The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-01-18

] -H4A NAAC OEAAONAeNAL lAE@ VI
serting tue power Of the House 70
throw The election into Itself, is hard
Iy the way TO peace and plessantuess.
General Thomas Ewing felt il ne
cessary for him to De q shade more
/. vigorous ia his violence than anybody
else. He said the assumption that
THE President Of the 6enste might
count the votes aud declare the result,
! "Eitbout the assent Of the House OF
Representatives" had anot the shad-
CIV Of support in the Constitution, y
a1d was IS usurpation a. gross, open
and palpable IS FOR the Gc9eTaI OF the
Army TO name the Prssidsnt By pro-
I tnunciamentl." :" THIS is very lotIse IAN
gusge, Mr.. Ewing The Constitution
I names the President of the Senate As
the custodian OF the Eleotoral csrtifi.
Gates, and names no other officer. /;
commands him to open all the certifi-
Gates. That is the restriction upon
/ him-hs shall not omit TO open any.
/ The House is commanded to be pres
ent and has nothing to do. The GER
t!ficates are opened sin presence or
the houses Of Congress, as deeds are
signed sin presence or witnesses. II
the House can by vote reject q State
throw out certifcste-the power OF
electinR the President is exclusively
in that body, and the electoral ma
/ chine Is q toy. General Ewing ought
to knOw-knows, we presume-tbst
the trainers OF the Constitution pro-
vided the Electoral Colleges, TO be
operated in the several States, az a
means Of removing the Presidential
election equally from popular clsmor
and official interference. - -
The people were not to DO the WORK
directly, and the offiee-holders-the
Administration, with all its official
infiuences-shOuld have nothing to do
with il. The question whether Con-
gress should elect WIS discussed, and
after full delibeTation that plan re-
jected.T Now, General Ewing asserts
that while the Federal oface-holders
are excluded from the Electoral Col
leges, the members of the House (hap-
pening to be OF Mr.. EWing's party
are expressly invited 10 do-that
which the history of the Constitution
shows they were carefully excluded
from doing. General Ewing's mad
ness in constitutional law-giving has
some method in it; bat il seems to
turn entirely upon the shifting po-
tency of parties IN the branches of
the Government. -
The opposition conservative citi-
zens, who have the misfortune to
have something to lose, to wsrlike
talk and sinister agitations, Is not
pleasing to General Ewing. That
son OF toll denounces "mOnRrehial
capitalists" and speaks OF the timid-
ity of popular resistance which is
anxious fOr "a strong Government,
which will exalt money and degrade
manhood" But Why does he want
"more money" and great Initiation
Of legsl-tender paper, if money" as
be calls it, degrades manhood ? Can
he not realize that he is preaching
revolution, and that it is such preach
ing that calls for strong government ?
There has been q game of assassina-
tion in the Republican States of the
South to carry them for Tilden. In
several of the States the game was
successful. Iu others there was fall
ure, and it is that failure which pro-
duces 30 much Indignation. 1t is
easy to say this is untrue-''as easy
as lying" There is, however, direct
testimony ia abundance, and the very
statistics of the South prove the eX-
istence of system of murder for the
express purpose of terrorizing Rspub-
lican voters. If it had not been for
this system there would have been no
possibility of an approach TO an elec-
ton by Tilden. In one State there
was q Returning Board provided, to
protect the timid citizens from the
bulI-dozing scoundrels. 1t was an ar
of its fusufruet :" and in Louisiana It
answered the purpose for which it
was designed. 1t took the political
premium from murder, 1t destroyed
the efficacy of the derringer and the
bull-lash as campaign documents.
Hence this weeping of tears of anger.
But General Ewing says
''Ths time to prevent this usurpa-
ton is RotC. The aUdy to prevent it is
not by cries Of peace Submission
business property but by manly
resolve to preserve at all hazards the
established order and methods of free
elections. The promoters of this
scheme, be they the President iDcum.
bent or elect be they Senators, Gov
ernors or Generals, are conspirators
against law, order and liberty. OPP
position to them is not only = right,
but q duty. Resistance to usurpation
Is obedience to law fH -
General Ewing's term "usurpation"
is always applicable to opposition to
carrying out the Democratic pro-
grRmme, whatever that is. Those.
who do not recognize the divine
right of the Democratic party to rule
are usurping the sacred offlce. Talk
OF property and "pesce" and "busi-
nessn is not suitable for Democrats
under the circumstances, and General
Ewing proposes resistance" or
course he pretends that this resistance
Is TO usurpatIon. There never was a
revolutionist preaching civil war who
hadn't some sort OF 'usurpation" in
his minds eye, to magnify and
scream over as the justification of
violence, and in the presence OF which
the demagogue's howl could be raised
that "peace" and property and
"business" were triflss that manhood
should seorn, This speech may COM
mend General Ewing to his party as
the most suitable successor of John
Sherman in the Senate but perhaps
he overshct the mark with his war
rocket.