Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1872-07-10
VIEWS OF THE Hon, ELLISON g.
kElTT,
tFrom the New York Tribune.i

From the New York Tribune.i
The following 10 a private letter on
the political situation, from the Hon.
Ellison 8. keitt, Of South Carolina
to q gentleman III this city:
My DEAR SIR: we have just held
our county meeting, accepted the
Liberal Republican platform, ell
dorsed Greeley aud Brown as II
standard-bearcrs in the approaching
Presidential contest, and instructed
delegates to the State and Nation
al convention to stand firmly to these
colors and no others. To some III the
North with whom we have heretofore
acted it may appear strange that We
should cast the past behind us, as
though it were rubbish, aud move up
promptly to the support of Mr..
Greeley, VINO has made war upon us
for near 40 years. History gives no
instance where people have been
hunted down and prosecuted rs We
have been. If YOU wished to consti-
tute Il Legislature for your great
State, you could not go into the Five
Points and scrape up a viicr crowd
than those, with 4 few exceptions,
who constitute the Legislature ofihis
State. Its infarnv is as wide AZ
civilization. IL consumed during the.
last session $1,000. 600 far legislative
expenses alnnc-thrcc times as much
rs was formerly appropriated to adj
minister the whole State Govern
nicnt. The State debt. which wa.
less than $1,000, 900 four years ago., il
now, according to the best informa.
ton we can get, $26, 900 ,OCO or more.
The annual taxation now ia over
$1,000, 900, while it was s%carcc!,
slCD, 900 when our assessed propcrt,
WAS three times as great a. it now is.
But what is all this to the loss of the.
last vcstigc Of liberty? Here the
constitution has bcca rolled ND and
laid away, and the writ Of labcas
corpus is no more. Some of our
best citizens have been arrested
without a warrant, lIandcuffcd.
marched through the streets of our
towns. and immurcd in the dungeons
of the common jails- crowded in lik.
beasts of the slaughter. II is sicken-
ing to think of it, much less to sec
md endure it. The tariff and ali
other questions pale into insi.niii-
canoe before the appalling i<suc-arr
we t" be slaves or free men? Shall
the liberties of the people he main
tanned, and the life of the Republic
be saved. or shall everything aud al!
be swallowed up and swept over b,
4 grand controlling military dcspot-
SIN? The issue is upon us; there II
II" avoiding it. Let the people BE-
reused to the appalling fact and avert
it..
Grant has applied to congress to
give him the power to suspend the
. 1 i'h'''s WI lfiS H!ltlI altcT Ils
election. Ii necessary, the dark
scenes enacted here will be repeated
i'll tho North. Let the people take
warning in time. Greeley is admit
ted by friend and foe to be honest
and just, and we feel that, if lie and
Brown are elected. not only viii. the
liberties Of the people be saved and
the life of the Republic be preserved.
but that he will inaugurate his adj
,ni"i>,rntion 10y calling TO his C ,unsel
tho trucst and ablcst men in the en-
tire c~Ountrv-men who understand
the needs of the country and the
working ofour governmental system.
and will make the Union still '.morr
perfect" Let it he done. and the
grandeur that awaits us III the future
no human mind can conceive and no
tongue a tell.
am, my dear sir.
Iou sincere friend,
ELLISON = EI1NT