Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-09-18


the rights of the States is essential to
the maintenance of freedom and pros.
perity and is one of the greatest safe.
guards that can be conceived Of the
Union itself But on the other hand |
fear that there are thousands and tens
of thousands of men in this country
who would prefer even limited mon.
archy to the form of Government under
which we live. They do not believe in
the rule of the people they do not be-
lieve in universal suffrage they do not
believe in the rights of the States but
they do believe in strong centralized
Government, backed by a standing
army and presided over or ruled by n
Chief Magistrate chosen for long term
or even for life. They are too sagacious
to expect their hopes to be speedily
realized. They know that "A govern
ment like ours can not be subvertcd in
day, but they also know that, even if
its form be left untouched, its essential
principles may be day 10y day weakened
or destroyed until in the end il shall be
in substance and in practice the consoli
dated Government they desire. Hence
they favor and applaud every usurpa.
ton of Congress and the President, and
regard with satisfaction every thing
that tends to weaken or destroy the re.
served rights of the States.
THE ARMY At THE roLLs.
Ny friends, have said that the pur.
pose of the Radical leaders to overthrow
local government is shown, among
other things, by numerous acts of Con.
gresS. To speak OF these acts in detail
would require not one speech, but many.
! can not, therefore, undertake that
task tonight But there are some laws TO
which | must ask your attention, not
only because Of their deep reaching ef.
iccts, but also because they are promi.
nently brought under consideration at
the last two sessions of Congress. nad
are among the most prominent issues
now before the people. And first let
me say few words about the law en-.
acted in FEBRUARY. 1875, authorizing the
use of the army of the United States to
keep the peace at the polls. When
that law was enacted, the Government
of the United States had been in exist.
ence for more than three quarters of
century. We had passed through two
wars with foreign countries. and
through civil war Of four years dura.
ton, and almost unequalcd in magni.
tude in the annals Of mankind and
yet, during all this period, nearly
scycntys six years, neither in peace nor
in war had it been deemed proper, or
even admissible, by our law.makers, TO
use the standing army Of the United
States to interfere in any manner in the
elections OF the people. But when. in
lN6j, the Radical leaders resolved TO
overthrow civil government in the
South. and to divide that portion Of the
Republic into military departments. to
be ruled by five Generals Of the army.
and to permit no elections, uuless sane.
toned by those Generals and supervis.
cd by them, then this law authorizing
the use of the army at the polls was
first enacted. How IL was executed is
ow a matter of history. Its professcd
object was TO preserve the peace its
practical operation was to disturb the
peace. II is said to lie in the interest
Of free and fair elections il was used as
an instrument OF terror to destroy free
elections. And this commencement
being made in the art of bayonct rule
we soon saw wider scope given TO the
employment of military force we saw
lawful Legislatures overthrown by the
bayonei; we saw lawful State officers
kept out Of the possession Of their offices
by the same means; we saw usurping
Legislatures and usupine Governors in.
stalled into Office by the same instru.
ment we saw thousands of our soldiers,
needed on the Western frontiers to pro-
tect the people from their savage foes,
kept in the Southern States in order to
carry elections for the Republican par.
~ and maintain Republicans in the
usurpations of the State Governments;
and all this, years and years after the
close Of the civil war all this, at a time
when not one hostile hand was raised
against the Federal Government from
one end of the Union to the other IL
there were any justification for this law
while the Radical process Of reconstruc.
ton was going on while Congress was
debating State Constitutions and State
Governments while elections were held
under the supervision of Generals of the
army il at a time like that the law
could be justified, what justification ia
there now, nine years after reconstruc.
ton was completed, and when all the
tNAhAfH Hft IflNItHFUNft lfl AEAf NhuEEtNs
of the Union2 Ny friends. there is no
justification for this law at all. 1t is
vain To say that 1t is a mere instrumen.
tality to preserve the peace. No such
fundamentally is needed. The people
of the United States have been able to
preserve the peace at elections ever
since the Government was formed az
well, nay better, than it has ever been
preserved in any other country Of pop.
ular institutions. The only effect Of
the law is to enable the President 10
overawe the people who are opposed TO
his Administration. 1t makes the army
an instrument of party instead of being
what it ought to be, and what, consti.
tutionally, il can only be. the army of
the whole United States. IL is law
not only repugnant to liberty, but
greatly injurious TO the army itself.
have never heard an officer Of the army
speak Of il except TO deplore its exist.