The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-06-21
Last Nights DisbA@s. !
xLvIcoN0R.ESs
a777-177sH - ~ - Tl7-7--9 -
sENATE,

desk and had read a circular by one 4
Lycurgu j ones. intended for circulation
among the blacks, promising them. govern
ment support in Kansas, and saying that /
Congress intended to deprive. them OF
their freedom. .' ''a-.
Senator 'kirkwood, after legal argu-
ment, said the people Of, Iowa. are large
exporters, and they do not propose to ask
the permission Of the people of New York, /
Newt Orleans, or San Francisco. toN send |,
their produce to those ports. Prosperity
of the country depends on the strength of |.
the government to protect all parts of it.
There is persistent effort to gradually
weaken and sap the power of the general /
government. We fear that in the
future, much that has cost us so dearly to
obtain, may be lost. We. intend to see /
to it carefully, and pFudently that that /
result shall not follow ,.a.., ...a
Senator Thurman said the opposition to |
the bill proceeds upon principle that is
utterly. and absolutely ideiensible. 1t
proceeds upon the ground that it is the |
dptV OF Congress to make appropriations
70 execute every law which ii rnor, the /
statute books, whether that law be con- |
stltutlonal or not, polite or not. con-
demned By the people or not. The prinei- |
pie upon which this bill is opposed would
have made it the duty of Congress to ap
propriate money to carry into effect the
alien and sedition law, the fugitive slave
law, if slavery still existed, and if that law
was in force, it would require Congress to
make appropriations to carry into effect
the most detrimental or unconstitutional
law that was ever enacted, if that law bad
not been repealed. Such principle
never obtained in this or any other govern
ment that had legislative body that
made an appropriation. | would ike to
know how am bound to regard law as
constitutional because some former Con-
gress enacted that law. Take those elec-
ton laws. / was never clearer in my life
than upon the proposition that these laws
are unconstitutional, and am / to be fore
sworn by voting money to carry them
into execution2 If DO l make myself
p articeps crineinis. No sir; the
law is. passed; it is bad and unconstitu-
| tional: law. and subse qRent Congresses
may be unable terepealft. ButGohgress
has an absolute right to use all the power
| the constitution confers upon it upon the
4 question, whether that law shall be exc
cuted or not, and if it cannot be executed
without approprfating the peoples money
then the man who thinks it unconstitu-
tional and votes the peoples money to ex-
ecute II is perjured. man and nothing
Hess Nothing is clearer than that, if the
! majority of Congress are opposed to law
, and cannot repeal 1t, yet they are not
J bound to vote the money of the people
! which is ia their keeping to execute that
: law, which they believe to be unconstitu-
: tioBal. will go further. and say if they
] believe the law to be impolitie they have
that right. ''
Senator .Blaine-.Then the citizen by the
same reasoning is net bound to obey law.
Senator Thurman The Senator from
e Maine would not make bis living as a
e lawyer or he would not ask me such a
o lquesEion. What is the. BODY? Is Can
r gress bound By deeisiOps Gf former Con
gress as to what is constitutional, and il
the law is unconstitutional are we to stul
ltify ourselves and become pdrticeps crtDai
.s GaiS by voting money to execute 1t? Bu
9. there is apother idea started here, an(
II that is that If an appropriation bill doe
d not appropriate money for everything j
le ought to be vetoed or voted down. /
there in that bill an appropriation that i
Objectionable Or not pursuant othe con
i stitution? No man will say so. VIII
le Ethen has rightlto vote against the bill
n lmuch less to veto it, because it does no
q. Inappropriate for something else? Suppos
er Lit did not appropriate for the ordinanc
n department at ALL Certainly it is ea
r dutyt appropriate FOR that department
II. We would have ta take the responsibility
W bot W0gld that Justify any person ID yQtin
against the bill or vetoing2 What righ
would anybody have to say that in du
- . time and according to our judgment "
y ., would not appropriate for itY This bi
y does not appropriate for troops to be use
''S as police force at polls. Put an
=. construction you please on the languag
IA it is a failure to appropriate Tor the SYm
~ when usedfor particular purpose. j u
as Republicans said they would appr
:, Ipriate for the army if it were used out
a. Kansas many years ago. 1t is simply
'eS failure to appropriate. It repeaIs no la
D and no mau can defend his vote, again
ls +, this bill because it does not 5appropria
slIl for a specific purpose. "a great MAJ
lVe people think The army not. necessa
ne' part of the government. Ii they refus
to appropriate for It. it would merely
giving effect to their constitution opinio
lse It is not a necessary Institution, and it
ng lsimpiy question of policy or. judgme
nc. whether it shall be retained / will VI
lu- against any amendment without any
on. gard to its merits ] do not propose
en- send this bill back to the other end of {
nd capitol after last nights experience
ing can help. it. | don't propose to prolo
the this session by delaying the passage of &
cd bill '~' e-~~ '-e'- .-- '-'--.-
I'M After running debate on the aubi
/ of Senator Conkling made q few remarks.
it, predicted that the vote on the bill wo
sed show the effects OF Senator Thurman's
of cision not to accept any amendment T.
hat Senator had evidently feared to trust
9TH brethren. After all that had been s
.ogs against the bin to day it was the eau
nee that did it.
herl Senator Blaine temporarily withdrew
pre- amendment offered some days ago,in or
the to allow the vote to be. taken GA sens
on Conkling's pending amendment, namely
fhel the ending of Section five, the prohibit
i lF lcIause, to add the words except in aiC
lger civil authorities" Rejected-yeas
', lIF- II nays sS.
that Senator Consliag also offered the foil
and ing amendment: Strike out the words
re- a. and insert instead of an ordir
bpy civil, so that the clause woald read II
OF used instead of an ordinary civil pc
lole; force to keep the peace, +" etc. Reiecte
lclal yeas 16, nays 2a.
the Senator Oonkliug offered the follow
Fcn ameudmentat at the end of Section FIVE:
,pH sers the words provided nothing he
dls- shall be construed to affect shesright to
ellce ploy any part of lhearfny 10 execute
fe- laws ir-such cases-and under such circ
!. PM ut stances as such employment OF force