Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1877-02-24
7FISS-TFIFE OF, ID ia MILY JOURNAL.
Severe Arrangement.

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the administration with so much severity that
the President considers himself personally IL
beled, and The three radical judges of the Elec-
toral Commission are held over the ragged
edge I" nPon The nib Of Piatts pen. Criminal
prosecution and civil suits because thereof are
the subjects of Cabinet delberation Whilst
the article contains much of deserved condem-
nation Of the guilty. we DO not approve the
conclusions Of the writer as set forth in the fol-
lowing terse paragraphs
If man thus returned to power can ride
in safety from the Executive Mansion to the
Capitol TO be inaugurated, We are fitted for the
slavery that will follow the Inauguration
Ii there is law for fraud there is reason for
violence and 10 that we make our last appeal"
But that our readers may know how North
ern man-and late prominent officer Of the
United States army feels and writes, and TO
show how the iniquity Of the counting in Of
Hayes is regarded from Northern stand
point, we re-publish the entire article;
1.-The sickeniug apprehension fel, by the
people, to which we referred last week, that
the Supreme Court would be found as rotten
as the other powers Of our unhappy govern
meut, has been realized TIE swift decay that
10 the last ten years has made our self govern
ment sham and a mockery, and in The Exec
utive and Legislative branches shamed us be-
fore the world, has been silently working It's
way through the Judiciary until now, on its
first trial, 1t olends with its stencil the nostrils
Of all honest citizens"
1.-The appeal made TO the Judges Of the Su-
preme Court from the people, Sorely distressed
and perplexed, was to save them from the
wicked conspiracy Of men they had repudiated
at the polls. They saw their faithess agents
for years robbing the treasury OF their hard
earned taxes. They saw their highest officials
Indicted for tie meanest crimes. They saw q
President, coarse, brutal aud ignorant and APP
pointing sycophantic pimps to the highest po-
stiouS. They saw him the associate of roughs
and the commissioner Of thieves They saw
carpet-baggers, sustained by bayonetS, manip-
ulating the polls, that ignorance aud rascalIty
might tyranuize over the South They saw
Rings org inizcd in the lobby to control their
Congress. They saw huge monopolieS created
By their government eating out their substance.
They saw themselves reduced 10 want, trade
paralyzed, and labor without employ, and they
made desperate effort to night their wrongs
through the ballot
with subsidized press against them. with
an army Of hungry ofice-holders that-cUunt-
ing those of the General Government with
those Of the States-made horde Of Treasury
eaters greater than any standing army in Eu-
rope with oil the accumulated capital in the
hands of monopolics arayed on the side Of
their oppressors, they made one despairing eff
fort, aud came up from the polls with maj0r
ity of over a half a million in their behalf
And Of what avail? Through dishonest Re-
turning Board, made up OF criminals who have
escaped conviction and punishment under the
protecting arm of corrupt GOvernment, enough
votes are thrown out 10 render all their efforts
vain, and saddle upon them the old corruption
and the old horde for another term Of years,
perhaps forever.
From this appeal was taken to FIVE JUS
tees Of the Supreme Court For that, no more
and no less, was the Commission created. Il
was believed that by such process the question
at issue, being a charge Of conspiracy agairs,
corrupt men, could be lifted from the political
arena 90 tribunal Of high toned, impartial
Judges, who would decide 10 accordance with
law and Justice To the amazement and dis
gust of all thoughtful minds thcso Justcos, di-
vided rs the partsanS had on political lire :;
and three indecent old men joined with the
enemies Of the people in fixing corruption upon
US, and destroying all confidence in the very
foundation of our political structure-the ball
lot. They decide that fraud does not vi,iate,
and beyond this that they have nothing TO de-
eide, and so send the question to the people,
We have not the patience to argue what
the people, 10 their broad common sense, will
not considerable ine-spun legal techncalties
under which these aged scoundrelS seek to hide
their shame Their real brief is 10 be found
in the utterance of one Of their Commission,
James A. Garfield, who said boastingly, You'll
have to grin and bear it. We hold the cards
an intend to play them" Poor political gam
bier The stakes for which he plays are the
rights Of 10000, 600 Of people, the peace and
prosperity of the only republic known 10 hu-
mauity. For all that frcemen hold most dear,
these hands, stained with plumber, gamble as
tie soldiers Of Plate severed in derison the
garment Of tie Cruclied Christ. As We said
week since This is not law, it IS revolution
and if the people tameiy submit, we may bid
a long farewell 10 Constitutional Government.
Fraud no longer yitiateS y corrupt admins
traton has only by its bayonets to hold State
long enough in power for corrupt
Returning Board to DO its vile task, aud the
work is dO1c. Ii man thus returned TO pow
er can ride in safety from the Executive Man
sion TO the Clpitol to be inausurated. we are
fitted for the slavery that will follow the III
auguration.
ave do not believe the people ofthe Uuitcl
States are of this servile sort. We DO not be-
lieve that they are prepared without blow
to part with their hard earned, blUod-StaIned
possessions Notice is now served on the cti-
zens of Louisiana and South Carolina that they
must care for themselves How soon lamp
posts will bear fruit is for them TO say TO
tie people Of the North and West notice is
given that all the toll to which they are sub
jCetel that bond-hollerS and monopolists may
htten secure, is repaid by no security for their
rights, and that shrinkace Of values is now
in order. Ii there is law for fraud there is rea-
sou for violence and TO that we make our last
appeal
Dom Patt in Card on Tuesday disclaims
having a thought of the horrible crime of as
sassination when penning the foregoing edito-
rial for The Capital but meant open resis-
lance by the people to a revolutionary wrong
His appeal was to the people and not to the
assassin. In his card he seeks only to protest
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