Year: 1875

The New York Indignatfon Meesine


Speech Of Hon. VIM. nI.gEvsrts.


Hon. William M. Everts spoke n
follows at the meeting held in New
York Monday evening" f


Fellow-citizens-There ara two verv
distinct firm lines of limiaatioh, which.
If observed, will protect the machinerv
OF the Government for the peooIe-4O..
600, 600 Of people to-day and 100. QOO'-
ooo hereaIter--that is, that the sole in
tervention OF the Federal power with.
in State authority shall be to suppress
violence, and that their Office that shall
not assume to go further, unless when
invited by the supreme authority of the
state. And that supreme authority of
the State is named in the Federal Con.
stitution, and is the Legislatures of
the several States; and only in the casu.
al condition when the Legislature is
not in session can the Governor re-
present the State SO as to demand Fed.
eral intervention In the political affairs
OF the State--but only on the condition
that the Legislature cannot be
convened-as in this State during
the recess or an adjournment from
April to January the Governor Of the


state OF New York has no authority
under the Federal Constitution to in.
woke the intervention Of the Federal
power except in an emergency that
would not permit of his conveniac the


Legislature in extra session. AnS- now
the situation in Louisiana was that the
State Legislature was in session and
the Governor had no power whateyer
to represent the State In demand for
intervention. Were the people Of the
State informed by General Sheridan or
by the Cabinet at Washington? Did
he or they proclaim that an application
had been made by the assembled
Legislature Of the State for Federal
Intervention to turn some rnsr.bers
oute Think not. But 1t is only In an
insirrection, or in the existencs Of that
degree Of violence that comes 10 instr.
rection in effect, that the Constitution
Of the United States has authorized
such intervention, and it 10 only in.sup.
port of such intervention thas the
Legislation Of Congress in 1916 and


1901 has armed the Presiden+ with au.
thority. 'fJt ~


We must not be uncencerned sbout


this action in Louisiana, for it may be
repeated in New York. Cheers and
cries of "No never.") / tell you that


when 1t is done it is done in all States.


(Cheers.). The Legislature of Louisi-


ana is as much vital part of the rov.
ernment as the Legislature of Few
York. And while It is vita, ss n Uni
versal power, shattered and broken in
one it is broken in ALL But aEain, we


must learn to generalize. 81 ppose this


intervention of military pow. to be


broken, that the action of independent
State authority should be open to be
exercised in Louisiana, Missouri. or in.
any State, to take out the majority in
that Electoral College while we were
choosing President and by special
vote of any one State one man should


be chosen instead of the other, it is
not that an attack upon all the Statess
And what have you then but ciril war
engaged in by this multitude of men,
fighting over and disputing q Presidcn-
cy? But younever can have that, be-
cause then that courage and common
sense that make every Government pos
sible, permanent, and strong, will step
in and see that that surpasses the linn
its of political power and agitation.
For submit, the moment that we


make a compliance of this nature to


one side that profits by 1t our liberties


are gone. All elections are useless for


usurpation can step in and it will be-
come question whether the party
will sustain the usurpation or not.