The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-03-09
DON PIATr,s BLAST.


The sickening apprehension felt by the
people, to which we referred last week, that
the Supreme Court would be found as rot
ten as the other powers of our unhappy gov
ernment, has been realized
The swift decay that in the last ten years
has made our selfgovcrnment sham and a
mockery, aud in the executive aud legisla-
tive branches shamcd us before the world,
has been silently working its way through
thS iu,licia,y until now in ils first trial-ijj
ToifsEdsSwn6 US stencil the nostrils of all
horest citizens.
The appeal made to judges of the Su,
prcmc Court from the people, sorely dis
tressed and pcrplcxcd, was to save them
from the wicked conspiracy of men they
had repudiatcd at the polls. They saw
their taithlcss agents for years robbing the
treasury of their hardcarned taxes they
saw tEeir highest officials indicted for the
mcaness crimes; they Saw President,
coarse, brutal and ignorant, appointing syco-
phantic rimps to the highest positions they
saw him the associate Of roughs and the
commissioner Of thieves they saw carpct-
baggers, sustained by bay yoncts, manipula-
ting the polls, that ignorance and rascality
might tyrannizc over thess ssSouth they saw
rings, organized iu the lobby, control their
Congress; they saw huge monopolics, crc-
ated by their government, eating out their
substance thy saw themselves reduced to
want, trade paralyzed and labor without en-
ploy, AMI they made desperate effort to
right their wrongs through the ballot
With Il subsidized press against them,
with an army of hungry ofiicc-hodcrs, that
counting those of the General Government
with those Of the States, make horde of
trcasuary eaters greater than any standing
army of Europe with all the accumulated
capital in the hands of monopolies arraycd
cn the side Of their opprcssovs-thcy made
one dcspair:ng effort, aud came up from the
poll with majority Of over half million
in their behalf. And Of what avail
Through dishonest returning board.
u1auc up "a 'fsTufnaF Fs7z7wh0 lavc escaped
conviction and punishment under the pros
tccting arm Ola corrupt government, enough
votes are thrown out to render all their ct-
forts vain aud saddle upon them the old
corruption and old horde for another term
Of years-pcrhaps forever.
From th;s IN appeal was taken to five
justices Of the Supreme Court-ior that, no
more and no less, was the Commission ere
ated. 1t was believed that by such process
the question ut issue, being charge of con-
spiracy against certain corrupt men, could
be lifted from the political arena to tribu-
nal Of hight6ned, impartial judges, VINO
would decide in accordance with law and
justice.
To the amazcmcnt and disgust of all
thoughtful minds, these justices divided, as
the partisans had, on political line, and
three indecent old men joined with the
enemies Ct the people in fixing corruption
upon us, and destroying all confidence in
the very foundation of our political struc-
turc, the ballot. They decide that fraud
does not vitiate, and beyond this, that they
have nothing to decide, and so send the
question to the people.
We have not the patience to argue what
the people in their broad common sense will
not consider; the fne-spun legal tcchncali-
ties under which these aged scoundrcls seek
to hide their shame. Their real brief is to
be found in the utterance of one Of their
Commission, James A. Garfield, who said,
boastngly: you'll have to grin and bear
it; we hold the cards and intend to play
them"
Poor political gambler! The stakes for
which he plays arc the rights of forty mil
lions Of people, the peace and prosperity of
the only Republic known to humanity
For all that irccmcn hold most dear these
hands, stained with plundcr, gamble, as the
soldiers of PLATE severed in division the
garment of the crucifcd Christ.
AS we said week since, this is not law,
it is revolution; and if the people tamcly
submit we may bid a long farewell to con-
stitulional government. Fraud no longer
vitiatcs A corrupt administration has on
ly, by its bayonets, to hold State usurpa.
tion long enough in power for corrupt
returning board to do its vile task, and the
work is done
If n man Tins rcturnod IN nnwor oop