The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-07-19
BLACK VS.. ElaHT.To.sEvEN.

The loudly heralded onslaught of
Judge jeremiah S. Black against the
Electoral Commission fraud has been
given to the country through the
North american Reuiep. The eager
anxiety to see what the American
Junius had to say about the stolen
Presidency is evidenced in the fact
that the first edition of the Review,
numbering 10000 copies, was taken
up as soon as issued, and another
edition of 100000 called for. Yet
there seems to be but. one opinion a.
bout this publication in the minds of
those who have read it. While it is
a clear and vivid portrayal of the
darkest deed in politics the world
ever knew, it discovers nothing new
in fact, develops no new line of at
tack, and worst of all suggests no
remedy. AS a specimen of peculiar
eloquence we give the conclusion OF
the great summing up:
CATER all, there was but one ques.
ton before the Commission. Had
the American people a right to elect
their own Chief Magistrate? They
had the right. Their ancestors strug-
gled for it long, fought for it often,
and won it fairly. Being embedded
in their Constitution, it cannot be
destroyed except by a force strong
enough to overthrow the organic
structure of the Government itself
Legislative enactments or judicial
decisions are ~powerless either tc
strangle or impair it. The legerde.
main of l~aw-craft, the catches o fspe'
cial pleading, the snapparadoes Of
practice do not help US to decide 8
matter like this. A great nation
must not be impalcd upon a pins
point. Precedents which might bind
a Court of Quarter Sessions deter
mining the settlement of a paupel
cannot tie up the hands of the Su
preme Legislature defending a fund
amental right of the people. Wher
Greenville, in 1866, cited the author
ity of divers cases to show that A
mericans might be taxed withou'
representation, Mr.. Pitt answered.
81 came not here armed at all points
with the statute book doubled dowI
in dogs ears to defend the cause o
liberty. can acknowledge no ven
GRAFTON for any procedure, law, or or
dinance that is repugnant to reason
and the first principles of our Con
stitution. / rejoice hat Americi
has resisted" So spoke the defian
friend of our race in the presence o
q hostile parliament ten years beforv
the Declaration of Independence
And now, after the long interval o
! time, we behold our greatest right
) the right on which all other right
: depend-successfully assailed in GU
own Congress with the same sma.
weapons that Greenville used. ]
brute force had crushed it out W
might have borne the calamity wit
fortitude; out to see it circumvente
by knavery and pettifogged to deatl
: is too much to be endured with an
show of patience.
"If the majority of that Commits
: sion could but have realized their RI
I sponsibility to God and man, if the
: could only have understood that in
free country liberty and law are il
l seperable, they would have been Ell
rolled among our greatest benefa'
tors, for they would have adde
3 strength and grandeur to our inst
f buttons. But they could not com
0 up to the height Of the great subjec
! Party passion so benumbed the
faculties that a fundamental rigf
seemed nothing to them when it can
in conflict with some argument SUI
ported by artificial reasoning, an
e drawn from the supposed analogi'
4 to technical procedure. The Const
= tuition was, in their judgment, on
weighed by a void statute and tt
action of a corrupt Returning Boar
"Let these things be remembers
by our children's children; and
the friends of free Government sha
J. ever again have such a contest, /
them take care how they leave Il
decision of it to a tribunal like tn
which betrayed the Nation by e
IS throning the Great Fraud of 1876
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