The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-12-14
Gorsraor Seymour Speaks.

AT a meeting OF th. Electoral College.
, OF New York, Ex- Governor Horatio Sey.
morr was elected to preside, and, upon
assuming, the chair, made the following
able and exhaustive address:
The grave duty of giving in behalf OF
this great State It's votcs for the men its
citizens with to place in tho high Office
Of President and Vice President Of these
United States. has impressed itself upon
the mind of each elector. We fee! still
more the Importance Of our action us this
cefltennihi year Tecaiis the ffst acts In
the struggle which maj, .us free people
and the events which led to the lorna.
ton Of our Union and the adoption of its
ccrctitution. Our action at this time is
one of tho transactions necessary to the
life of our government; one without
which it would fal. into anarchy and
ruin. This day also reminds us of the
growth of New York. We represent
more millions of people than lived in our
country when our fathers fought the bat.
t!es Of the revolution, or formed the gov.
ernment of our Union. The ceremonies
OF the year have excited pride in our
country, its history aud It's government.
Blu. none of these have filed our minds
with such deep sense of the dignity nf
American citizenship as the political &C.
ton of the last month. Upon q given
DAY more than 5000, 900 Of men, moving
simultaneously in all parts of this vast
country, went to the ballot boxes. and
gave the votes which told their will ms to
the men who should Gil the highest
offices in our government. When O ma.
jority of more than 100000. represented
ny the proper number Of electoral votes,
declared their choice, all strife ceased
and all cheerfully yielded to the will of
:hc people. Business 5eEan u resume
its activity, public confidence grew still
more strong as we thus happily rounded
oat the century of our existence as q peo.
pie: BY this grand exhibition Of this
faultleas working of the mechanism, of
our government we proudly challenged
the admiration of the world.
CRAVE PROBLEM.
We find ourselves confronted at che
beginning Of the second century of our
political existence with problems as grave
as those which faced our fathers at the
outset of our government. Have we
their wisdom, patriotism and virtue?
This is great crisis in our public affairs.
Upon the conduct of our people the
world will decide with regard to the
character Of American citizens and
American patriotism.
The events of this day will be recited
through the centuries. We are making
a chapter in history, which will teach
either good or evil to those who will
come after us. If We have the patriotism
to rise above party interests aud passions
and to do what honesty demands, we
shall lift our people to higher point in
the eyes of the world and in our own re.
gard than We have ever yet reached.
If we fail, when the lessons of this cen,
tenniai year should teach us virtue; when
the varied interests of labor, of arts, of
commerce and of cnnital ell n!se &c &C :.
line of conduct which will inspire the
world with confidence and ourselves with
the highest sentiments of honor, then
our failure will be long step toward
national decay and degradation.
THE oFFICE.HoLDER's CAMPAIGN.
There is o darker phnse nf the lsst e!ac
ton. The administration sent cut a
Cabinet officer to take charge of the can.
vass on behalf Of the Republican party.
His very position Mt the head of its man.
aging committee made forced loan upon
nearly 100000 official dependents. It
proclaimed to them in louder tones than
words. "Yon must work. You must vote.
You must pay to aid the election of q
candidate who declares himself in favor
of civil service reform" It told them
that il, believing and acting upon his as.
surance, they followed their o:pn conv;c.
tions and voted for his opponents, thcy
would be punished by the loss of their
positions. They were forced in thousands
OF cases 10 submit to extortion with smi-
ing faces, but with heavy hearts. If
like, Intimidation had been used in q
Southern State it would have been seized
upon by the administration as q reason
for declaring martial law, for arresting
and lmprisoning every suspected citize,l.
1t is due to the best class of tbc leadg,;
and Journals Of the Gcr:5s;can party to.
say that they prot ,tsd against this indie.
cency. But such acts did not stop with
mere mere in:i;;==oPTi5ticn. They ripened into g
violation of,the spirit Of the law. In its
resolutions, journals, and in It's speeches,
that party has declared its detesthtlon of
such abuses and its purposes to reform
them. at the last session of Congress it
made it crime, punish a:!e with impris.
onment and deprivation on l.s,ce, to levy.
assessments upon holders for polit-
ical purposes. It limited the punish.
ments to one class of officials, because.
under the constitution, those holding
their positions by. the appointr. ent of the
President and Senate could not constitu.,
tionally be removed from their Offices by
such an enactment. But it la, q. higher
moral offence in higher officials, ppnishs-
BILE by the more impressive precees of i'm
peachment. Here no technical difficult
ties can hipderithe. punishment ofthis
crime against political morals or public
welfare. No one doubts or. denies that
such assessments Eere made With the
knowledge and consent of the committee.
THE GRAVITY OF THE OFFENCE -
is made more gross by the fact that at
Che last session of Congress, when it wis
proposed to rednee the pay Of officials, in
order to relieve the Industry OF the coun-,
try.ffom the burden OF taxation, it was
resisted by the Republicans upon the
ground that this could not be done with.
out injury to the public service. Yet We
see National Republican Committee re-
dueing their pay BY assessments for par
tisal, purposes, and divefting the money
paid to them from the public Treasury to
enable them To serve the people faithful.
ly, and thus, as declared by the solemn
action of Congress, disabling them from
doing their duty to the Republic. About
these facts there is no dispute. The pub.
lie mind is agitated by conflicting state
ments with regard to the conduct of the
Republican canvassing officers in the re-
mote Southern States. IN not the acts
of the heads OF tho org .rizatiou, done
under our own eyes, throw light upon
those disputed points? If morals were
i'll ~ "a L u