Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-07-23
PERHERTINa THE TRUTH.


Some of the Republican speakers and
orators have what can be called justly a
talent for Misrepresentation. They can dis
tort statements and pervert facts with the
greatest facility, and give to the plainest ut
terances of their political opponents mean
ing entirely foreign to wha. was intended.
One of the most proficient of these pervert-
ers of language is Emory A. Storrs, of Chi
cago, lawyer Of some celebrity, attained
principally through his defense % the
whisky thieves who had been indicted for
defrsuding the government. He is mer-
curial little chap, endowed to large extent
with the gift of CAB, aud for that reason
has been retained by the Garfield managers
to defend him from the assaults of the
Poland committee and Justice Swayne, of
the supreme court. He made speech at
Burlington, Iowa, the other day, and mani
tested his usual tactics by ignoring al
together the claims of his client and de-
voting his entire attention to an endeavor to
malign his opponents. He "dissected" the
Democratic platform pretty thoroughly, if
we may judge from the published reports of
the speech. The subjoined paragraph is q
fair sample of the whole:
Their the Democrats fifth plank eclares
''rhe subordination of the military to the
civil power, and a thorough and genuine re-
form of the civil service
This simply means that the military power
shall not be used to protect the citizens nor to
put down armed and organized resistance to the
enforcement of the laws. 1t means that the
moonshiner shall go unpunished; it means that
wherever an independent Democrat determines
that he will not pay the revenues which the
government imposes upon the business which
ne his pursuing no military power shall be
employed to compel such payment; it means
that sots of Congress may be resisted in their
execution by organized bodies of armed men;
that no military power may intervene to ell
force those acts of Congress or to put down
such armed and organized resistance to their
enforcement 1t means that an act of Congress
providing for an honest ballot and for a peacea-
BILE poll shall be rendered nugatory by the sur
rounding of the polls by armed and organized
bands of ruffians, and that the military powers
of the nation shall not be invoked to protect
the citizens in the enjoyment of their privi-
legeS, in the enjoyment of which the consti-
tutional amendments solemDly guarantee
him.
Mr.. Storrs is man of intelligence, and
consequently must know that the lnterpreta-
ton he gives to the language of the Demo
cratic platform is q dishonest one. The de-
claration does not mean any such thing as
be states. The Democrats have ever been
law abiding citizens, jealous of the rights of
every legally qualified voter. They have
nnnoSad tho ~ of
to put down armed and
organized resistance to the enforcement of
the laws. What they have opposed and do
oppose is the employment of troops to in
timidate voters. The constitution gives the
President the power to suppress armed in
surrection against the government, and this
power hes ever been sustained by the Demo
cratic party, for the constitution is Demo-
cratic document. The declaration does not
mean that the moonshiner shall go unpun-
ished. The enforcement of all laws has ever
been the cardinal principle of the Democratic
party, and whoever transgresses the laws
shall bepunished. 1t does not mean that
acts of Congress may be resisted by armed
bodies of men, for all such can be suppress
ed under the constitution. 1t does not mean
that acts looking to the protection of an hon
est ballot shall be rendered nugatory, but it
means that the polls shall be kept free from
all that will in any way tend to interfere
with the free exercise Of the franchise.
The Democratic party stands firmly forth
as the advocate and defender of constitutions
al law. Itrespects all just laws, and will
pay close regard to ali laws until they are de-
clared void by the proper tribunal. 1t is
not in favor OF rullifying any laws. 1t will
always be fou. d n tbs side of law and Or
der, bat will II 1T that constitutional
methods for the enforcement of the laws
shall be employed. The military power
must be subordina.ed to the civil, and force
called into requesition only when the civil
officers are unable to perform their duties.