The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-03-15
dicted like other people to our vice of
consistency, and what is done once must

| CUkOeO tnelf act, nnleneQ u, auG lett thel
work in such o state that nobody coult
misundeptand it. But other persons
who had no power to appoint, falsifiet
the record OF tho actual appointment
partly by plain forgery and partly BY
fraud which Tns az corrupt in morals ant
2s yoid in law as eny forgery could be
You thought it right and legal and jus
to say that you would not look at the re-
cord which the people had made; the
forgery, the fraud, and the corruption
were too sacred 10 be interfered with
the truth must not DO allowed to come III
conflict with the imposture, lest the con
c.lssion might he damaging
This precedent must be followed. I,
is new law, to be sure, but We must give
it due welcome; and the new lords that
1t brings into power must be regarded as
our Every noble and approved good mas.
ters." Having decided that electors
were duly appointed in Louisiana who
we're known not TO be appointed, we can
not expect you to take notice Of any fact
similar or kindred to it in South Car
olina.
Then, again, the question Of "duly ap-
pointed" was decided in tho case of Levi
see, an elector who was an officer of the
United States Government at the time he
was appointed, and continued to be after.
ward. The Federal Constitution says
that no man shall be appointed who is in
that relation TO the Federal Government.
But you held, according to law mind you,
that he was lawful electoE and his vote
o good vote. In other words, thing is
perfectly constitutional although it ia
known 70 be in the very teeth Of con-
stitutional interdict.
Now you see Why we are hopeless.
Ihe present state of the law Is sadly
against Us. The friends of honest cleo
tions and honest government are in deep
despair. We once thought that the YER
flying power Of the two Houses of Com
gTeea ought to be brought always into
requisition for the purpose of seeing
whether the thing that is Drought here is
q forgery and o fraud on the one hand, or
whether it is genuine and true certfi-
cate on the other. ,tr
But while we cannot ask YOU to 90
back behind this certificate, will you Just
please to 60 to it-only to it-not step
behind. If you do, you will find that it
is no certificate at all such as is required
by law. The electors must vote by bal
LOT, and they are required to be on oath
before they vote. That certificate does
not show that either of those require.
ments was met, and where q party is ex-
erciBing special authority like this they
must keep strictly within 1t, and you are
not to presume anything except what ap-
pears on the face of their act to be done.
If anybody will cast back his mind q
little into the history of Presidential elec.
tions or look at the debates of less than q
year sgo, he will remember that Mr.
Jefferson was charged when he was Vice
President Of the United States with hay
ing elected himself by means of, not o
fraudulent, nut merely informal vote
sent up from Georgia. The informality
wss not in the certificate inside of the
envelope, but in the outside verifcation.
Mr.. Matthew l.. Davis, in 1887, got Up
that story. I. was not tsue, but It vas
believed for WHILE and it cast great
'odium on Mr.. Jefferson's memory. It
was not an informally that was nearly as
important as this, nothing like it. But
one cs the Gsnatore noY on this bench re-
ferred to it in q debate only short time
ago, and denounced Mr.. Jefferson as
having elected himself by fraud, because
he did not call the attention of the SEN
ate and House of Representatives to that
fact.
E IF Mr.. Jefferson's memory ought to be
sent down to posterity covered with in
fanny because no in his own case allowed
a vote to be counted which was slightly
informal on the outside of the envelope,
] should be glad TO know what ought to
be done to those who would count this
vote which has neither form nor sub
stance, which leaves ont all the essential
particulars that they are required TO GER
tify?
This great nation still struggles for JUS
tice; q million majority of white people
send up their cry, and majority Of more
than quarter of million of all colors
demand It. But we cannot complain; /
want you to understand that we do not
complain. Usually it is said that "the
fowler setteth not forth his net in sight OF
the bird" but this fowler set the net in
sight of the birds that went into it. It
is largely our own fault that we were
caught
We are promised-and hope the prom
ise will be kept-that We shall have q
good government, fraudulent though it
be; that the rights of the States shall be
respected and individual liberty be pro.
tected. We are promised the same re-
formation which tho Turkish Govern
nlent is now proposing to its people.
The Sultan promises that If he is sustain
ed IN his present contest, he will establish
an act upon certain principles. -
tinst, The work of decentralization
snail commence Immediately aud tho au-
tonomy Of the provinces shall be care
fully looked after. Secondly, the people
snail be.governed by their natural judges
they win not send Mohammedans nor
Christian renegades from Constantineple
down on them, but they shall be govern
ed by people of their own faith, NH
Thirdly, no subordinate officer, when
he commits an illegal act, shall be per-
mitted to plead In Justification the orders
of his superior. How much we need ex-
actly that kind of reform in this country,
and how glad We ought to be that oni
Government Is going to be as good here
after as the Turks
They offer us everything now. They
denounce negro supremacy and carpet
bag thieves. Their pet policy for the
South is to be abandoned. They offer us
everything but one; but on that subject
tneir Hps Rre closely seaied. They refuse
to Say that they will not cheat iis here.
after in the elections. IL they would
only agree 10 chat, il they would only re-
pent Of their election frauds, and make
restitution of tho voteo they have stolen
the circle of our felicities would be full
II this thing stands accepted and the
law you have made for this OCCASION shall
be the law for all oeeasioHs, ne can never
expect such thing as an honest election
sS!c. sSs=!c IIg so. pan. 70 knnyg eghn sill he
President by fut1rs eleekiof, do mt in