Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1877-03-14

been, used in giving employment t
the workingmen Of this land, sufferin
so severely from the maladmiiistrs
ton of its public affairs
have also been censured for assent
ing to the completion Of the count, il
accordance with the provisions of tn,
law which | helped to frame, anc
which received my cordial approval
and my vote. AS an honorable man
| did not see that any other cours
was open to me, but if honor had per
mitted otherwise, my judgment is tina
it was the wisest course for the coun-
try, as well as for the Democratic par
ty, to proceed in accordance with The
law to the orderly completion Of the
count, although we knew it would re-
suit in the installation Of Hayes into
al Office to which he had no homes,
right, except such as might De derived
from the Unjust decisions Of a tribunal
which we had helped to create. Ny
reasons for this conclusion are as fol
lows: II the count had been defeat
ed, and the bill to provide for vacan.
cy in the office Of Pres ident had he.
come law, new election would have
taken place in November next mean
while the Office OF President would
have been filled by Republican chos-
en- by the Senate. The whole power
of the Administration would therefore
be under the control Of the Republican
managers. In order to succeed they
must hold on to South Carolina and
Louisiana, which would necessarily in
volve sustaining by force the usurping
Governments of Chamberlain and
Packard, with all their unlawful ex-
crecences in the way Of INSCRIPTIONS
Returning Boards, The patience Of
the people Of these two unhappy
States is utterly exhausted. They
would break out in open rebellion
against Government thus forced on
them, and continued in power by the
armed forces of the United States.
Civil war would result. The Federal
would reinforce itself
with all the troops at its command /;
the other Southern States would nat
urally rush to the aid OF their suffering
sister States the safety Of the colored
as we'll as the white population would
be endangered and 4 call would be
made for volunteers and militia from
the Northern States to suppress the
rebellion, and thus the flames of civil
war would be lighted all over the
Union, in the midst of which a free
election would be impossible, and a
military despotism take the place of
civil government. This generation
would pass away before the country
would recover from the disastrous
Of such fratrici dial
strife.
In comparison with the evils of
or Of a Government of force,
which alone could prevent anarchy,
our years OF usurpaton-but usvrpa-
ion in accordance with the forms of
to me by far the lesser
,vil. Besides, we have not yet tested |
he Judgment of the people as to the
great outrage upon all justice and
light which has been perpetrated. =
There is no reason 10 soppose that it
will be sanctioned by the popular
'oice, but it it should be we could not
lope to save them from usurpatlon
md despotism by force used against
he Judgment of majority Of the
'eople.
TO me. therefore, on the one side
vas anarchy and civil war, inevitable
nd disastrous of oil the hopes of free
Government on the other side was
'eace and order, with free speech, a
rec press and the. ballot-box still pre-
erved to us.
Under the circumstances, l could
lot hesitate as to my course. felt
hat, as a patriot and trusted ser
ant of the Democracy, no other
curse was left open to me, and feel
ure that its wisdom will be indicated
" the early and triumphant success
# the Democratic party, standing, as
does, upon the rock of justice and
'atriotism, from which no amount Of
'assion Or provocation has been able
o move it
For myself, l feel that l have now
completed the duty which was assign
d to me at St. Louis. The result of
he campaign was the unquestionable
lection of our candidates. That they