National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-06-05

lVBlslAlNc ulgKS anu tuCtlCst cllsVeu on INC
Democratic side
THE c1ovEN FOOT.
The excitement over the Louisiana matter
consumed nearly the whole Of January, and
the false reports from BLAZING packed com.
dred papers, and the bipartisan Democratic
mass meetings in New York and Boston, pro.
duced some panic among weak kneed Repub-
llcans OF tho House held caucus 10 determine
upon some action. The only object
Of the caucus was to so amend
the rules us TO give two.thirds Of the House
more powerto net thun one-fflh had to OBJ
struct As all cnucuses aro held with closed
doors, the reports of them have TO be taken
nom the Information derived by newspaper
men from the members present. All give of
the action Of Mr.. Blaine and his friends in
caucus, taRe from his organ, the Tribune.
That Journal said of the caucus in question.
"Blaine, Dawes, Foster, md others, who have
usually shaped party policies, were some OF
then, present, hut took no part" 1t declared
rules was to. enact "the civil rights bill, and
further legislation for the reconstruction ofthe
south"
VICTORY FOR THE COALITION.
The caucus agreed on n new rule, which
would make legislation possible IL agreed to
by two.thirds. When the attempt was made
IN the House on the 25th TO suspend the rules
and adopt this new one, the Republicans found
that they had been deserted by enough OF the
Blaine faction TO give the Democrats victory.
Foster, Hale, Phelps, Roberts and fourteen
other Republicans voted no. Garfield and three
other Republicans lodged The vote stood
llcans had votcduye the vote would have stood
1GS yeas TO ~ nays, which would have been
more thnn the requisite two.thirds. The Tribune
of next day was oxultant,
Then followed the consideration of the civil
rights bill on the 9th, when the minority fill
lustered during a continuous session of forty
siN hours and hall, the yeas and nays being
called soventy.seven times. Each roll call
occupies about twenty minutes.
A BLAINE TRICK.
During this demonstration Of the helpless.
sco T1 We kfPcoS%%n q sns aS
nounced IN n Washington dispatch to the
TciLuie that "Mr, blaine and others have
been attempting during the AFTERNOON to devise
porfes." Nobody doubted as to which side
would be cheated in such an attempt. The
committee or, rules consisted Of Blaine, Gar.
field, MAYNARD Cox, and Randall. Mr. May
nard was the only member who was not the
active partisan Of the Democratic side of
The struggle. new, rule was finally
publicons could get they voted for 1t.
II was adopted Of course. II made q show of
cutting OIL some dllatory motions, but, as sub
sequently construed by IFS author, the speaker,
Il was Just as good for the Democrats as the old
one. Indeed, so pleased with him were his
Democratic allies that they paid him the
correspondent of the New York Tribune (Feb.
25), when the new rule was being applied to
the force bill |" %Blalne's rulings were only
because OF any doubt as to the correctness OF
bis decisions"
CAUCUS ON TUE FORCE BILL
On the 10Th of February the joint committee
Of the joint Republican caucus of the two
houses agreed ON the bill they deemed ncces-
s0ry to repress southern disorders and violence
at elections. on thel2th of February, at u Joint
Republican caucus, the bill was agreed TO aud
ordered to be presented In the House. The
1nlt as's report mentions Pierce and Hpwley
as being opposed to 1t. II said GARFIELD took
| strong ground against the bill, saying II would
mean Il third presidential term, to which he
was totally opposed. speaker Blaine followed
| in a speech, taking q similar view of the ques.
ton" This was undoubtedly the keynote Of
the renegade Republicans who thus enlisted
in the service Of the White League Democracy
| The slave power must be rehabilitated, and
| tie political rights of citizens crushed under
is triumphal car, lest Grant be again, elected
| President. The assumption that he desired u
reelection, or that amy body desired II for him,
was entirely gratuitous, and came of Blaine's
! own dlsIcmrered dreams OF being made Presi-
! dent himself BY.A GRATEFUL SOUTH
BIAINE's SPEECH IN CAUCUS.
