The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1877-07-19
which tho. returning board compound,


which tho returning board ,oompound>
cd its false certiffcate.t II iC~|
Another paradox of the eight is cu~
ri0us euougb TO be noted Thoy des
clared repeatedly that they had no
powor to try o contested election case,
and for that, reason they wonld not
look at the evidence which showed
what persons were duly appointed
electors by the people. Now mark!
The case was this. Each of those
yotes came accompanied by what was
assorted to be proof that it was cast
by electors duly appoined. The con-
fliot'was to be determinsd4by the YER.
flying power which Congress ounques-
tionably has, and which the commits
| sioners expressly assumed when they
swore that they would decide who
were duly appointed. To decide it
! ono way or the other required precise.
ly the same jurisdiction, and called
into exercise exactly tho samo tacul-
ties.,, Yet they held that if they de~
cidod according TO the truth in favor
of tho electors actually appointed thoy
would be trying contested election;
but if thoy decided in favor Of the pre-
tenders, who had nothing but fraud
ulont certificate, tbey would not bo
trying n contested election; in other
words, thoir Jurisdiction was full and
ample to decide it falsely, but wholly
unequal to the duty of deciding it
truly. * lin1 I.t ~.
THE FULL EXTENT OF TIE OUTRAGE.
Aftor all, there was but one ques-
ton before the commission. Had the
| American people u right to elect their
own Chief Magistrate? They had the
right. Thcir ancestors struggled for
it long, fought fol- il often, and won
it fairly. Boing embedded in thoir
constitution, it cannot bo destroyed
except by foroo strong enough TO
overthrow tho organic structure Of
tho government itself. 7 Legislative
enactmonts or judicial decisions arc
poworloss other to strengthen or i'm,
pair it. Tho ledgcrdomain Of law
craft, tho catches Of special pleading,
the snapperadoes of practice, do not
help us to decide o matter like this.
A great nation must not be impalled
upon pins point. Procodents which
might bind IL court Of quarter sessions
determining the settlement Of q pau
per cannot tie up tho hands of the SUI
promo Legislature defending a funda-
mental right of tho whole people,
Whom Grcnville, in !796, cited the
authority of divers cases to show that
America might bo taxed without reps
rosentation. Pitt answered: II come
not here armed at all points, with the
statute book doubled down in dogs
ears to dcfond the cause of liberty. l
can acknowledge no vencrntion tor
any procedure, law or ordinance that
is repugnant to reason and tho first
principles Of our constitution. l re-
joico that America has resisted" Sc
spoke tho defiant friend of our race in
the presence OF q hostile Parliament
ten years before tho declaration o.
Independence. And now, aftor thi:
long interval Of time, wo behold our
greatest right-tho right on which al
other rights dopend-succcssfully as
sailed in our own Congress with The
same small weapons that Grenville
used. If brute forco had crushed il
out, VIC might have horno tho calami'
ty with tOrLitude: bat to see it circum
vented by knavcry and pottifoggcd tc
death, is too much to bc endured will
any show OF pationco.
If tho majority Of that commission
could but havo realized thoir rcsponsi
bility to God and man, if they coulc
only have understood that in q FREQ
country liberty and law arc unscpara
. bic, thoy could havo been enrolled
among our greatest bonefactors, fol
they would have added strength anC
grandeur to our institutions. But
they could not como up to the height
Of the great subject. Party passion sc
bonumed thoir faculties that funda
mental right seomed nothing to thom
when it camo in conflict with some
argument supported by artificial roa~
soning, and drawn from the supposed
analogios of technical procedure. The
constitution was, in their Judgment
outweighed by a void statute and the
action of a corrupt returning board.
Let these things be remembered by
our children's children; and if the
friends of free government shall evor
again have such contest, let them
tako care how they leave the decision
of it to tribunal like that which boz
trayed tho nation by onthroning the
great fraud of 1875. J. S. BLACK.
| VICK'S