The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-11-07
Mr.. T1LDEN's ALTITUDE

rival from Europe by the Yonni
Mems Democratic Club OF Nev
York. He responded by an appro
pirate speech. n portion OF which
will be found in the extract below
from the n. Y. San: @
The speech of Mr.. Tilden on Sat
turday night was in every respect
admirable. 1t gave new evidences
OF the comprehensiveness Of his
| views, strength OF his mind, The
soundness of his judgement. and the
elevation OF his moral tone. After
some suggestive remarks upon the
material interests of the country, be
took up the great political question
of the times. Here is q passage:
"You are all aware of the results OF
the contest of 1876. Voices-'We know
you got robbed. ] No, did not get rob
bed; the people got robbed. 1t was a
robbery of the dearest rights of the
American citizen The condemnation
by the people of the greatest political
crime in our history, by which the re
suit of the Presidential election of 1876
was set aside and reversed, is general
and overwhelming. Her sister States
might afford to have the voice of New
York frittered away or its. expression
deferred. 1t could not change history
in could not alter the universal judg-
ment of the civilized world; il could not
avert the moral retribution that is inn
pending. But New York herself can
not afford to have her voice unheard
'sIn the canvass of 1875 the Federal
Government embarked in the contest
with unscrupulous activity. A member
of the Cabinet was the head of a partisan
committee. Agents stood at the doors
of the pay offices to exact contributions
from official snbordinants. The whole
office holding class were made to ex-
haust their power. Even the army, for
the first time, to the disgust of the sol
moved about the country as an election
eering instrument All this was done
under the eye of the beneficiary of il,
who was making the air vocal with pro-
fessions of civil service reform, to be
begun after he had himself exhausted
all the immoral advantages of civil SER
vice abuses. Public opinion in some
States was over borne by corrupt infu-
ences and by fraud But SO strong was
the desire for the reform, that the Dem
ocrstic candidates received 4, 5000, 600
sufrages- This was a majority of the
vote of about 800, 900, and of
l ,25O ,OO0.Of the white citizens. It was
a vote 100000 larger than Gen. Grant
received in 1872, and 1 300, 900 larger
than he received in 1868.
1.-The step from an extreme degree of
corrupt abuses in the elections TO q SUBJ
version of the elective system itself is
No sooner was the election
over than the whole power of the office
holding class, led by Cabinet Minister
was exerted to procure, aud did procure,
from the State canvassers Of two States
illegal and fraudulent certificates, which
were made prctext for false count of
the election votes. To enable these
offers to exercise the immoral courage
necessary to the parts assigned to them,
and to relieve them from the timidity
which God has implanted in the human
bosom as limit to criminal audacity,
detachments of the army were sent to
a ffoi-d than oh alter
1.-THE expedients by which the votes
of the electors chosed by the people of
these two States were rejected, and the
votes of the electors having the illegal
and fraudulent certificates were counted
and the menace of usurpation by the
President of the Senate of dictatorial
power over all the questions in contro-
versy, and the menace of the enforce
ment of his pretended authority by the
army and navy, the terrorism of the bus
iness classes, and the kindred measures
by which the false court was consum-
mated, are known.
'The result is the establishment of
precedent destructive of our whole cleo
tive system. The temptation to those in
possession of the Government to perpet-
uate their own power by similar methods
win always exist, aud if the example
shall besanetioned by success the success
sion of government in this country viii |
come to be determined by fraud or
force.
1.-THE magnitude of political crime |
must be measured by its natural and
necessary consequences. Our great re-
public has been the only example in the
world Of regular and orderly transfer
Of governmental succession by the cleo
live system. To destroy the habit of
respect for the will of the
people, as declared through the elector-
Il forms, and to exhibit our institutions
IS a failure, is the greatest possible
wrong to our country. It is a greater
crime against mankind than the usurpa-
ion or Dec. 2, 1851. depicted by the il
ustrious pen of Victor Hugo. The
american people will not condone il
lnder any pretext or for any purpose.
This protest OF Mr.. Tilden. at
,nce calm and energetic. will be
aid to heart, and not forgotten. by
he American people.
The Louisville Courier-Journal,