Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-09-04
.afoaad military commanders sin the
Est, especially in the critical perlsd
SfE EAspfsaching. All'sr we'll that
eSfIfis;WeIf.fi The whole matter Of the

~ 32EsN6QIOdCuIuS. AL "S
l6hssWeiffi The whole. matter Of the
pfeafdAncy seems to me- to be simple
aud TO admit Of q peaceful soiutlohl.l
The machinery for such contlngeh.
cy as threatens "a" present itseiI mas
been all carefully prepared. IL only
requires fabrication. owing to dlsusee
The army should have nothing V 20
with the selection or lnaugurauon
of presidents. The people elect che
president. The congress declares M
a regular session Woo he rs we OF
the army have only to obey his man
dates, and are protected Ill so DONG
only SO far as they may DC law
full. Our commissions express that.
l like Jefferson's way OF m
auguration it suits our system. ne
rode alone on horseback to the caPi.
tol Q fear it was the old CapHol),,
tied his horse to . rail-fence, entered
and was duly sworn, then rode TO the
executive mansion aud took posses
sion. He inaugurated himself simply
by taking the oath OF office. Ihere
is no other legal inauguration IN our
system. The people or politicians
may institute parades in honor OF the
event, and public officials may add to
the pageant by assembling troops ana
banners, but all that only comes prop
erly after the inauguration-nst be-
tore, and it is not q part OF 1t. our
system does not provide that enc
president should inaugurate another.
There might be danger i'll that and 1t
was studiously left out Of the char
ter. But you are placed in al excep-
tionally important position i'll con-
nection with coming events. Ihe
capital is III my jurisdiction also, but
am subordinate and not on the
spot, and if 1 were, 50 also would be
| nv Superior in authority, for there ls
the station of the general-in-chiet.
On the principle that q regularly
elected presidents term of office ex-
pres with the Sd of March (of which
have not the slightest doubt), and
which the laws Fearing on the SUBJ
| iect uniformly recognize, and In con-
sidsration Of the possibility that the
lawfully elected president may net
appear until the 5th of March. great
deal of responsibility may necessarily
fall upon YOU. You hold over You
will have power and prestige to sup
port you. The secretary of war, too
probably holds over /; but If no presl'
dent appears he may not be able tG
exercise functions i'll the name OF
president, for his proper acts art
those of known superior-aslawfu
president. You act on your swn re
sponsibility and by virtue OF 4, com
mission, only restricted by the law
The secretary of war is the mouth
piece of a president. You are not
If neither candidate has q csnstltu
tional majority of the electoral col
lege, or the senate and house on tn
occasion of the count do not unite IL
declaring some person legally elected
by the people, there is lawful ma
chinery already provided to meet tina
contingency and decide the question
peacefully. 1t has not been recent
!, used, no occasion presenting ltseli
but our fore fathers provided it.
has been exercised and has been rs
csgnized and submitted to as lawfu
on every hand. That machinery woul
probably elect Mr.. Tilden presiden
and Mr.. Wheeler vice-presideat. Ths
would be right enough, for the lay
/, provides that in a failure to elect dul
by the people the house shall 'imme
diately elect the president aud tn
senate the vice-president. Some tri
! bunal must decide whether the pee
pie have duly elected president.
presume, of course, that it Is iu tn
e Joint affirmative action OF the senat
: and house, or why are they preseu
1 to witness the count if not to see tht
e it is fair and just? If failure
agree arises between the two bodie
there can be no lawful affirmative d.
cision that the people have elected
L president, and the house must the
o proceed to act, not the senate. III
senate elects vice-presidents, not pre-
!. idents. Doubtless in case OF failul
/ by the house to elect q president b
the 4th of March, the president Of tn
senate Gf there be one) would be tn
legitimate person to exercise pres
IL Dental authority for the time bein!
e or until the appearance of lawf'
II president, or fer the time laid dow
j. in the constitution. Such course
Il would be peaceful and, have a fir
e belief, lawful.
: | have 10 doubt Governor Hay
II would make all excellent presiden
,: | have met him and know Of him. Fl
a brief period he served under m
Ii command, but as the matter stands
y can't see any likelihood of his beil
'e duly declared elected by the peOp
l. unless the senate and house come
T. be in accord as to that fact, and I'll
le house would of course not Otherwi
III elect him. What the people want
peaceful determination of this ms
&c ter, as fair determination as posf
y BILE, and lawful one. No other q
re mlnistration could stand the tes
=, The country, if not plunged inte re
III loution, would become poorer d.
IN by day, business would languish, al
II our bonds would come home to iii
IL deprecated market.
was not in favor of the militia
action in South Carolina recently al
if General Ruger had telegraphed
Z me or asked for advice would ha
advised him not under any circuI
oi stances to allow himself or his troO
W to determine who were the lawf
| members of state legislature.
C. could not have given him better a
H. vice than to refer him TO the spec
IL, message Of the president in the CO
We of Louisiana some time before.
If But in South Carolina he had b
We the question settled by decision
av the supreme court of the state-t
nd highest tribunal which had acted
er the question-ss that his line of du
OF seemed even to be clearer than I
action in the Louisiana case. II
oil federal court had interfered and ov
lat ruled the decision of the state CO..
on there might have been a doubt C
I'D tainly, but the federal court only
l terfered to complicate-nst to deci
re- or overrule.
he Anyhow, it is no business of
ng army TO enter upon such questio
C., and even if it might be so in q
iat event. if the civil authority is
i'll preme, as the constitution declare
of to be, the South Carolina case ,
one in which the army had pl
St duty.
iai Had Gen. Ruger asked me for
his vice, and If had given it, sho
The of course have notified you Of
IAN action Immediately, 50 that it CO
have been promptly overruled i
should have been deemed adviss
by you or others Superior in author
ing Gen. Ruger did not ask for my
ect. vice, and l inferred from that
to other facts that he did not desire
e or that, being in direct commun
no ton with my military superiors
any the seat of government, who "
IL nearer to him III time and distH
L than was-he deemed IT, unnece