The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-04-17
What Tllen2


The Army bill has passed the House
by an unexpectedly ,.irge majority and
has been transmitted to The Senate. /,
may be debated there at length, but its
passage is foregone conclusion, :.i,j
! within week or ten days it will b: pre-
scnted to the President for his approval
or disapproval. Mr. Stephens nj d 9TH
ers think he will yield to the wishes Of
the majority and sign the bill. Tie Re
publican journals and party leaders say he
| will return it to the House without his
approval. If he signs it, of course the
trouble ends so far as the Army bill is
concerned. The following are the
riders TO which the Republicans OBJ
ject:
"That section 2,OO2 of the Revised
Statutes be amended 30 as to read as fol-
lows: No military or naval officer, or
other person engaged in the civil, militia
ry or naval services of the United States,
shall order, bring, keep, or have under
his authority or control any troops or
armed men at the place where ar; gencr-
nj or special election is held ia any State.
unless it be necessary to rc,cl the armed
enemies Of the United States
"And that section 5,523 Of the Reys.
ed Statutes be amended SO rs to read AZ
follows:
EVERY officer Of the army or navy, or
other person in the civil, military, or
naval service Of the United States, who
orders, brings, keeps or has under l,io an.
thority or control any troops or armed
men at any place where general or
special election is held in any State,
shall be fined not more than five thou
sand dollars, and suffer imprisonment at
hard labor not less than three months
nor more than five years
II il known that the President does
not favor the presence Of troops ut the
polls, but his party advisers have at
tempted to make him believe that the
above amendments have been adopted in
n "revoluti0nHry" manner and it is
therefore his duty to withhold his nl.
proval from the legislation. Should he
be forced into doing this should hu re.
fuse to sign the bii-it is well known
that in neither the Senate nor the House
have the Democrats u sufficient majority
TO overcome tho veto. In the event OF II
veto, what then? Will tho Democrats
stand firm? The recent vote IL the
House indicates that the majority in that
body will not yield. The Senate Com
mittce on Appropriations took but i day to
consider the bill, and then reported it back
favOrably without amendment which
shows no sign of surrender there But no
matter what the Senate may do, all ap.
preparations must originate in the House
aud the temper of the fIousc is known.
Then the army will be virtually disband-
ed for want of money TO support it. But
it is said the country can get along with
out nm Army for year. Perhaps itcan-
but when the Army bill is killed, there
comes up the Legislative, Executive and
Judicial Appropriation bill, to which the
Democrats will add rs rider" amend
ments repeating the jurors test oaths, the
sections of tho statutes authorizing spc-
cial deputy marshals, doing away with
chief supervisors 'or each voting precinct
without any police authority. This
measure will be even more bitterly dis
cussed than the Army bill has been, be-
cause the interests of Northern Demo.
Gratis declare thlt the statutes, rs they
stand, put the power Of controlling cleo
tions in the hands Of the Administration
while the Republicans retort that to re-
peal them is to remove the last snfn-
guards to the purity OF the ballot. This
bill, rs amended, will pass the House
and the Senate, and the President will
be again required to act, but on matter
Of fur greater Importance than in the
present instance.
The veto will kill the bill, and the
wheels of Government nuts come to q
stand still. The &C .Intry may be able Ia
get along for year without nm army, bu,
it cannot dispense with Government for
n minute. a situation of affairs will bc
reached where either the President or
Congress must yield, and it is the iormc,
who must give UP untennbe ground nnC
prevent anarchy. Congress represent.
the people. TIE representatives of the
people charged with the power making
appropriations and vested with the righ
to annex to them such conditions rs il
may think to be for the best interests O
the people. This proposition is nlmos
MS old rs is the history of English speak
ing people and rs true now us it was two
hundred years ago. We believe AIr
Hayes will sign these bils-rcluctantl,
rs he mny-nnd then the elections o
1880 will give the verdic. of the peopl,
upon the course pursued by the Demo
cratic majority in Congress-Augusf,
Chronicle cnd C6nstifutionaHst.