On the 18th of February there appeared In tho
| Tribune the following:
| d "WAslnNGToN, Feb. 1i.-There having been
some erroneous reports of Speaker Blaine $
| speech in the Republican caucus of Friday
| evening last the following is given as an dii-
| htntic outline of all he said:
THE speaker confined his remarks wholly
] W INC LOT u BcuSIul suspVnSlOu Ol
| the writ of habeas corpus, and made 10 refer
ence whatever TO any other subject"
He knew that this was Il gross misstatement
OF what the bill proposed, Its Language was
| clear. II only authorized the President to sus.
| pend the writ "lcithin he limits Of The district
which shall so be underline sway" of powerful
| and armed combinations 80 numerous and
| Powerful as to be able by violence to either
| overthrow or set at defiance the constituted au.
thorities of said state and of the United States
Within said state, "or when the constituted
authorities were In completely with" such
| armed combinations.
The report continues:
"IIe stated that he could see no possible
reason for giving the President the power to
| suspend the. great writ at his discretion in
Maine and Michigan because there was a dis
turbed condition of affairs In Louisiana or Mis-
sssippi. lflhere Is q condition there to war
rant Il, let the suspension be confined to the
disturbed districts"
The above quotation from the bill proves
that Mr. Blaine was guilty of most khavish
| attempt to deceive the public. The President
was TO be given no such power as he depre-
Gated. He could only suspend the writ within
the limits of n district completely under the
| sway OF armed and organized rebels against
law: How, then. could 1t touSh Maine and
Michigan What credit shall be given the
uttCranees of n man thus convicted of bearing
false witness, to shield himself from the wrath
of betrayed Republicans
Again; "Ile could not see why southern
states like Virginia. North Carolina, and Ten
nessce, that were trying to sustain good gov
crnment, should be menaced and excited by
suspension ofthe writ of habeas corpus"
Denocrdiic national conrcniionf They were in
no danger unless they should ''connive' with
organized murder; He said the proposition was
''unlmited us to time and territory" 1t would
''confer power rail- time and on whoever was
President" He had great respect for Presi-
dent Grant. "but would never vote to confer
How disipgehuous; how iishonest He
knew that Gen. Grant had this power con-
ferTed on him by the kukluX act OF 1871, and
had exercised It only in South Carolina, and
there only in nine counties He made no
proposition TO amend IL rs to time or territory.
But lclea trds so amended in the House as 10
limit y 10 the four suites Of Louisiana. Arkan-
sas, Mississippi, aud Alabama and totermi-
nate II entirely at the end, of the session Of
JTcnds rdsjua as ddcrmtned as bJore.
have quoted from this authorized version
OF Mr. Blaine's caucus speech against the
force bill because he made no speech on 1t In
the House, and did not vote, and has some-
times seemed TO convey the impression, with
out saying so, that 1t could not DO shown that
he was against II.
THE STRUGGLE IN THE HOUSE.
The Introduction of the bill was assigned to
Mr.. Coburr, the chairman of the committee on
the Alabama investigation. He struggled many
days to get II before the House for considers
tiOn-bcing ioiled by the maneuvers OF the
Blaine clique. The trlckcry by which he was
thus prevented from bringing up this vital
measure was thus merrlly described by the
happy Inlute correspondent under date Of
Feb. 20: "Cohurn makes Two or three frantic
efforts every day to have the force bill taken
mp. Although his committee can report at any
time, The motion TO go into committee of the
whole on The state of the Union Is question
OF higher privilege. So that when Mr. Dawes
or Mr.. Garfield takes him of his feet by such
a motion. and the Democrats clRmor for the
regular order, he Is generally len waving hit
bill In the air In useless protest"
| Let II constantly be borne In mind that thi!
bill had been agreed nby the Republicans O
both houses IN Joint caucus, as absolutely
necessary for the final effort to protect the vie
| tins of southern kukluX ontrages.
The Ti5uRC correspondent on the same duy
| predicted n great contest over the bill, ii,
said ION the one side win be Gen. Butler and
| Mr. Geo. Il. Honr; ON the other side Messri
Blaine Dawes, II he retains his cOurage) and