The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-04-13
BEN. HILL.
AdrOit MutiIntiOn Of His speeches
for Circulation In the North.
ern states.
A DIsREPUTABLE CAMPAIGN.

| u. W. DANIDSON. ESV.. MoNMOUTII,
ILL.-Dedr Sir:-I have received your let
ter of the I'D inst, in which you say:
'SOmc one under the frank Of John a.
Logan. L. =. -, has sent me what pur-
ports to he a summing up of Mr.. Blaine,
yourself and Others on the proposed am.
nesty bill. Your speech Is 50
eliminated and garbled that, from It, no
one can correctly Judge your position -
a short time before receiving your letter
q gentleman kindly placed in my hands d
copy OF the pamphlet to which you refer
and have carefully examined IL. 1t pur.
ports to contain the speeches OF Mr.
Blaine, Mr.. Garfield and myself on what
Is known us the amnesty debate. find
my own speech most grossly and adroitly
mutilated. Many entire sentences are cul
out, and many other sentences and para.
graphs are cut up and garbled with d
manifest purpose to alter and misrepre.
sent the real meaning. temper and arc,l.
this fraudulent pamphlet has been sent in
great numbers into the State of New
Hampshire. where an election Is soon to
be had. and also into all the Northern
States, under the frank of leading Rcpub.
licans. who are members of the Senate
| and House Of Representatives.
Now, my dear sir. | do not know your
politics. but there are expressions II. your
letter which show you do not love false.
hood. and this Is enough TO justify me in
addressing you this letter.
| do not know who got up this dirty
pamphlet. IL is a deliberate falschood
and a studied attempt to deceive. Every
man who sends IL to another. with
knowledge of its character, Is guilty OF
the falschood and avOws thereby his de-
sire to deceive the people. Every honest
man to whom 1t Is sent will feel inslltcd.
| and he Is insultcd.
The great question l.. what effect will
| such designing falschoods have upon the
people? It is bad enough to know that
men deemed worthy to hold high posi-
tons of honor should be guilty of such
! dishonor. 1t Is saddcr to know, as | do
know. that tins falsehood is only one of
| the many; or, indeed, part of system
adopted here to conduct and control the
elections to be held in 1876. But repeat
| the question L.. what will be the effect
upon the people? VIII they be offended
or will they be influenced or controlled
| by falsedoods so deliberately planned
and circulated expressly to deceive them?
called the attention of one of the best
Republicans Ia congress to this pamphlet
desiring him to see how he regarded II.
lie laUgneu. anu Sdlu' II - JAW. az"
nit, but II is politics, and you must ex-
pect It," Is this true? Is this politics !
If so, is ANYTHING sale. Have we reached
the point where leaders are willing to de-
ceive the people and the people are viii
ling to be deccivcdy II so, our greatest
statesman Is the greatest liar in the
country. Of course, reduced to its last
analysis, this means that the capacity of
the people for self-governmcnt has failed
and our free institutions must perish
through process of talsehoOd and cor
ruption. This will exactly fulfill the |
predictions of the enemies OF popular
government so often repeated. This
brings me to what chiefly now desire to
In letter like this can not go into
details, but will make some suggestions.
which the thoughtful patriot ought to
Heretofore when republic has reached
civil war hopeless decline has set in.
This Is not true of monarchles. They
often come out of civil wars not only
strengthened, but vastly improved. This
Is notably so OF Great Britain.
But no free people ever had civil war
who did not have o sequel OF Official
imbeciles aud corruption. The reason
for this Is both philosophical and logical.
Ii Is this Civil wars far more than for
eign wars, produce chiefs who are elc-
waited to the highest civil positions. The
successful faction Is certain TO make Il
civil head of its military leader. These
military chiefs rarely possess the quail
ilcations necessary for civil admlnistra-
ton of free institutions. Free govern,
ments are always more complicated than
monarchies, and therefore. require higher
.s..ss s,.t .a..
lido not care how honest or how patriotic
such military chiefs may be. yet not hay
ing the training and qualifications needed
for civil craftsmanship, they are certain
to be surrounded and controlled by de-
signing followers and llattercrs, who
will as certainly, as naturally, and as
logically follow as any effect will
follow its cause.
In all tree countries parties will be
formed. In many respects these par
ties are salutary but whenever the qiies-
tons become sectional, and the parties
form on sectional issues, the tendency Is
to civil war. This has been our late. and,
fear, will be our ruin.
The Republican party organized in
1856 to accomplish certain distinct OBJ
jects, to-wit:
First-To prevent the extension OF
| slavery.
| Sccond-To abolish slavery in all places
Ofexclusivc Federal jurisdiction.
Third-Io annul the fugitive slave
| law.
| The supreme court OF the United States
decided that congress had no power to
prohibit the extension of slavery, and that
the fugitive slave law was unconstitu-
| tiOnal.
So the Republican party was sectional
organization on sectional questions and
In opposition TO the supreme law.
The Southern people insisted that thi.
was a practical abandonment OF the con
stitutiOn, and released them from its obi.
cations. They most unwisely seeded
and the war most unwisely followed.
During the war the Republican party
changed its objects, and insisted OH III,
total extinction of slavery. Three men
we'll armed, well fed, well clothed, were
too much, physically, for one man poorly
armed. poorly fed and poorly clothed
and. after brave struggle, the
South yielded, abandoned secession, and
every Southern State abolished slavery
by constitutional provisions.
The Republican party then made an
other change OF position, and insisted
that they had a right to reconstruct tn,
southern States, create III them new con
stituencies and new governments. ant
also to secure the results OF the war b,
new amendments to the Federal consti
tuition. All this has been done-much o
It terribly done.
Now what is left for the Republican
party to do. II has forced the accom-
plishment of all its work. The Southern
people have give up slavery, give up Sc
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