Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-06-21
MIR. KNOTT'S REPORT.

In another column we print the syn
! opsis furnished by the associated pres
of a very important state paper--the re
port prepared by Mr.. Proctor Knott
chairman of the committee on Iudiciar.
of the house of representatives at Wash
iugton, on the presidents veto of thu
army bill. The country was given t.
| understand for some time beforehand
that this document would be foIthcOm
ing, and the glance at its argumen'
which is y~ouchsafed us is enough to con
| vince us that it must make a great i'm
preston by the vigor of its reasoning
| and the mastery force of its appeals
As IN the able and exhaustive speech o
| Senator Wallace, of Pennsylvania, thu
arguments of republicans are made te
| do service against themselves. and 1t l:
| proven that the north a already sui
fered dangerous encroachments upon III
| liberties by the obnoxious laws which
| the democrats seek to repeal, so MI
| Knott has turned the reasoning OF MIR
Hayes to good account to prove his OWE
| position, and clearly shown that but fol
| lapses OF memory which look very much
as if they could not be anything but H.
| territorial, the president must have come
to Just the opposite of the conclusions In
his veto messages.
The report is especially useful in thai
| it comes from the law committee OF the
house, and though a legal paper.is writ
ten in such a way as will maxi it an at
tract We campaign document, armed ID
every sentence with unanswerable logic
and in every paragraph with quotations
from republican luminaries i'll support
of the present democratic position.
We have seen 1t stated somewhere by
some enemy of democracy that it was a
mere exhibition of s%plenetlc impotence
to reply by argument to a message
which had the full force of authority. Ii
the veto OF a president were final. such
an argument might carry with it some
weight; but in a popular government
there always remains an appeal to the
people. With a president really elected
70 his position, a president backed by a
majority at the polls, there might be lit
tie danger OF a reversal OF his fiat, es-
pecially if u temporary whim OF con-
gress had caused the passage of an un-
wise or unconstitutional law, but here we
have a president never elected. holding
bis seat despite a popular majority
against him OF two hundred and fifty
thousand, vetoing a bill repeating an act
which every constitutional writer must
admit 10 in conflict with the fundamental
law of the land.
1t is True that the law sought to be
repealed has been in force since 1866,
but this gives it no claim to respect for
its age, and if it were much older the
present Is the first opportunity that has
offered the law making power to undo
it; and Mr.. Knott rightly regards the
presidents argument that the law is
now a dead letter as puerile. first be-
cause the facts do not warrant the as
sumption; and second, because, If they
did, this would not prove that under
the next administration they might not
be again revived to carry elections
against the voice of the majority.
No time could have been oppor-
tune than the one chosen by the demo-
Gratis for the passage of this law. Mr..
Hayes had, in his letter OF acceptance,
and In various speeches and messages,
declared himself for local self govern.
ment, and had, at the risk of the dis
pleasure of the stalwart members of his
party, removed the soldiers from the
states of Louisiana and South Carolina,
80 that there was every reason to expect
that be would sanction the legislation
sought by the democrats, especially
when strong opinions had frequently
been expressed by three members OF his
cabinet in opposition to the policy of
using troops at the polls. Another
thing-the republican party had con-
staatly denied its tendency toward acen-
t%ralization of all power in the federal
government. and it was the best time
in the world to make them ''show their
hand" as would be said at cards. They
were sure to do it. The democrats o c
cupied the constitutional and the patrl'
otto ground, and another election was
approaching at which, If no soldiers
were used, the more hateful and cor
rupt system of deputy marshals might
again be put in requisition, to buy. with
the money OF all the people. a victory
for q minority party.
The democrats have unmarked their
enemy, and will easily prove it to be
the enemy of the people.
The insurance companies will get into
very bad edor if they do not cease try.
;nr 81 obatr,ot looiolot;on hu 10 rnonv