The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-01-25
The Political Situation.

Mr.. Wattcrson, NJ. c., from Kentucky
and editor Of the Courier Journal, mas
written remarkable letter to his paper
from Washington. = Ho sketches the
Radical conspiracy and its mastcr-spirits
with graphic power, showing that the
plot has lost nothiug Of its yigor aud tho
movers of it none Of their determination.
I'.dced, sOmc recent events ut the South
have given aid and comfort to the enemy
We give Mr.. Wattcrson's conclusions
conspicuous place They are rs follows /:
"The people must act for themselves.
Without their support the House of
Representatives is powcrless. A cor
poral's guard may disperse it. The ar
rest of half II dozen of its members would
demoraiize it. Anything, everything is
possible to those who oppose themselves
to the conspirators. But unless the pco-
pie net there will be no need Of violence
on the part of the conspirators. They
will proceed without regard to precedents
or facts with their plan to put the de-
featcd candidate for President in the
White House, leave Congress to pursue
its policy of impotent protcst,l and, hay
ing weatliercd the 9Th of March saywith
cohplaceiicy to such . question, What
are you going to do about it?'
"is there no peaceful remedy? thihE
there is. There is the right of position,
which, adequately presented and urged,
becomes power. The Democrats do
not include civil war in the list OF their
resources. Civil war is not rcd-tape
affair. 1t does not come in the regula-
tion way. Nor is it likely to happen
the redress of grievances have been ex-
ha
itself upon the law and the facts. It de-
clares that the vote of no State shall be
counted without the consent of both
houses of Congress. No State vote has
ever been or ought to be- Since the
foundation of the Government To the
present time. including The evidence fur
nished by the Republican leuders them
selves, all authority sustains this position.
On 1t the Democratic party plants itself,
and means TO stand until it is driven oti
ut the point of the bayonet. It is for our
people TO determine, therefore, whether
this shall be done. If they will rise in
their might, and, exercising the peaceful
right .! petition, memorialize the Senate
to do its duty, to do that which every Re-
publican member of the Senate is com
united to, and will send hundred thou
sand petitioners to Washington Oh the
l4lh OF February to present the memo
rial i'll person, there will be no usurpa-
:ion and no civil war. The conspirators
will be thwartcd. There will be Repub-
icans enough in the Senatcl to defeat
them, and we shall have the Presidential
result settled by well-establishcd Consti-
tutional methods. Otherwise those Re-
publican Senators who wish to do right.
seeing that the country is going to sub
MT, will submit tnn, and we shall drift
into new era of popular discomfort, the
clld Vi which i0 i.issIi usaf; sec.
"Thc Convention called 81 assemble i'm
Louisville should consider these things.
There is little complexity whatever in the
situation. All that have written here
may be relied upon. with absolute assu
rance. II is no pleasure to write such
things; but they should be written simply
and distinctly. If the Convention wishes
to do something, let it take ground firm
ly, not noislly, for the joint right of the
two Houses, fortified rs it is by all prece.
dent; and having thus memoralizcd the
Senate, let it provide for the presence OF
at least ten thousand unarmea Kentuck-
ians in this city on tho coming ;4th of
February. Less than this will be of no
avail. So much, supplemented as it will
| be by other States, will secure through
civil agencies the peaceful settlement OF
the most dangerous issue that ever men
aced the existence of free government
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