The Russellville Democrat., 1876-12-21

and several state committees:
 AN ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE or
 INDIANA.
 At a meeting of the democratic central committee, held this day, it was unanimously resolved that q meeting of the several counties of the state be held at the county seats on Saturday, December 23, 1876, for the purpose of consider ing the present condition of pub lie affairs, and of giving proper expression to their views, and for the further purpose of appointing delegates to state convention, to be held at the city of Indian. apolis, Monday, January s, 1877.
 In calling upon the people to respond to the action of the com mission, it is proper to state the occasion which was deemed sutfi- cient to authorize and require it: l Samuel J. Tilden and Thos. A. Hendricks have been elected re. spectiyely to the office or presi dent and vice president of the l United States. This election has been in accordance with the con stitution and laws of our country and by the expressed wlll of a majority exceeding 250,000 of the voters of the United States. This action was upon an issue, dis l tinctly made before the people, of economy and reform in ail the affairs of the government, the maintenance of the constitution and the laws. Fair play and hon. esty, and the highest interest ot the people unite in the demand that they shall be inaugurated in pursuance of thelr election. This is proven not only to the demo clats but to the republicans. All citizens who voted for them de. lnand inauguration as right, and all who voted against them owe it as duty. American hon. or requires it; the stability of our institutions demands it. There IS now a combination, very form idable and reckless, to prevent the legal results of the election and to place men in the high offices who have not been elected to them and thereby to defeat the changes and reform winch all classes of society and all the great industrial and commercial inter- ests of the country so much re- quire. They have resorted to returning boards, q par ty machinery heretofore unknown in national politics. powerless for good but pregnant with evil. They threaten to depart from the established usage Tn counting the electoral vote by withholding from the peoples representatives their constitutional prerogative of participating in the decision of all questions that may arise in the progress of the count, and by clothing one man with the power oftlllowlng and of excluding votes and thereby controlling the pres idential ele ton. The purposes of this dangerous cons, ,.iracy must be defeated. The right, as de :, clared at the ballot, box, must be respected and maintained. As was said of Mf. Lincola' s election: "The people that are strong enough to place him in his office. V No army must be used to place either governors or presidents in office who have not been elected. The purpose of the aggressive and ambitious leaders, which you must defeat, is usurpation it is revolution. Its accomplishment will disturb the foundation of our institutions, and endanger the cause of free government itself. We cannot maintain our institu tions if the people allow their ! choice and will, as expressed In pursuance of law, to be defeated by fraud and force.
 The committee therefore call upon all the people without res pect to party, who make our coun- try's welfare paramount to every other consideration -all who say that the vote of the people shall not be defeated by fraud, and ali who stand by far play and hon esty, to meet at their county seats on the day mentioned and to make