American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-05-03
4 Charge Half Proved.

During the discussions preliminary to
the last Presidential campaign, the Re
publican drew upon its head heavy Wis
itation of wrath from the dominant party
by lntimating that possible refusal of
that party to submit to fair defeat at the
hands of the Democracy was one of the
elements of the Presidential problem. We
endeavored to state the case in as courteous
and respectful language as we could COM
mand to avoid the charge of exciting a
needless alarm; but this precaution did
not save us from the indignation of the
Republican organs. They declared that
the intimation that their party would not
submit to defeat was purely gratuitous;
that it was a SANDER intended to bring
upon their party an undeserved odium;
that it was trick to prepare the way for
a Democratic rebellion by imputing re-
bellious designs to the ruling party. They
further announced that the Republican
was a loyal and patriotic party that would
never commit the wrong of resisting
popular decision; that, if it should be de
feated, it would hold it to be its duty, to
submit peacefully to the misfortune, and
yield the Government into the hands of
those fairly chosen to succeed it.
The contingency that was to bring this
question to a crucial test did not occur.
The Republican party was not defeated;
on the contrary, President Grant was re-
elected by majority that must have sur
prised even himself, as it did some of his
friends; and the party not only carried
twenty-nine of the thirty seven States, but
secured a larger majority in the Forty
third Congress than it had in the Forty
second. 1t had no occasion to defy the
popular decision, because the popular de-
dision was in its favor 1t had no provo
cation whatever to dispute the adverse
votes of the eight feeble States that had
- g.
States all counted against it could not at
feet in the slightest degree the tremen-
dous result in its favor. And yet, with no
occasion and no provocation for the act,
the party has proved the truth of the
charge we made against it.
1t has proved that, if it had been de-
feated, instead of periodically and duti-
fully submitting to the popular decision
and Welding the Government into the
hands of its victorious opponents, it would
have deficd the popular will, and used all
the powers of that Government to keep
its successful opponents out of place.
The self-supplied evidence of its own dis
| loyalty is its treatment of Louisiana and
of the electoral vote of Georgia, Louisiana
and Arkansas. 1t refused to count three
| of the electoral votes of Georgia, because
| they were cast for Horace Greeley; it re-
| fused to count those of Louisiana, because
| to do so would have been recognition of
| the McEnery State government which il
had determined to destroy; and it refused
| to count those of Arkansas on account of
| alleged informality in the certificate. If
| it could thus assume to throw out the
Presidential votes of three States, when
| its victory assured, either with or
without them, is there needed an argument
to prove that it would have thrown out
the votes of thrice as many, if it had been
| defcateds
| But its treatment of Louisiana is the
most convincing demonstration of its vio-
| lence and its disloyalty to the laws and
institutions of the land that can be imagin
| ed, short of revolution at Washington
| City There is not a Republican organ in
the country that can point out a material
difference between the violent displace-
ment of the lawfully chosen McEnery
State Government in Louisiana and the
| violent prevention of the Inauguration of
"A lawfully-chosen Democratic President
at the Federal Capital; and Attor-
| ney- General Williams himself, with
| all the stores of learning that he is sup
posed to possess, cannot show wherein the
forcible maintenance of the defeated Kel-
| logg State Government in Louisiana by
| United States troops, legally differs from a
forciblc installation of Il defeated Presi-
dental candidate at Washington. 1t is
| impossible to tell what party that has
inc IoulSltild WRONG loT inc
poor purpose of maintaining a local as
ccndancy, would not do to maintain its
own national ascendancy. The Kellogg
Government was conspiracy and re
| beliOn; il was treason and usurpation
yet President Grant has upheld and still
pholds il in defiance of an almost univcr-
sal public condemnation of its illcgality
and its injustice.
The Republican organs did not know
their party year ago, when they so holly
resented our imputation; they did not
know the wrongs it was capable of, and it
is possible they have not even yet meas
ured its full capacity for violence and in
Justice. There is reason 10 believe that no
bare majority of popular votes, however
fairly and regularly cast, will ever com
mand its obedience; il will yield only 10
an overwhelming decision that it would
not he safe to rcsist-UiSS0uyt RcpubttcdV
Why are horses in cold weather like
mcddlesome gossipss because they are
| bearers Of idle tales.