Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-22
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

| After the execution OF Emperor
| Macmillan of Mexico there was great
| indignation through
| Mov;m;1;o,,. out the United States.
despite the general
Avengers. sympathy of the Amer
lean people with the Mexicans in their
| efforts to establish a government Of
| their own. An attempt to avenge the
unfortunate Austrian prince was &C
! tually begun. as the following dispatch
| from New Orleans in The Star of July
| II. 1857. indicates:
Late advices of private nature
| from Texas assure me that owing to
| the occasion made by the execution OF
| Macmillan. a reorganization OF the
| order of the Knights of the Golden
| of the order of Maximilian.' and re-
| liable information was in possession OF
! parties here as to the numbers and
| extent Of the organization. which Is
| stated to exceed ordinary supposable
| limits Certain 1t Is that there are not
| less than 10000 armed men in Texas
| alone who are sworn to avenge the
| death Of the Austrian prince, and will.
unless the military are extremely
| vigilant. make their way into Mexico
| to conquer, starve or get hanged. In
| this city a small organization has been
offered, but alone it Is not sufficient
| TO erect anything. zen. s9HeTiudH eA-
presses the utmost confidence in the
vigilance and activity of Gen. Reynolds
| to prevent invasion in any numbers
| The whole Mexican scheme to avenge
| Macmillan is. in fact. concertion
| of eX-ConfederateS and flibuSterers.
Neither the officers nor soldiers of the
| United States Army manifest any sym
! pathy with the movement and. nearly
| without exception, both justify Juarez
| in the execution of the ex-emperor'
| The effort of citizens Of Washington
| to have a voice in the selection Of a
District Commissioner
MunicinaI lends interest in measure
an proposed fifty years ago
oMceS. affecting municipal ap-
pointments. This Is noted as follows
| in The Star of July IS. 1867:
''The bill prepared by the committee
| Of the republican association of this
city and passed by the House yesterday
| provides that all the officers whose ap-
| pointments are now authorized by the
| charter or by any law of the United
States or act or ordinance of the city, or
which may hereafter be authorized
| thereby, shall be selected by ballot on
| the first Monday in August of each
year, In joint convention of the mayor,
board of aldermen and board of COM
measure seems to have been the crea-
| ton by the last councils. just prior to
adjournment. of the new Office of in
spector of sewers. etc. and the appoint
tnent to fill It of one obnoxious to the
| political majority at the last election,
| by having been an opposition candidate
| for the Office of surveyor. The board
of aldermen have thus far not con-
| Cured with the lever board in the
measure abolishing this office. hence
| the inception Of this bill, which makes
a clean sweep Of all the offices in the
| appointment of mayor. 1t Ia held by
| some that the divided responsibility
| caused by this bill will work badly
and result in much confusion. 1t has
| been said that this is the first instance
| in which city officers have been elected
| by Joint convention of the two
| branches OF the councils, but we learn
! that in the neighboring city of Balti-
more such practice has prevailed. BY
| act of the assembly of Maryland. No
| vember l. 1907 1t was provided that all
| nominations should be by joint nomf-
nation of both boards of council. This
was amended by act of 1927. that the
mayor shall nominate and by and with
| the advice of the convention Of the two
| branches shall appoint all offices under
the corporation except the register.
| On the 18th of July. 1867. President
with a veto message
Presidents the supplementary re-
W.T. construction act. 1t
'e'o ASsue' was this veto message
IRresident and Congress to a climax and
that brought the issue between the
eventually led to his iInpea chment. The
Star of July 90. 1857. said:
'"rhe excitement over the veto of the
supplemental reconstruction bill was
very great in both halls of Congress
yesterday afternoon. so great as to gen.
crate the impression that another extra
session, to commence about the middle
upon. This forenoon, however. this ex-
citement had so abated as that at l pm.
(, it was generally believed in the Capitol
building that an adjournment over
until the first Monday in December
would take place in the course of the
day. It was Judged safe for Congress
to thus adjourn over, as the President
has been legislated as powerless to
carry out his policy as Congress can
possibly make him without removing
MIN from office The defiant tone in
which the message denounces Congress
and it's measures of reconstruction. in
the face of the fact that the people at
the polls and the Supreme Court Gin
disposing of the Jenkins and Sharkey
mandanus cases) have emphatically
decided the action of a. national legisla-
ture in the premises, to be the law of
the land is sufficient to account for the
vehemence of the demonstrations of
members of both houses against that
paper. Nevertheless, we do not see how
1t can work further mischief. The peo-
pie of the south now understand that
to follow the executives counsel is
surely to involve themselves and their
section in greater difficulties and Sacri-
fees They will therefore accord him
no more encouragement to multiply
their troubles. They comprehend thor
oughly the absurdity Of his position
that everything involved in the state
governm entS of his own creation is law
full and constitutional, while everything
involved in the temporary governments
of those states enacted by Congress is
unlawful and unconstit utional. The ma
iority of the House and Senate feel
satisfied to leave to the decision of the
people at the fall elections the question
whether rebels and rebel principles and
sentiments shall be re-cstablished in
the control of the south or whether the
south shall be made to conform its
state governments and ruling ideas to
those of New York. Pennsylvania, Ohio
states, which is after all the gist of
their contest with the President"
The Star furthermore stated that so
many Of the members had left for home
that those of the House faVoring i'm
peachment found themselves In ma
iority that afternoon and resolution
introduced by Mr.. Logan and seconded
bv Mr. Schenck was adopted, ST to 49,
instructing the judiciary committee to
report forthwith to the House all the
testimony taken in the matter Of the