Year: 1879

| INN'N"NNN'N'i'u A'NANN' "tA WV EhN-
cedents set by the commons of
England. Can it be possible that
a principle Of common law, the
right Of the people to have an elec-
ton free from the presence oftroops,
dear to Enghshmen one hundred
years ago, is not equally dear to
their descendants at the present day?
Mr.. President, it will require some
one now living to write accurately
the history Of these times, for the
future historian will he slow to
believe that there was any basis on
which to rest such M inquiry i'll
the congress Of the United States
during the latter part of the ninc-
tccnth century, why the law Of 1865
should not be altered in the manner
proposed by this bill. 1t is said
that MIR, Lincoln signed il and the
inference is that il would reflect on
his memory to change it, 10 say
the least this is u pretty strong pre-
sumption from such Il predicate.
No man loved Mr., Lincoln better
or honors his memory moro than |
do, nor had anyone greater oppor-
tunities to learn the constitution of
his mind and character and his
habits Of thought. He was large
hearted, wiser than those associated
with him, full of sympathy for
struggling humanity without malice,
with charity for erring men, loving
his whole country with u deep
devotion and intensity anxious to
save it. Believing as | do that he
was raised up by Providence for
the great crisis Of the war Of the
rebellion, have equal belief, had
| he lived, we would have been
! spared much Of the strife Of these
latter days and that we now
would be on the high road to
prosperity. Such man, hating all
forms ofopprcssion and deeply inn
bucd with the principle that induced
the men of 1776 to resist the stamp
tax would never have willingly
intrusted power to anyone, unless
the war was fragrant, to send troops
TO oversee an election.


Why, then ! repeat, should not
the proposed measure pass? There
is mo rebellion, nor any threatened,
nor any domestic uproar anywhere.
The union is eemcnted by the blood
that was shed in defense Of its in
tegrity. The laws are obeyed north
and south, east and west, and our
only real differences relate to the
administration ofthc internal affairs
of the government. BY tho consti-
tuition Of the human mind there
viii of necessity be diverse opinions
among the people as TO the best
way to manage these internal affairs,
and congress meets periodically to
legislatc for the people and to rep
resent their views on the questions
dividing them. But surely these
differences, be they great or small,
afford no justification for a depar-
ture from any of the principles that
underlie republican government.
If they do, the charter of our liber-
ties will soon be frittered away.
The charge that this is revolution
ary legislation has no force. II
might be called partisan device.
Congress has power under the con-
stituton TO raise and equip armies
and the house Of representatives,
holds the purse-strings. In the
pending army bill nothing is pro-
posed but to strike out a single
clause, forbidding the presence Of
troops at the polls In no respect
isthe authority Of the president 10
answer n call or rcpel invasion or
suppress insurrection in any way
abridged. The amendment is ger
nRne TO the bill, and is simply n
condition as 70 the use Of the army,
which the peoples representatives
have perfect right TO impose. II is
ut in any proper sense general legis-
laion, and ifit was, the statute-books
an full ofprecedents that the friends