Litchfield enquirer., 1877-03-01
1nd0p0n d@nce !

electoral votes of Florida and Louisiana, and the Southern Carpet Baggers gener ally. have been very distasteful to many of our subscribers. Many have remon' strated with us; and, no doubt, some have failed to renew their subscriptions be- cause of thelr differences of opinion witt us; but we have not before seen the un. reasonable anger with our views whicl characterizes the following letter:
 WINCHESTER CENTRE, Feb. r, 1877.
 Editor Enquirer, -....
 DEAR SIR:-In your issue of the 15tl inst find the following as a closing para graph to an editorial: ''If the Democrats are the patriots they claim to be, they should show it by decently submitting te the inevitable" If yon can use such Ian guage as that to us at this tune, in view oi all the facts as you have seen them ir regard to the present presidential contest want no more of your paper. You might with as much propriety say the same to g man condemned to be hung upon per. jured testimony, or what would be more nearly parallel case, where all evidence in his favor was excluded from prejudice, notwithstanding it was known he could prove himself innocent.
 There was not a Democrat who voted for the Compromise measure nor 8 Re. publican who voted against 1t, to say nothing of the latter who favored, it but knew that the evidence concerning the transactions of those returning boards, etc was admissible before the commis- ns< La -s--l ed by it. But instead of that, all evil dence tending to show the facts has been ruled out by strict party vote regardless alike of their oaths, or of right and wrong. In the face of all this you tell us to de- cently submit, etc. had been intending to renew my subscription for a year, but inclosed please find twenty-five cents and stop my paper. Yours truly.
 N. D. FORD.
 Suppose that man has been convicted of murder by perjury, or contrary to evidence? Should the community rise against it's officers of justice, break the jail, and free the prisoner?
 While we agree with Mir. Ford in the belief that evidence of illegality and fraud in Louisiana ought to have been heard by the Commission, 1t is not true that there was any preliminary agreement that such evidence should be heard. It was expressly stipulated, on the contrary, that the admissibility of such evidence should be determined by the Commission itself.
 Nor was there any unfair design as re- gards the composition of the Commission. As originally planned, it's odd man"would have been Judge Davis. recently elected to the Senate by the Democrats of Illi- nois. Probably he would have been as fair an todd man" as could have been selected, but his election to the Senate, occurring after the plan had been perfect ed, made him ineligible, as he viewed the matter; and. on his decliping the posi- tion, it went of necessity to one of the "stralght" Republicans of the Supreme bench. There is no reason to suppose that, when the bill establishing the Con- mission was reported to Congress, either party supposed that it was sure of fa- vorable result. The strongest opposition came from Republicans. and hence it was generally inferred that they were most ap- prehensive of an adverse decision.
 We tAipk ourselves justified, therefore, in maintaining that the tribunal was we'll designed for fair determination of the great cause. There was of course the risk of partisan bias; and an accident gave the Republicans majority of one in a.body of fifteen. MT. Ford may say with great appearance of justice that, taking advantage of the accidental advantage, the Republicans won their cause, not on it's merits. but because of the partisan bias in their favor. Would that justify the Democracy, who were as fully aware of that danger as there opponents, in repu- diating the agreement to which they had assented! Would it justify them not on- ly in breach of faith, but in throwing matters back into the state of anarchy in which the Commission found them? In view of such state of facts we have no hesitation in feiterating our statement of two weeks since, that, "If the Democrats are the patriots they claim to be, they should show it by decently submitting to the inevitahle!" It is simply a question of American or Mexican methods; and we consider the American way the only safe and sure one. If they have been wrong ed, the Democracy must appeal not to revolution, but to the ballot. Next fall they will argue the Florida and the Louisiana election to the people. Two years later come the elections which will fix the political complexion of the Forty Sixth Congress; and, in 1880, the people will be called upon once more to decide between the presidential candidates of the great political parties. Four years may seem good while to wait for office; but it is a very short period in the life of nation. or even in the life of party,
 We chiefly object to Mir. Ford B method, however, because it is out of just such intolerance as he has shown that the par. tisanship arises of which he complains SC bitterly. Let the average newspaper sub scriber make practice of punishing in dependence of view as that gentleman ha. done in our case, and newspaper propr, etors will soon learn that independence o1 view "does not pay P Then partisanshir possesses the press, and poisons every source of information. On the same plan psrtisans' and not statesmen are elect cd to office. Our legislatures and oul congresses swarm with them. They even infest the judicial bench, Public opinion not only becomes partisan but prescribe. all that is not partisan. Every man i. told to ''take his side. and stick to it!' Men. and journals, that refuse to submit tt the dictation ot any political clique arr objects of general suspicion. At last tn, voter is degraded into a political machine he is no longer an independent citizen but the private soldier of party; promo 4ins. eRonn nx,lw ko ol>nG;nnan, and f~o,.