Year: 1875

cluslon OF their report they say: III
cannot be maintained that its proper
exercise violates the rightso the States,
because the States have no protection
or security from fraud or violence with
out calling upon the National Govern
ment, and the Government cannot re-
fuse or neglect toexcrcisc il in n proper
case. The condition of the people Of
Louisiana is substantially one Of an
archy and il becomes the duty of Con
gress to act in the premises when we
como TO examining that clause of the
Constitution. As the committee argues,
it is not the Executive; that il is not
the Senate that ii is not the House Of
Representatives, but that the United
States shall guarantee to every State
in this Union Republican form Of
government.


HAS THE PRESIDENT Such POWER


| do not understand him to be the
United States; does that provision
authorize the Executive upon his own
voltion to 60 and take charge in per-
son or by his agent some man selected
from the army of the government Of a
State. No, sir there is no such thing
in the Constitution, and the interfering
in the State of Louisiana in taking Of
that Government is palpablc viola
ton of the Constitution Of the United
States. The committee, in their res
olution, say: Therefore, your com
mittee recommend the adoption OF the
following resolution Resolved, That
there is no State government at present
existing in the State Of Louisiana"
There is no State Government existing
in the State of Louisiana, hence the
power of Congress. The State has
reached that point in which she shows
her incapacity to govern herself, and
the committee ably argue that it must
be very extreme case for even Con-
gress to act in the matter. / should
think that in great case of emergency,
when State was in anarchy and all
was confusion and disorder, there
might possibly arise ease in which
the Government Of the United States,
according in the forms of law and Con-
stitution, might pass upon and save
them from anarchy and disorder. But
the case must be an extreme one and
the interference must be well consid-
cred before il is done. But how is il
in this case? The President of the
United States assumes to take com.
mand of the State and give these peo-
pie government.


WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAYS.


What does he say himself right on
that point =? at has been generally
conceded Kellogg was not elected
Whether he was or not is not altogether
certain, or is ii any more certain that
his competitor Mr., MeEenry, was
chosen. The election was a gigantic
fraud, and there are no reliable returns.
Kellogg obtained the Office, and McEn-
cry has no more right TO il than he
has" Here are two men competing
for the gubernatorial chair of the State,
neither entitled TO it, and if there have
been gigantic frauds in the election the
proceedings should be looked over
but the President comes along, finds
the usurper in power, and takes it up
on himself to make the Government Of
tho United States party to the usurpa
ton. Why, Mr. President, if this
course is TO be practiccd, and the Fed.
eral Government is going to be part.
ner to disappointed candidates to the
Office of Governor Of State, see we
have inaugumted state of things
which will result in the overthrow si
the Constitution, which binds the ma
ton together and is a foundation of the
Government


A INDUSTRIOUS WRONG.


Mr. johnson then proceeded to re.
view and analyzc the action of the Sen.
ate Committee on the Louisiana mat
ter, and the report it had made. Re
ferring to the resolution, he said Is
not this monstrous Why, the time
has been in this country, and since my
recollection, too, that if an act like
this, II the usurpation like this had
been attempted, itwould have produced
shock throughout the nation, the
nation would have been indignant from
one extreme TO the other, and would
have been ready to hurl from power
the perpetrator Of such an act Con.
tinuing, he said that such n policy, il
adhered to, would bring the country a
change in the present features Of its
government. Returning to Sheridan
and Grant, he reviewed the CORES.
pondence between them prior TO the
visit of the former to Now Orleans,
last winter. He SAID Sheridan's trip
was more like a pleasure than any.
thing else, and that he went accompan.
led by a retinuc of officers with glitter
ing swords, to let the people SEQ their
splendor as the representatives Of Gen
eral Grant. The dispatches ofGcncral
Sheridan and the President, the general
orders of tho former, and the instruc
tions of the latter, were taken up, one
after the other and criticised. Resum
ing his argument he said Here is q
General of the Army who is sent back
to the people that repudiated him with
authority to 90 and look over this
country and to mark himself out an
empire, prescribe the limits of his gov,
crnmcnt or what he shall take under
control He marks out the area, he
describes the points and limits of his
command; his power is absolute as
that of an Emperor. In all those pro
ccedings does anybody see anything o.
the General of the Army2 Where il
General Sherman all this timc2 Per
haps he may not be in accord will
these proceedings, and General Shori
dan is placed in direct connection will
the President of the United States and
Secretary of War, and is authorized tc
30 forth, mark ont his command and
take charge Of il. Where is this au
thority derived fiom2 The President
of the United States II is time he !,
made Commander-in- Chicfofthc Army
and Navy. But has he u right to dele
gate his power of laying of and dctin
ing districts TO another at his discre
tion7 Was there over such an assump
ton Of powors2 He might lay off The
whole South in one military district
and take charge Of it himself Look
at the growth of power. Look at thu
advances thatusurpationis is making, ant
when we como up to consider il calmly
and deliberately, without party bias O
prejudice, we find that these acts ar,
none other than those Of usurpatioI
and tyranny. Who're does all thi
power come irom2 And | might asl'
aUpon what meat does this our Casa
feed. that no has grown 80 great 2