South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1877-03-30

Mr.. T''drn Hid 17e.psnrsis for rs1r Dese,
aad Jds M< Electoral Csmnissien.


FROM Speech BY Henry watsessos, of Louis
VILE, March 20.
The whole story OF our defeat may
not yet bc told. II is still the private
property OF the caucus AMI committee
room. 1 shall repeat only what is known
to the public, that from the first be.
lieved weliorganixcd conspiracy ex.
isted 70 cheat the people out of their
elected President. INVENT to Louisiana,
the real battle ground Of this conspiracy,
and found there the vcrifcation OF my
fears. My dispatches from New Or.
leans may be referred TO, and will be
found to cover nearly all that has hap
Pened there since. went to New York,
urging counter-organizatio popular
organization. organization in the inter.
ests oil free government and the masses
OF the people. upon those oil our friends
who had authority to act.
There arc two ways Of securing our
rights in this world: one is by law, and
The other by force. The court OF last
resort was in this instance practically
closed upon us, and. conceiving Mr..
Iiiien To he the rightfully chosen Chief
Magistrate. proposed TO prepare to
seat him in Office; To provide the phys.
ical means Of doing so; to take all need.
FIJI risks. and to leave the result To look
after itself. There are times when i'm.
prudence is safety. I would have had
Ar. Tilden emulate the fismness of
Hampton. l would have hail him as.
scmble the people about him, and say
TO them simply this: ~ am an old man.
sixty year, and upward, nor wife nor
child. and care little for the Office Of
President Of the United States. hut
have been elected thercto-overwhelm
ingly elected-and ns'I love my coun.
try and owe duty TO my countrymen, /
mean to see that there will is DONE
Nlr. Iilden did not take this view. lie
had confidence i'm the powers and forms
OF law. lie believed his case was ire
sistible. 1t seemed TO him q thing apart
from reason or probability that any tri.
bunal would or could count the votes Of
Florida and Louisiana against him. A
peaceful, patriotic man. conservative.
law abiding. the suggestion of an organ.
lied popular opinion upon an uncom.
promising line brought his eyes nothing
S"S s"S oPSS''S'O Va pu'iiC tll private
ruin. If peace had been put in one
scale and the Presidency in another he
would not have hesitated to choose a
gaiDst himself. His mind may have
wavercd at times, but his influence was
steadily against agitation. 1 say it in
no ieproach, | say it entertaining dis.
trust of my own opinion. that it was
impossible to proceed without Mr.. Tilden
at the front. 1t was for him to lead, for
the rest to follow.
Thus the ground slipped sway from
us inch by inch. When we were brought
face to face with the Electoral Commits.
sion bill, we found ourselves occupying
narrow slip of territory lyin, about
midway between the devil and the decp
sea; in tho far front, confusion, chaos,
couple to inevitable perhaps disgrace.
iul. defeat; just before Us a scheme
which no sound Judgment could approve
as an original proposition. | suppose
it is known TO all Of you that fought
it earnestly in committee; that. unahle
to defeat it, 1 yielded most reluctant
consent to it; that, finally, voted for
it with the full consciousness Of the dan
ger it forcclosed. 1t was distinctly a
choice of evils.