Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-03-08
SPEECH OF A. n. BUCKNEh

The house having under considera-
ton the counting of the electoral
vote, Mr. Buckner said /:
Mr.. SPEAKER: / am il great doubt
whether the country has more reason
to deplore the unexampled villainies
and unblushing crimes of the canvass
ing boards of the States of South
Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana, the
lamentable prostitution and degreda-
ton of the highest Judicial tribunal
in the Union, Or that decadence of
public virtue which makes it possible
for the two great executive officers of
the Government to be willing to ac-
cept of these high trusts by a title
originating in fraud, falsehood, and
forgery and consummated by whole
sale violations of law and the consti-
tuition. We have become 8 familiar
lied with the robberies and thetts, the
populations and corruptions of the
governments of these States that the
wrongs and oppression of these UNI
fortunate people have ceased in a
great measure to arouse our appre-
nensions or ave to excite our SYM
pathies.
The republican party has reached
the climax OF it's criminal career in
these States, and to-day it stands be-
ore the world dependent for all its
Aope of the future upon the anointed
villains to whom it has given power
:s,ld place and who for ten long and
weary years have been rioting in
lilne and adding chapter after chap
-er to the history of misgovernment
withouG a parallel in the annals OF.
modern civilization. Helpless and
lopeiess without the assistance of the
isnonored wretcnes whose crimes it
should detest, it scruples not to profit
Up their villainies, and in its shame
less lust for power it does not hesi-
cate to make the justices OF the high
est judicial tribunal of the country
participants with it in its great crimes
against the people and TO drag its
Judges down to the level of its own
iebauchery and debasement. This is
the heinouS offence of the republican
party, an offence which smells to
heuven and winch all over this broad
land proyokes the inexpressible indig-
nation of decent men ii all parties.
Mr.. Speaker, | voted foc the cleo
toral bill in common with every rep
resentative from my State i'll both
Houses. l voted for it with my eyes
open. L was caught in no trap OF
other peoples setting. l have no re-
grets for that vote. Ihave no excuses
or apologies to make for it. l believed
, then and | believe now that it provi,
r ded a fair, just, impartial, and con,
stitutiOnal means OF adjusting the
presidential succession that it nee.
, essarily eliminated that most danger
G GUS element-fOrce-from its solution
and would throw the forms of law a
least around the title of the C
e full candidate. [ confded in the i'm
pa~rtiality, fairness, and independents,
of the five judges of the Suprem,
e Court, with the exception of the rene
gade Kentuckian who now halls from
n the State of Iowa. The bigoted ant
r partisan demeanor of this man ON tn
trial before the commission confrmet
" me in my fears that he was ready t,
make any decision which the bolc
bad men Of his party required at hi
b hands. He has but given another il
O lustration Of the truth Of the maxim
that zone renegade is worth NOR,
p than ten Turks" Nor did | hay,
e any expectation that the gentleman
b from Ohio [Mr. GARFIELD would b,
anything else than partisan in the ad
b publication of the questions of law anc
fact presented for the decision of tn,
r commission. l was censured by m,
: friends on this side of the Hall for re
< fusing to vote for that gentleman a
I one of the members of this commits
sion.
II 1t may have been a delusion or
superstition with me that the mem