The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-12-01

and turned them over to their excited az
embittered enemies. We are all iamilil
With the incidents Of the last memorial
Presidential campaign. We all kno
that had the electoral vote Of South Ca
olina been cast against the Republics
nominees Democratic President Ronl
now be occupying the White House, an
a Democrat would now be presiding owe
this body. The Republican officials VIII
constituted the Board Of State Canyasiei
guarded the integrity oi that electors
vote with a fidelity which neithG
threats Of personal violence nor mandate
OF judicial authority could sWerye fror
the path Of duty. They attested that tide
ity even in the dungeons OF the commo
Jail Of the county to which they were con
signed for refusing TO obey an orde
which, in their judgment, designed al
overthrow OF the electoral vote Of Oh
State. There was no hint given the
that on the accession Of Mr.. Hayes 10 Oh
Presidency he would remove the troop
whose presence alone enabled these off
GERS to exercise the functions OF the Office
TO which they had been fairly elected. NJ
such coming event cast its dark shadow
through the iron bars Of their prison IL
December in 1876. Verify may the Re
publicans Of South Carolina and Of th,
entire South exclaim: NJ have beer
wounded in the house OF my friends
The arm that struck the fatal blow VA
maintained by their devoted and unsus
pecting service. | irreSistably here re.
call 10 memory The lines Of England'l
great poet:
,SO the struck eagle stretched on the palm,
No more through Tulllng clouds 10 SOar again;
VieWs lis own feathers 90 the fatal dart
That winged the llbis that quIVerel 10 his heIrt
Though keen his plngs yet keengr far TO feel,
lie nurstd the Pln!On that lmpelled the steel"
The Republicans Of that State owe 10
day to the clemency OF the viciors what
ever protection remains 10 them, and mol
10 the administration they believed In
toiled for and inaugurated. They would
have suffered in silence and borne the ills
that Republicanism is heir to in that re-
gion could they bat discover elsewhere in
the South that era Of good feeling, The
disintegration Of their opponents, or even
an uprising Of the Old Line Whig element
which was so confidently prophesied and
fondly anticipated. The COED feeling i.
confined 10 exultation over the univer-
sal Southern Democratic dominion. The
South ia solid, and the Old Line Whiga
remain undiscovered, except through the
offer Of large premiums in the shape Of
lucrative domestic and foreign appoint
menls. With these strong incentives to
putin an appearance their numbers can
be counted upon the fingers, and they
have followed so many strange gods since
the death Of that noble old party, and
been so frequently repudiated IN new
costumes, that they defy recognition by
their most intimate acquaintance. While
the President was known to be meditating
this act which let slip the dogs OF war on
the Republicans Of the South, Rome Of the
Republican Senators who now assail me
with harsh criticism, because ! vote ac-
cording 10 the dictates Of my Judgment
and conscience on question which is in
no proper sense party question, were
either coldly neutral or were actively
giving aid and comfort TO the Ham pt on
government. | repudiale and dis.
own the authority OF such az
these to pass judgment upon my
fidelity to the Republican party.
/ remember, sir, the tremendous political
crisis OF last March, when the late not
only Of the Republican party but Of this
great nation seemed 10 hang in trembling
balance. There were whispers Of holy
or unholy alliances then, and it was spok
EN- in tones louder than whispers that the
distinguished Senator from New York
(now the Republican Achilles OF the Sen.
ate) would either join in war against his
compeers or retire in moody
wrath 10 his tent, bearing no part in the
battle that was big With the fate OF his
party. Yet my voice did not swell the
current Of false surmise that imputed
meditated perfdy to the honorable Sena-
tor from New York.
Mr.. President, cannot refrain from
noticing briefly an injustice to myself by
the Senator from Vermont (Edmunds.)
That Senator read on the floor Of the Sen.
ate libelous article against me, written
by some unknown person. That article,
false, scandAlous and malicious, was re-
tailed to the country by the honorable
Senator, who virtually gave to ii the right
and sanction OF his high authority by
making it the declared ground OF reso-
luton submitted TO the Senate 10 investi.
gate conduct which II most falsely impu.
ted 10 me, and which l had from my
place in the Senate solemnly denied.
While the gentleman was thus engaged
in making this malignant attack upon
me, he dIsclaimed all personal hostility
to me and expressed regret that his sense
OF duty compelled him thus to move in
vindication Of the honor OF the Senate.
The old Scotch poet, Ferguson, must have
gazed with an eye OF prophesy into the iu.
ture when he wrote the verse:
"Tn robes Of seeming truth and trust
Came sly diisimulation;
And ubdeTncI glldel crust
Lurked dlrty defamation"
The majority OF the Senate, by their
vote on the motion oil the Senator from
Vermont, decided that the honor OF the
Senate did not require that they should
give their sanction to proceeding in
which an honorable Senator converted
himself into a mere huckster Of annony.
nous libels. Milton describes the grim
portress OF hell as.half human and hal
snake. There are acts, sir, so basely NAL.
Ignant and so indecently venomoua as to
satisfy me that this horrible compound
finds its counterpart in nature itself. In
regard to the indictment against me, |
desire TO say that ! am ready to meet it
before any impartial jury Of my country
men, but the tribunal in which the in.
dictment was found has already fore.
stalled the judgement Of the jury and de-.
MED the accused the privilege Of an
impartial hearing. The bill was found
on the S0th day Of August last, At Co.
lumbis, two days previous to finding, the
presiding Judge, addressing the grand
jury as TO all persons charged with
the offences in the several bills there ex-
hibited in open court, all Of which
persons were known a. Republicans,
used the following language, which ex.
tract from the full charge. as published
in the Charleston NstS and Courier Of
August 10Th, and which, am assured,
was printed from original manuscript In
the Judges own hand. The party 10
which they (the accusedl belonged was
the creature Of military conquest, They