The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-12-06
THE MESSAGE.

MESSAGE-
L. S. Grant has written his last message
I'm stating the agreeable fact he calls ii "my
eighth and final message to congress" The
event calls for the profoundest Thanksgiving
for il gives some assurances of the removal
at an early day of terrible incubus load
OF ignorance. venality and despotism-that
the country has been compelled 10 bear dur
ing eight weary and dreary years. Stung to
the quick by the repeated verdicts
of disapproval, given by the people
when considering his acts Grant
awkwardly attempts an apology for
his manifold blunders and crimes by plead
ing ignorance of everything pertaining to the
high trust that he voluntarily assumed. The
men of thought, character. honesty a nd abil
ity, who were Grants friends and admirers
when first elected have long since found out
that ''errors of judgment" though sufficient
ly numerous TO disgrace the country, were
mot the chief errors of his administration.
As d consequence. they did not hesitate to
denounce his acts IS venal and his policy as
vicious Their respect of Grant as soldier
was completely Obscured by their disgust
for him as president, and, as a consequence,
they deserted him and his administration.
1t is not necessary here to give list of the
names; they are known to history and to
fame-mer who loved their country better
than party.
Grant attempts an extenuatiOn of his acts
in his appointments of assistants to aid in
carrying out the various duties of admins
Il
the appointment of thieves TO Office as a
blunder on his part. and the retention of
thieves in Office in his estimation is equally
meritorious and i'm justification of his
multiplied violations of constitutions and
laws he refers TO history and attempts to
drag the name Of Washington down to his
infamous level.
Grants reference to the COMMENCEMENT of
his civil career as a most critical time
is not true. There was at the time no war,
the people we're loyal in all the states,
amendments to the constitution we're
adopted and accepted without the seInblance
of disquietHde, and all that was required
was statesrnanlike policy, generous i'm
pulses and recognition of constitutional
guarantees.
1t suited Grant, however, to pursue
in every regard a policy Numerically
opposed to the peace and prosperity
OF the country. Carpet-baggers. robbed
and plundered the south. Acts OF the
most infamous despotism characterized
his treatment of every southern state.
Peace was destroyed and discord enthroncd.
its place. Ii constitutions stood in the
way of Grants policy they were toppled
over If legislatures gave evidence of indepen-
dence they were bayoneted into submission,
and that this deyilishness might be perpetual,
returning boards were organized to give
semblance OF law to despotic acts OF such
audacity thar the people cried out from
Maine to the BIO Grande: "This is Cesar
ism"
For the general make-up-of the message
we refer our readers TO the document itself
They will be surprised to note an entire
omission Of the situation of affairs IN South
CAROLINA, Florida and Louisiana In these
states the most infamous crimes of the CEN
fury have been committed within the past
thirty days In these states the liberties of
the people have been struck down. In
these states frauds, protected by federal
troops, intended to rob the people of their
choice of rulers have been consummated.
In these states the decisions of
the people have been reversed; courts
struck down by federal interference, and
legislatures overawed by federal troops.
Still, these acts of terrible significance are
not so much as alluded to by Grant in his
eighth and final message to congress,
unless the allusion be found in a par
agraph wherein he speaks Of sending
troops into southern states to pre-
serve the peace. While these grave
subjects are ignored he finds time and
space to mention case wherein it is sus-
picioned that a postmaster has been bull
dozed
The last message OF Grant finds the country
in the grasp of fearful crisis Men are dis
cuSsing the situation as if great calamity
was impending and near at hand The pro-
gramme on one side is that fraud shall tri-f
umph, and that Hayes shall be inaugurated
though every pillar in the superstructure Of
our liberties is broken down and the temTie
itself destroyed. Grant will soon pass from
power into odious obscurity. His term of
Office is. an ineffaceable plague spot upon
the country. He viii live in history as
curse more terrible than Nero, or the plaques
that God in His wrath poured out upon
Egypt
LOUISIANA.