The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-02-14

but the baldest assumptions. All thing
being in readiness, their plans havin.
fully matured, they confront Us boldly
and declare that great emergency IA
arisen, an awful crisis is upon Us, an,
threaten that, unless this high Joint com
mission is established, before which they
can be allowed to play for the Presiden
tial stake, they will blow the country am
Constitution 10 atoms by the forcibIe in
auguration Of their candidates
For myself, | will have none of il
Though | should stand solitary anc
alone in opposition to this bill, | shall
not thereby be deferred from following
my convictions of duty. There is no
now, there never has been any danger o
an armed conflict growing out Of thi
I question Nobody desired it, nobody
intended it. All that was necessary
from the beginning to secure the fruit:
/ Of Democratic victory honestly achiev
! ed, was to get clear Of timid and tenn
/ PORTING leaders, and allow the honest
/ constitution loving masses to speak gu;
/ IN primary meetings, in their own honest
way. But they have been kept back,
and only the money-changers have been
allowed to come to the front. Wise men
have seen for weeks past that all this cry
about war and bloodshed was as empty
and harmless as stage thunder, ror, e
proeterer HihH. But it was a part of the
play, and has served its purpose. No,
Mr.. Speaker, it was not the sword of
Brenuus that was to decide this issue,
but the money-bags of capitalists.
/ would not be understood as in the
remotest degree charging those who are
fortunate enough to have money using
it improperly to secure the passage Of
this bill, much less would | ch Irse any
member of this body with corrupt
motives in voting for it. But what |
mean to say is that capital, always
timid, shrinks from any disturbance Of
the channels of trade, any abnormal politi-
cal condition likely to paralyze money
letting and money-getting and derange
business relations. And hence the in
huence Of that class, which is potential,
has been brought to bear, through reso-
lutions and petitions, in commercial cir
cles and associations and boards of trade.
to influence the passage of this bill. |
greatly fear that in their anxiety for
present peace, which | have never felt
was likely to be disturbed, they have
have broken down the middle wall OF
partition which alone could separate them
from agrariaBism and secure to them the
enjoyment of their honest earnings. \
deep and wide spread dissatisfaction per
vades the public mind arising from the
conviction that this government for the
last fifteen years has been run in the il
terest Of capital as against labor. Such
a state of feeling on the part Of the masses
is not to be trifed with or even disregard
ed. History teaches some instructive
lessons upon this point which it might be
well to heed before pressing matters too
far.
But, Mr. Speaker, | find that | have
wandered from the point which | inten-
dad 10 make namely, that by RELOCATING
the power Of Congress to count the cleo
toral vote to the commission provided for
in this bill, we submit the whole matter
to chance.
| know this statement has been contra
dicted but as practical men, who have
a great duty to perform, brushing away
the cobwebs Of sophistry, dispensing with
all verbal criticisms, paltering with facts
in no double sense, let us examine this
subject as it honestly and truthfully pre-
sents Itself The following is the section
of the bill which provides for raising the
Joint commission
Daring the session of each House on the
Tuesday next preceding the first Thursday
In February, 1877, each House shall. by ezra
U0ee vote, appoint five of its members. who
with the i've associate justices OF the Su-
preme Court OF the n'ted States, to b.
ascertaned as hereinafter provided, shall
-, Ia IN. ,t
all questions upon or in respect of such
double returns named in this section.
F.om the language of this section it
will be seen that the House is to elect
ctU1 Uoce, five of its members 70 act as
part of this commission. The House is
largely democratic, and has the power to
elect such members rs will reflect it's views
faithfully and unalterably. No demo-
crat will be called to serve upon it who
has not fully and unchangeably commit
ted himself to the view that Tilden and
Hendricks were elected.
The Senate, being largely Republican,
will of course select It's members with the
same views and purposes as did the
House, Blltdtis mutdRdjs. Should the
two Houses by common courtesy consent
to place upon the list of referees two Re
Gratis in the Senate the complexion of
tic commission will not be changed. The
Republicans il lie House and the Demo
Gratis in the Senate will of oou.se be al
lowed to designate the members from
their respective parties, who are to be
chosen. Here then, to begin with, you
hayefIve Democrats and FIVE Republicans,
all firmly fixed in their opinions, openly
expressed, publicly avOwed, aud who
dare not betray their trust lest the finger
of scora should follow them through
life
The bill then provides further that
On the Tuesday next preceding the first
Thursday III February, \. ID. l>11, or a
soon thereafter as may be- the associate Jus
tees OF the supreme Court Oh the Lnlte,i
States now assigned to the first. third, eighth
and ninth circuits, snail select, IN such
manner = 4 majority of them shall deem tit'
another OF the associate justices OF SAID
Court, which five persons shall be mem berS
Of said commission; and the person longest
in commission OF said five justices shall oe
the president of SAID commission
From this section it Will be seen that
the Judges from the first, third, eighth
and ninth circuits are especially designat-
ed as members of this commission. Why
should they be specially named? Are
thew Learned above their fellows .
WHY ret take the circuits in their numer-
zeal order, one, two, three, four? Let not
the country be hoodwinked as to the req,
CONS for their selection. Good men all and
able Judges but still the question re
mains unanswered. Why were they Sc
lected? This is the answer, and the only
one given: Two of them are known tc
be Democrats, in full fellowship with the
marty, and two are agoEed Republicans,
in high favor with that party, and 0ie %