The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-02-01
THE REPUBLICAN CoNsPIRATORs.

THE REPUBLICAN C0NSPIRATORS.
THE DANGERS WHICH THE COUNTRY HAS
HAPPILY EsCAPED--PRoJECTs AND
PURPOSES OF REPUBLICAN EXTREM-
ISIS IN WAsHINGTON-HAYEs TO BE
COUNTED IN, EVEN AT THE EXPENSE
OLA wAR-A GIGANTIC CONSPIRACY
AGAINST THE NATIONS PEACE.
Correspondence ofMe Neg York Herald.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 81, 1877.
Previous to the harmonious action of
the Joint Congressional Committee, the
political situation here had changed 80
greatly and so dangerously for the peace
of the country within week that what
passed here, if it were known to the peo-
pie elsewhere, could not fail to create
deep and well-founded alarm. The coun-
try appeared to rest under the belief that,
however. the politicians may disagree and
quarrel, when the proper and law-aP.
pointed time comes proper and lawful
settlement of the Presidential dispute
would be made. During some weeks the
result seemed not improbable; but with
in few days past the extremists of both
parties had begun to show their hands
and develop their intentions, and do
not exaggerate when I tell you that the
opinion has been widely entertained that
unless the substantial men of New York
and of the whole country spoke out
promptly and plainly, unless they united
in all imperative demand that there
should be peaceable, constitutional and
honest settlement of the equestion, trouble
of the most serious character lay imme-
diately ahead. ........... .9..........
Nothing is now more absolutely certain
than that the peace of the. country de-
pends on the two houses coming to some
agreement before the 14th of February as
to the manner in which the electoral vote
should be counted. IF this question was
not settled beforehand, the Republican
leaders had determined that the Vice
President should count the vote, and
should count only, such certificates as
they would have directed him to open.
They would have claimed that, no agree
ment having been reached by the houses,
the duty Of counting devolved by this
failure upon the Vice President, and thus
they meant to count in Hayes, no matter
what protest might be made by the
House. But if this scheme was carried
out it is very certain that the House on
its part would proceed to elect Tilden
and proclaim him President, and leading
Democrats, looking to the great possibili-
ty of such complication, were quietly
taking measures to secure the attendance
here Of 5000 or perhaps 10000 men to
make o demonstration under the guise of
petitioning Congress for justice.
Now, the Republican leaders were not
in the least averse to all this. They have
been credited with a determination to
crush every effort looking to an agree
ment of the two houses. They were fill
ing their organs all over the country with
assertions that the Vice President has the
constitutional right to count, and thus
preparing the public mind to sustain
their open opposition to any plan the
Joint committee might produce, and
meantime they were using party terror
ism and all other means to prevent an
agreement in the committee. They
pointed to the silence of the country as
evidence that nobody wants plan or
agreement and they had already, by q
few days of unintermitting work, so cowed
some Senators and puzzled others that it
was doubtful whether any plan or agree
ment could pass the Senate.
The Chandler-M Morton theory was that
it is better to provoke new war than to
give up the power they possess. They
held that the Democrats would blunder;
that the Vice Presidents count would be
accepted by the country, or at any rate
that which had the. most plausible ap-
pearance Of loyalty; that il Democratic
mass meeting assembled here it would
authorize and produce a Republican
counter demonstration, and that with the
federal power, forces and arms in their
hands, they could crush any movement
here, while if it should extend and be-
come a general outbreak, they would
thank Heaven for new rebellion, in
which they meant to be the men to en-
force peace and carry out the laws.
It is not difficult to seethat this scheme
was full of strong points. If the Demo
Gratis submitted then Chandler would
have carried his point, and he, Morton
and Sherman would reckon on the neces-
sary gratitude of Hayes. If the Demo-
Gratis resisted-as they undoubtedly
would, and as no force OF influence which
could be used could prevent them from
doing-then hurrah for new war, a
vast raid on the South in the name of
peace; and these leaders, who carried on
the last. canvass as a crusade, believed
the people would follow them, or, rather,
would spring to arms at Democratic
demonstration.
The one thing feared by Chandler,
Morton and Sherman was an agreement
by the two houses upon plan-any plan
for count of the vote. They were
not so averse to plan which should
leave the decision concerning the dis
,duted States to committee composed
entirely of members of the two houses.
The members of such committee would
have been chosen by party caucuses, and
it was we'll understood that Mr.. Morton
would manage that men should be ap-
pointed from the Republican side who
would disagree to everything. But the
proposition now adopted to bring in legal
experts, and those judges of the Supreme
Court, was different matter. The Re-
publican leaders could not hope that
these judges could be deceived, or that
they would decide on partisan grounds
the questions as to constitutional methods,
law and weight of evidence which will
now come before them. Mr.. Chandler
and his allies are not blunderers; they
have perfect knowledge Of the facts in
the disputed States; they know that their
case in Florida and in Louisiana will not
bear even a slight investigation by men
trained to this work and impartial in
their judgment. Hence their prompt
alarm and opposition to this plan of call
ing in judges of the Supreme Court; and
the immediate renewal of the cry in all
the Republican organs that the Vice