The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-03-09
Uait till The OceT5tO,ciI,g Scous'Oe
is Upon IOU.
speech Of Jcrcmiuh -. EIack bcfO re
the Electoral Tribunal, on
Tuesday. T. eb. ~.
From the Congressional Recrd.


MIR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN 81
had not, aud have not now, any intention
~ argue this case. | never head the ob
jcciionS, nor knew what they wer until
they we're read IN your presence This morn
ing. 1t would be presumption in me to
attempt al argument before II tribunal like
this on such case as this, having had no
previous opportunii to Consider it which
might put me in Il condition better than the
judges themselves You have heard as
much Of this case and know rs mucI, about
it as | do.
My idea of the duty which a counsellor
owes to court or to any other tribunal,
judicial or quasi. judicial, is that he should
never open his moui h except for the purpose
of assisting the Judges III cunning TO IA cor
rect conciusiot, atu TT tpc ie r1',t ~, -iin
alton to do that, he ought To keep silence.
Besides that, | am, | suppose, the very
last man in tins whole nation who should
be called upon TO speak here aud now
crybody has suffered more Or less by
events and proceedings of the recent past,
some by wear and tear of conscience and
some 10y Il deep sense of oppression aud
wrong. But perhaps L. more than most
others, have felt the consciousness that L
have lost the dignity "f an Amer ican citi-
zen. l. i'll common with the rest. am de-
q AIDED and Illuminated. This nation has
got her great biY foot in trap. 1t Is vain
to stiugg ie fo her extrcatiou.
| am ~ fallen from the proud es' ate of "a
free citizen. you have So AFFECTED me that
| ani fit foi nothing on earth but To repre-
sent the poor. dcfrduded, broken hearted
Democracy. Aad because | suffer more,
they think me mnre & o for nothing than
the resi-. aud conclude to send me out on
this follorn hope, Judging. M doubt truly,
that it matters nothing what becomes Of
me. ought to gog glad y yIf anything which
] can d. say might have the Effect uf
mitigating the horrible calamity with which
The country is threatened, u PresIden de-
irving his title from a shameless SwIndie,
not merely fraud, but a ftatd detected
and exposed know not how | would feel
if cal He'd upnn to : tf,.r deaih for my country.
am n.i the staff that martyrs nre made {,
but IT my life could redeem This nation frcu
the infamy with Which she is clothed, 1
os1ght 20 go to the grave rs freely as ever
went to my bed. I see, however, no prac-
tic;l good tnat | can do, aud it is mere
weakness to Complain.
We have certain objections To the count
ing of this Hayes vote from South Carolina
which look to me insu perable. but cannot
hope that they will weaI that appearance
in ot her mems eyes. Perhaps the feeling
which / in common with millions of Oihers
entertain un this srl jcct. vents us from
seeing this thing i'll its true light. But you
are Wise you are calm. You can look all
through this awful business With d learned
spirit no passionate hatred of thus great
fraud can cloud your mental vision or shake
the even balance of your Judgment. You
do not think il aIIy wrong that ua ion
should be cheated by false election returns.
On the contrary, it is rather blessing
which Heaven has sent us ia this strange
disguise. When the omnipotent lie shall
be tEroned and sceptered aud crowned, you
think we ought all ,: us to fall down and
worship il as the hope of our political sal
vation. You will teach us and perhaps we
will learn (perhapS notf that under such
rule are better off than if truth had pre-
vailed and justice been t'iumi bant.
Give. sl,en, your cool consideration to
these objectiuns, and try them by the stan
dard of the law. | mean the law as ii yas
before the orgauzai ion OF this commission.
[ admit that since then great revolution
has taken place III the law. Ii is Eo' now
what it used To be. All our notions "f
public right and public wrong have suffered
"a complete bouteDerseme"t.
The question su omitted To you is whei her
the peIsons who gave these votes weIe
s.duly appointed" Duly, of course, means
ascending To- law. What law? The Com
s,i,u.ion OF the United States. the acts of
Congress passed in pursuance thereof. the
Constitution oC South Caroliua. and the
authorized acts of her Legislat ture-these,
taken all together, constitute the law of the
case before you.
BY these laws the right. duty. and power
of appointing electors is given :o the people
of South Carolina thai is TO say, the CHI
zeus Of the State qualified to vote at general
eIactipus Who are they? BY the C.,nsiI-
tuition Of the State in oder To qualify them
as voters they must be registered The
registry uf a native citizen is IA sine qua non
to his right of voting much as the hat
uralization of "a foreigner.
Now, the Legislature never passed any
law for the registration Of voters, and no
reeis,,ation Of them WAS ever made. No
doubt has been or can be .eitained that
tho ot,iect and purpose Of this omission waS