The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-03-15
eeTHE FORLORN HoPE.n
Speech Of Jeremiah .. BLACK before
the Electoral Tribunal, on Tuesday,
Feb. 2S.
From O.e 0nars,,io,ul Recurd.

| run" Ssc CtAg!ctticlloi hecoTd.
MR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN:
had not, and have not now, any intention
to argue this case. I never heard the
objections, nor knew what they were
until they were read in your preseaci
this morning. II would DO preaump:tou
in me TO attempt an argument before .
/ tribunal like this on such case as this
having had no previous opportunity "a
consider it which might put me in O con.
dition better than the judges themselves
You have heard as much Of this case and
know rs much about T. as / do.
Ny idea of the duty which cee.::asssee! cee.::asssee!
lor owes 20 court or to any other trihn-
nal, judicial or quasi.judicial, IL that be
| should never open his mouth except for
the purpose of assisting the judges in
coming to correct conclusion and IL
he is not in situation to do that, he
ought 10 keep silence.
Besides that, am, suppose, the very
last man in this whole nation who should
be called upon to speak here and now.
Everybody has suffered more or less by
events and proceedings Of the recent past,
some by wear and tear Of conscience and
some by q deep sense of oppression and
wrong. But perhaps ], more than most
others, have felt the consciousness that
have lost the dignity of en- American cit
i.en. !, in common with the rest, am
degraded and humiliated. This nation
has got her great big foot in a trap. 1t is
vain to struggle for her extrication.
am SO fallen from the proud estate of
q free citizen, you have so AFFECTED me
that am fit for nothing on earth but TO
represent tho poor, defrauded, broken
hearted Democracy. And because
suffer more, they think me more good for
nothing than the rest, and conclude to
send me out on this forlorn hope, Judging,
no doubt truly, that it matters nothing
what becomes Of me. / ought to 20
gladly if anything which can do or say
might have the effect of mitigating the
horrible calamity with which the ooun-
try is threatened: President deriving
his title from shameless swindle, not
merely a fraud, but fraud detected and
exposed. know not how would feel il
called upon to suffer death for my. coun-
try, l am mo- the stuff that martyrs are
made of, but II my life could redeem this
nation from the infamy with which she is
clothed, ought to go to the grave as
freely as ever went to bed. I see, how
ever, no practical G, I'd that can do, and
It is mere weakness to complain.
We have certain objections to the
counting of this Hayes vote from South
Carolina which look to me insuporable.
bit | cannot hope that they will wear
that appearance in other mems eyes,
Perhaps the feeling which in common
with millions of Others entertain on this
subject, prevents us from seeiRg this
thing in its true light. But you are wise !;
you are calm. You can look all through
this awful business with . learned spirit I;
no passionate hatred of this great fraud
can cloud yeur mental vision aT shake
the even balance of your Judgment. You
do not think 1T any wrong that nation
should be cheated by false election re-
turns. On the contrary, it is rather n
blessing which heaven has sent us in this
strange disguise. When the oranipotent
lie shall be throned and sceptered and
crowned, you think we ought all of us to
fall down and worship it as the hope of
our political salvation. You will teach
US and perhaps we will learn (peshsps
not) that under such rule we are better
off than if truth had prevailed and Justice
been triumphant. n &.
Give, then, your cool consideration to
these objections, and try them by, the
standard of the law. mean, the law as
it was before the organization of this
commission. l admit that since then o
great revolution has taken place in the
law. It is LIT now what it used to be.
All our notions of public right and pub
lie wrong have suffered complete 6oule-
rerSement.
The question submitted to you is
whether the persons who gave these votes
were "duly appointed" Duly, Of course,
means according to law. What law !?
The Constitution of the United States,
the acts of Congress passed in pursuance
thereof, the Constitution of South Caro-
lima, aud the authorized acts of her Leg
islature-these taken altogether, consSi-
tute the law of the case before you.
By these laws the right, duty and
power Of appointing electors 10 given 70
the people of South Carolina; that ID co
say tho citizens of the State qualified to
vote at general elections. Who are
they? BY the Constitution of the State
in order TO qualify them rs voters they
must be registered. The registry of q
native. citizen is sire qua non 10 his
right Of voting as muck as the naturaliza-
tion of foreigner. n gr li,aH Il.
Now, the Legislature never passed any
law for the registration of voters, and no
registration of them was ever made. No
doubt has been or can be entertained
that the object and purpose of this omiE-
sion was fraudulent and dishonest; for
the Legislature rs wellas the Executive
Department of that Government has been
in tho hands Ufithe most redemptioniess
rogaes on the face of the earth. But
whatever may have been the nutive mn.
body can doubt that the legal effect OF
this omission is to make the election ille-
gal. elg s., .m4s -: ..l
TGa.. Is hardly the worst of it. The
election itself, emancipated from all law
and all authority, was no better than q
riot, a mob, a general saturnalia, in
which the soldiers of the United States
army cut the principal as we'll as the de-
centest figure. We offer to prove-the
offer will go upon record, and there it
will stand forever-that every poll In
Charleston county, where they rushed
into the ballot box q, 900 majority, was
in possession of the soldiers.
Government whose elections are con.
trolled by military force cannot be re-
publican in form or substance. For this
[ cite the authority OF Luther vs. Borden
if perchance the old-time. law has vel
any influence. Do you not see the hide
GUS depth Of national degradation into
which you will plunge US II you sanotify
this mode Of making President? Brush
up your historical memory and think oi
it for q moment. The man whom you
elect in this way is. as purely the creature
c: ac military power as Caiiguia OF
! Domitian, for whom the pretorian guards