On the record
If the officer be of bold mind, he arrogates power for purposes of ambition; and even with timid men power is often assumed as a measure of protection and defense.
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gutenberg.orgJames Blaine: “If the officer be of bold mind, he arrogates power for purposes of ambition; and even with timid men power is often…”
Editor's note · Context
Blaine discusses how both bold and timid public officers may assume power for different reasons.
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Under such circumstances, to send a military force into any State, with orders to act against the people, would be simply making war upon them.
You can use force only to repel an assault on the public property and aid the Courts in the performance of their duty.
The right of the General Government to preserve itself in its whole constitutional vigor by repelling a direct and positive aggression upon its property or its officers cannot be denied.
But what if the feeling in any State against the United States should become so universal that the Federal officers themselves (including judges, district attorneys, and marshals) would be reached by the same influences, and resign their…
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