Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-09-12
AGREED
As to One of the Issues of the
Political Fight.
HARMON AND GENERAL HARRISON


Of United States Courts Dominates All
the Rest-Statement Made by the Ma
tional Attorney General in Reply to
Numerous Inquiries rs TO the Question
Raised by Att geld and Debs.
Washington, Sept. l2.-Attorney Gen.
sral Harmon has furnished the following
Tor publication: have concluded to give
public answer to the many inquiries
made of me upon n subject of great mo-
ment to which general attention is now
directed. Mr.. Bryan, in his letter accept
ing the nomination for president by the
convention Il. Chicago amplifies the pro-
test which that convention made in its
platform against federal interference in
local affairs, which strangely enough is
not found in the platforms of the other two
conventions which have also nominated
him. AS nothing else has been done o.
proposed to which they can possibly ap-
ply these protests We're intended and are
understood to be directed against the re-
cent action of the president in fOrcibly
suppressirE riotous disorders which had
stopped the carriage OF the mails and in
terstate commerce and were defying the
| civil officers of the United States.
Thinks il the Paramount Issue.
''> "e '.'' ''o'
"i' "t'ho"' 'hS iedu'@'' 'u' III Soii'e
instances against the protest oi the au-
| thor!tieS of the states in which the
| riots occurred and Mr.. Bryan. taking
| section four of article " of the consti-
| tuition to be the law upon the subject,
pledges himself against any repetition of
L Ii
| necessarily charges. This.
in my judgment. is far more serious
| matter than the money question sr
any OF the other questions now before
the people grave as they all are
Our form OF government may survive
a wrong decision of those questions.
land the ncopIe nav endIrp for a time
| the evils which result from false sys-
TENS of finance and taxation. but if the
president has deliberately diSrcgarded
the instrument upon which the Union
is founded by Supplanting the author
Iity of Il sovereign state by armed force,
Il precedent has been made which
| threatens our form of government.
| The Section That Covers the Case.
| While, if a candidate for president
pledge himself in advance-as Mr.. Bry-
an has done-to do nothing to protect
the property, maintain the authority
ard enforce the laws of the United
States unless and until the officers of
another government request or CON
sent. then we really have no federal
government. for government which
is not entirely free to use force to pro-
tect and maintain its own proper func-
tions is no government at all
The section of the constitution to
which Mr.. Bryan refers is as follows:
The Cnited States shall guarantee to
Icvery state in this Union a republican
form of government. and shall protect
each of them against invasion: and
on application of the Legislature. or
of the executive twhen the Legislature
cannot be convendD. against domestic
violence"
How Harmon Intcrprrfs 1t.
This section plainly refers merely to
the protection of the states against in
reference with their authority. laws
or property by domestic violence. laws
Ithcy are wisely made the sole ir,drcs
whether and when they need such nro-
lection. But by the exnrcss