The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1871-01-11

t6W letters feiatlnR 10 Tue election, and 1
had seen no paper published in the District,
excep. single copy of the ARGUS, and
was no. aware that so determined an effort
was being made to carry thu District. | was
therefore not prepared for the news of so
great moral victory, anf if my name had
anything to do with the result, 1 confess /
should feel highly complimen.ed.
The cordial support of so many Republic
ans of high standing in the city where we
both reside, is particularly gratifying, as it
furnishes sufficient response to the siurs
which my competitor seems to have attempt
ed to cast upon me during the canvass. That
support, coupled with the fact that, if the
gains had been as great in the lower coun.
ties where / was almost an entire stranger,
as in the upper counties where We are both
better known, he would have been badly
beaten, is q complete vindication, and if he
is satisfied with the verdict of our neigbors
and acquainsances on his efforts a. detrac
ton, certainly ought to be.
| have never been ambitious of political
preferment, nor could /, by entering poit-
zeal life, subserve any personal interest or
crafty any personal desire, except TO do my
duty as a citizen; but am not indifferent
to the good opinion Of my neigh hors, and IN
absence, and the result are more than satls
factory. |, however, deeply regret the
failure of the Conservatives of the District to
sect "a man OF their choice, particularly as
the recent elections indicate that the people
are becoming determined to check the
corruptions and extravaganza of the party in
power, and to insugurAte a radical reform ID
our system OF taxation, and more particular
~ in the system of levying taxes, not for
the purposes of revenue, but for the benefit
of the favored few, at the expense of the
great mass of the people. Under such cir
cumstsnees, their failure by Only II, votes
must be ANNOYING; and notwithstanding
your assurance of their entire satisfaction
with their nomination, | still think it would
have been better If they had selected stand
ard bearer, who would have engaged actively
IN the canvass, at least was known
throughout the District, instead of selecting
a man who was absent from the country and
who was not personally acquainted with
dozen men in one half the counties IT.
however, mistake was made, | do not feel
that any portion OF the responsibility proper
~ rests upon me, as it was done without ms
| knowledge or appreciation.
Taking the vote of two years ago as
| standard, and adding 1.-The newly enfran>
| chised" to tho Republican side, the democ
| raey made gain of over 1000, netwith-
standing al! their disadvantages, and it does
seem unfortunate that out OF total vote OF
over 10000 they could not get IL more
conservative voters to the polls, or convert
Il more Republicans from the error of their
ways. Ii Is doubtless true, as you suggest,
| that received the support of Il handsome
majority of the white men ofthe District. ! on
must recolleet however, that a very few wears
| ago, the people of Illinois voted against
negro suffrage, by a mai ority of over / 90. 600,
| and that the 10Th amendment WAS hurried
| through with tetegr0phlc speed, without Civ
| ing the people OF our State chance to be
heard, and It would not be strange if there
were more republicans who voted against
| their party on that account than there are
| negro voters in the District.
SO far AS nv own personal comfort and
qualification are concerned, il Is well that |
| WAS defeated, for have had nc experience IN
| public lite, and should not probably have
| been able to meet the expectations of my
| friends, or even to satisfy myselfin Congress
| had | been elected. | never should have
made IA speech without having something TO
say. never for the purpose Of having it pub
}tshed in the Congressional Globe much less
would have procured some one TO prepare
u speech for distribution at home, and then
| obtained leave 20 have it published as II
actually delivered. should have stten pied
nothing for display, ard even if had tried.
| / could not have taken leading or even q
| prominent position IN Congress, and ! mig ht
| have served the whole two wears without
being able to point to anything that / had
| helped TO accomplish. My whole aim and
| purpose would have been to attend to the
| practical business OF the country as | would
attend to my own private affairs, and more
particularly to attefd to the ad iustmeut Of
the tariff and internal revenue laws ON such
q basis as would have furnished ample
means to defray the necessary expenses OF
the government, and to meet the interest on
the public debt and az would at the same
/ time have relieved the people Of immense
burdens from which the government derives
no benefit / should have voted according
to my own judgment Of right, without. refer
ence to the question whether / was voting
with my party friends or with the Republi
cans.
You know how | have heretofore regard
ed the reconstruction acts of congress, the
| l4th and 18th amendments to the constitu-
ton, and the resolution of congress to pay
the 500 bonds in gold yet | should now
have regarded all these questions as per-
manently settled. In my oath to supper,
the constitution those amendments would
have been included and recognized as part
of the instrument. In fact ! see no other
way to treat those amendments or even the
reconstruction acts of congress, for the re
publican party has deprived the Supreme
Court OF jurisdiction to pass upon the con
stltutionality of shoseaots or of any act involv
ing political question. When that act was
passed ma orisy of that Court consisted OF
; mem bers OF its own party, and the circum
. stances under which it was passed clearly
. show that in the opinion Of the republican
majority in congress the reconstruction acts
could not stand the test of Judicial invest
CATION, even before judges whose sympe,hies
were with the republican party. This inter
. ference with the Jurisdiction of the Court
. regard as one of the most dangerous innova
tions which the republican party has inau
gurated and one which the people shoult
rebuke in every possible way until il is com
8 pleteIy restored to its former limits Unde
: that act there seems to be no limit to ths
power of congress on all political questions
and if congress should declare that the pro
vision of the constitution guaranteeing {
republican form ofgovernmentt to each state
meant that each state should vote the republi
t can ticket, and provide that all other votel
should be treated as utilities, | do not see
that the people would have any remedy
Indeed the result of many of the recent con
J. tests tor seats in congress indicates thai
y such theory already hos it's advocates il
that body.
The resolution of congress fully commit
0 ed the nation TO the payment of SGT
Q bonds in gold, thereby adding hundreds Of
millions of dollars to the public burdens
improperly, as | think; yet as these bond.