The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-02-17
THE SHAME OF A NATION.
YESTERDAY was a dark day for Anne


can freedom The darkest crime Of our
history was committed in the Nations
Capital, and by those to whom the peo-
pie looked for better things. CKsAR's
ambition may have been plead in extern
uation OF the crime Of destroying his
country's liberties, but that fails to stand
as an excuse for the traitors who
deliberately, and. as it turns out,
with malice storethought by one
single act struck down popu-
lar government, when, on yesterday,
they declined TO 60 behind the re.
turns from the State of Louisiana
knowing, as we'll as they knew that the
sun shown at MONDAY, that the
certificates. were as false rs hell itself.
and the truth, if truth they had sought
for, would have shown that a majority
of over ten thousand of the people OF
that State had declared the vote of tho
State for TILDKN and HENDKICKs,-yet
with knowledge of this fact they de-
liberately cast aside this majority and
declared that the eight elector-
al votes of Louisiana should be
counted for HAYES and WHEELER who
were no more entitled to them than
PETER COOPER or JOHN SMITH was
1t is done aid cannot be reversed, and
more the pity. If there was some fur
ther tribunal to which the case might be
carried and where there might be a
hope of wiping out this dark blot from
our history, we could take more cheer
full view of it, There is none except ,oih
the people themselves. and it remains
to be seen whether they will
quietly submit 10 the great wrong
committed against them and done in
their name too, or whether in the
majesty of their power they will arise to
vindicste the integrity of our institutions
and the purity of our government BY
driving the villains from the temple.
We are aware that it is not time for
words of excitement, but the occasion
demands cool, deliberate judgment to
extricste the country from the fearful
position in which it is placed. But it is
time for deep humiliation, and every
American citizen, OF Whatsoever politi.
cal faith he may be, will feel the mortli-
cation and condemn the act which has
brought US into National disgrace.
We can we'll imagine that the time and
scene of committing the outrage was in
keeping with the deed. 1t was in the
fearfully dim and dingy room OF the Su-
preme Court; daylight was fading and
the shadows Of night were falling; the
flickering light of the tallow dips threw
wierd shadows upon the walls; the Com.
mission sitting in the foul place, with
the sickly light and locked doors, looked
like some old Inquisition. MORTON, the
moral and physical leper, arises and
offers the resoluti0n-the vote is taken,
and as the eight ayes are sounded
it falls upon the heavy atmosphere as SO
many strokes of solemn bell knelliug
the departure of the soul of murdered
victim. L: is finished. Popular govern
ment has been slain, the right of suilrag
destroyed, the minority override the H:-
jorlty, the bayonet is supreme over civil
law, fraud has been legslized, villispy
has been made respectable, President
counted out who had received over q
quarter million of the popular vote and
a clear majority of the electoral vote, a
minority candidate entitled to votes he
never received and counted in two
states have been pillsged and their house-
hold gods stolen, the nation robbed of
its President and Vice President,
The right OF trial denied to forty
millions of people, the Coasti-
tuition trampled under foo. as an unholy
thing,-sll, all this, and ten-iold more,
and yet We are required to submit to it
while the thieves and robbers and politi-
cal murderers are exalted.
Well then may We say it was a dark
day for America when honest manhood
is driven into the background, and dark
scheming villains, OF the WELLS type,
are to weld the destinies OF the Nation
We hope and trust for better things in
the future, but how or when it is 10 be
brought about We confess We are unable
to see or conjecture.