New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-12-25
TILE coNScLENcE or rAE couNrRY.

A number of gentlemen in Philadelphia, rep
rceentng various political parties and mclud-
ing citizens honorahly known for intelligence.
honesty, and public spirit, have Uni cd in
letter of advice to Congress respecting the
settlement of the electoral difficulty. They
urge the Senators and Representatives 10 deal
with the troubles Of the day i'll spirit pre-
"determined TO harmonic conflicting views
irrespective Of the success or defeat of in
"divdua candidates." Their appeal is timely
and patriotic, though Il part of 1t is awkwardly
EXPIRE ssed. To "harinOnize conflicting views"
is not precisely the duty which now presses
upon u.s. The advice smaCks too much OF
compromise and concession, while here is
case in which party managers cannot
agree to compromise without snrrcndellng
what does not belong TO them. II
Mr. Hayes has been elected President of
the United States, his supporters in Congress
and his supporters ont of Congress are in
honor bound to insist upon his Inauguration.
That il what they owe to the people who
intrusted them with the guardianship of the
popular interests. Respectable gentlemen,
therefore who urge the politicians to come TO
some sort OF agreement, and set the wheels OF
trade in motion by n settlement Of the dis
putc, no matter whether "A right settlement or
a wrong one who clamOT for the immediate
choice of "A President by means Of political
bargain, and cry, "Give us one or the other,
" VIC do not care which, so long as you are
quick about it,"-thesc gentlemen are doing
their utmost to domOralIZc the nation, TO de-
grade the chief maEistracy, and to make GER
tain the frequent recurrence Of the evils oil
which they now complain.
On the other hand, however il is undOubt-
edly true, as the Philadelphia appeal declares,
that "no Administration placed in power in
"any manner that may offend the popular
sense of right could conduct the affairs Of
Z" the nation with credit to itself or advantage
"to the country" or avoid an early and igno-
minious downfall. Ruin in less than four years
awaits any party which raises It's candidate to
the executive chair by trick or bipartisan viO-
lence. Honor and long course of victory will
reward any party which shows itself in this
crisis superior to the temptations OF the hour.
Ii is true that the popular conscience is aroused
1t is true that the people will acquiesce in no
decision which does not satisfy the popular
sense of Justice Ii is true that neither Re-
publican administration nor a Democratic
administration can now stand unless
it comes into power free from the
suspicion of fraud, strong in the sup
port of the moral sense of the American
people, with clear title and fair record.
The popular demand has never varied since
these complications first arose. There is one
solution which will "satiSfy the conscience of
"the country" and /" command the willing
"acquiescence of the whole nation" and there
is only one. That is obedience to the laws gov
erning the count and the declaration of the re-
suit. To few hundreds of professional place
men, who follow politics as business, the tenn
porary triumph of party, the counting in of Mr..
Tilden or Mr.. Hayes is of supreme importance.
To the nation the fortunes of neither of these
worthy gentlemen are of the least concern.
More than that. In the presence of the gravcr
questions that. have lately arisen, nine-tenths Of