The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-01-24
THE PRESIDENTIAL QUESTION.
Characteristic letter from Hon
- -. Black.
g WOE To THEM If THEY BETRAY Us BY A
BASE SURRENDER.
From Washington Union.

From Washington Union.
EDITOR UNIoN-SIR: l hope you will
publish the iuclosed letter OF Mr.. Sweat
bat omit the first pIragrap pin. where lie speaks
of lie in way which nothing but personal
friendship can Justify.
You know tile w"iCer, of course. and lii
honorable career in Congress. 30 not be
licve that tie country contains anOrher citj
Zen whose sentiments are q better index OF
the general feeling. His words, fifty spo
ken, are like apples Of gold set in pictures
of silver" Let them b.. received by cur
chosen leaders in Congress a solemn
warning that tile Democracy must not be
trif "a with.
MIR. T. iitor. look at the situation. Mr..
Tilden's election by the vote of last NOvem-
Der is as certain in fact and rs regular in
law as WashinTtou's was in 1883. The de
Mai of his title to the office Is b Used upon a
fraud SO trans parent thai any child can Sc =
through it Me- Chandler might just "a
we'll iIave employed his clerks to fabricate a
vote for Louisiana in the Interior Depart
ment rs to get il done at New Orleans by
Kellogg, Packard, and Wells. 1t could have
been managed here as well as there by SINH
lar promises of money and troops, and the
abolition Senators and Representatives who
Travelled so far to aid the crime and comfort
the criminals might have done their neia-
rlous work at home
Everyb body understands perfectly that the
State of Louisiana did not appoint Hayes
electors by the vote of the people. That
the opposing Tildcn ticket was chosen by a
large, decisive, and clear majority OF the
qualified citizens Is {. fact which 10 man OF
any party has the haTdihood to deny. 1t
follows necessarily that the attempt to over
bear the legally expressed will ct the Ga-
ton By counting Louisiana for Hayes is a
naked and most palpable fraud
Bat, say our opponents, ii fraud is as
good rs n truth if it be clothed, as this one
Is, in the forms OF law. There is no such
rule liz the code of any civilized people
Fraud makes void whatever is brought into
contact with it. The corruption that would
vitiate a deed, a judgment, a pardon, com
mission, would nullify the certificate Of an
electoral vote. Indeed. If any kind of cor
ru ptiou is worse than another, it is the fab
ricItion of election returns, for that SapS
the foundation of free Institutions. You
may make a tOlcrable ar2um eno in favor OF
murder, theft, or PERJURY, but you cannot
even debate the morality of classifying the
vote of a free State. A vote or certificate
of vote known to have been cOncocted in
willful fraud is 10 vote at all. 1t has pre-
cisely the force and effect OF ii fOrgery-no
more and no less
In the face of these plain facts and in the
teeth of these undeniablc principles the
proposal is made to compel the House OF
Representatives to c unit the fraudulent
votes sent up from Louisiana. They are
false to be sure: they are not vOteS author
IL "a by the STATE: they are the mere spawn
of corrupt conspiracy: they are no better
than confessed forgery DhL mere Lney are
in 1.-THE forms of law and you must count
them all the same as if they were true aud
genuine. The President OF the Senate
wants them counted; the Senate itself
would like to have them counted, and they
may therefore force them down the Threats
OF the House against the stomach of its
sense"
No, sir, the House has a great duty to per-
form-it must ascertain whether Presi
dent has been elected, aud if not ii must
elect one from the three highest. To that
end it must count the notes.-the votes mind
you-not the frauds and forgeries. l. must
ascertain what are genuine votes and what
are spurious papers, and in doing this it
must be controlled by its own conscience
and act according 10 its own convictions
To oppose its judgment by military force
will be treason; to circumVent it by STRATA
gem will be to co1spire the overthrow of
| the Government
/ wish, Dir. Editor, that you would lift up
/ your trumpet and ring out a blast that may
/ be heard from sea 10 sea Tell the people
! that their institutions are in the most immi-
nent danger. Tell our representatives that
| they bold the citadel of American liberty,
/ and it is a burning shame even TO parIey
with the foes that beleaguer it. Woe to
/ them if they betray US by base surrender.
Yours, truly,
j. :. BLACK.