate
been so honestly conducted as this has
been upon our side of the House; never
have arguments been more unfairly
met than have our arguments by gen
tlemen on the other side. There are
honorable exceptions, of course. lie
would be invidious to name them, but
1 will venture to mention the names of
two, and l refer to the distinguished
gentleman from Connecticut, Mr.. Haw-
ley, and the gentleman from New Jer.-
sey, Mr.. Robson.
AS the result of this debate, bills have
been passed and sent to the President
of the United States and have been We
toed. The veto power was designed by
the Constitution as a power to prevent
unconstitutional legislation, or hasty, or
ill-considered legislation, or TO enable
the Executive to protect itself against
Entertainments from other branches of
the Government. L defy any gentle
man to point me TO any argument in
the debate upon the adoption of the
Constitution which did not give in
favor of this provision one or the other
of these reasons and in the history of
this Government, from the day OF us
foundation until now, the veto power
was never before exercised TO prevent
the repeal of a law, or to prevent the en-
actment of a general appropriation bill.
Certainly, never before was the veto
power exercised to practically take
away from one of the two houses of
Congress power which is conferred up
on it separately by the provisions of the
Constitution itself. The power to orig
mate bills of revenue is power which
belongs to US, and it is power which,
if the President interferes with it as he
has done by this veto in this case, he
can absolutely take away from us.
What reasons have been urged for
these extraordinary vetoes? Chiefly
that the bills we sought to pass took
away from the Executive authority the
power to enforce the law. Because we
would not let him use the army on cleo
ton day to keep the peace at the polls,
he said we took away from him the
power to enforce the laws.
Sir, the army is the creature of Con-
gress. The Constitution declares that
the Congress may raise an army. The
declares that appropriation
for the army shall not last longer than
two years. The Constitution declares
that Congress may make rules and reg
ulations for the government of the
army; rules and regulations, "rules''
coming first, regulations" afterwards.
Therefore the army is absolutely the
Vi W hObIOA ~ SioAA
be used to execute the laws or not is for
Congress to say and not for the Presi
dent. Applause on the Democratic
side.l BE must take the army as we
give it to him, for the purposes which |
we declare it shall be used for, we being |
the power TO create it.
Strange to say, IKE President and his |
advisers, and the gentlemen on the 9TH
sr side of the House, seem to have lost |
sight of the constitutional provision |
which gives the President the power to |
execute the laws. The language OF in
;trument is that the President of the |
United States may call upon the militia |
Of the several states TO execute the laws.
There is the power given to him for the
execution of the laws not the army, I'M
ess Congress says so but the militia OF
he states, because the Constitution so
provides.
Never for an instant did our bills in
erfere with the power OF the President
'ver the militia of the states, but only
,veF this army, this creature of ours.
The President has the militia of the
tates, from one end of the United States
o the other, to aid him in executing the
avs on election day or atany other time,
It the polls or any where else.
What is the result now after the We
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