Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1877-02-27
WHAT dom PIATT SAYS.

Of ministerial heads over some phantom dam
ger which their guilty couseiences suggested,
was an editorial in the Copitol-Donn PATS
paper at Washington. The following is the
article which produced such 3 sensation in
high quarters:
"The sickening apprehension felt By tie
people. to which We referred last week, thar
tho Supreme Court would be found az rotten
az the other powers of our unhappy govern
ment, has been realized. The swift decay
that in the last ten years has made our SELF
government sham and q mockery, aud in the
Executive and Legislative branches shamed
us before the world, has been silently work.
ing its way through the Judiciary until DOW,
ON its first trial, il offends with its stencil the
nostrils Of all honest citizens.
1.-The appeal made to the Judges OF the
Supreme Conrt from the people. sorely dis
tressed and perple1ed, was to save them from
the wicked conspiracy of men they had re-
pudiated at the polls. They saw their faith
less agents for years robbing the treasury of
their hard earned taxes. They saw their
highest officials indicted for the meaues,
crimes. They saw President. coarse, brutal
aud ignorant, and appointing sycophantio
pumps W uISutct PonitOhH' ~"
him the associate of roughs and the commits
sioner of thieves. They saw carpet bsgg"rs,
sustained by bayouets. manipulating the polls,
over the South They saw Rings organized
in the lobby to control their Con gress. They
saw huge monopolies created by their govern
ment eating out their substance. They saw
themselves reduced TO want trade paralyzed,
I.bo ,pI fhav ID
desperate effort to right their wrongs through
the ballet.
"With q subsidized press against them,
with an army of hungry Office. holders that
counting those of tho General Government
with those of the States-nade horde of
Treasury eaters greater than any standing
army in Europe; with all the accumulated
capital in the hands of monopolies srrayed on
the side Of their oppressors, they made one
despairing effort, and came up from the poll.
with majority of over half q million in their
behalf. Aud Of what avail? Through
dishonest Returning Board, made up Of Grim
mails who have escaped conviction aud punish.
ment under the protecting arm of corrnp.
Government enough votes are thrown ont 10
render all their efforts vain. and saddle upon
them the Odd corruption and the old horde for
another term OF years. perhaps forever.
From this appeal, was taken to five
Justices OF the Supreme Court. For thst, no
more aud no less, was the Com omission created.
1t was believed that by such process the qu"s-
ton ut issue, being y charge of conspiracy
against corrupt men, could be lifted from the
political arena to tribunal of heightened,
impartial Judges. who would decide in
cordance with law and justice. To the amaze
ment and disgust OF all thoughtful minds
these Justices, divided the portisans had
on political line; and three indecent old
men joined with the enemies of the people in
fixing corruption upon us. and destroying oil
confidence in the very foundation Of our po'it-
ical structure-the ballot. They decide thst
fraud docs DOT vitiate. and beyond this that
they have nothing 10 decide, and 80 send the
question to the people
eve have not the patience to argue what
the people, in their broad common sense, will
not considerable ine.spun legal technical>
tiles under which these aged scoundrels seek
to hide their shame Their real brief is TO
be found in the ut'erance of one of their Com
mission James A Garfield, who said boast
ingly, You'll have tn grin and bear it. We
hold the cards and intend to play them -
Poor political gamblers! The stakes for
which he plays are the rights Of 40, 000, 900
of people. the peace and prosperity of the
only republic known to humanity. For all
that freemen hold most dear. these hands
stained with plumber, gamble as tho aoldiers
of PLATE severed in derision the garment of
the Cruci6ed Christ AS We said week
since: This is not law, it is revolution and
if the people tsmely subm'r, We may bid
long farewell to Constitutional Government
Fraud no longer vitiates. A corrupt admins
istration has only by its bayouets to hold
State usurpation long enough in power for
corrupt Returning Board to do ih vile task,
and the work is done. II man thus re-
turned to power can ride in safety from the
Executive Mansion to the Capitol to be in
augurated, we are fitted for the slavery that
will follow the inauguration.
ave do no. believe the people of the
United States are of this servile sort. We
do not believe that they are prepare ed without
a blow to part with their hard earned, blood
stained possessions. Notice is now served on
the ct'zeus of Louisiana and South Carolins
that they must care for themselves. How
soon lamp posts will bear frnit is for them to
say. To the people Of the North and West
notice is given that all the Toll to which they
are subjected that bond>holders aud monop-
olists may f.tten secure, is repaid by no Sc
curity for their rights, and that = shrinkage
Of values is now in order If,here is law for
fraud there is reason for violence, aud to that
we make our last appeal"
Dom Piatt in Card on Tuesday discloims
having thought Of the horrible crime of as
sassination when penning the foregoing ed
itorinl Tor The Capital; but meant open re-
sstance by the people to revolutionary
wrong. lis appeal was to the people and not
to the assassin In his card he seeks only to
protest against the misconstructiun put upon
his word-not 10 rctract.
Dom Plat. was Indicted by the grand jury