The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-05-23
The soetA and the Presidential Fraud.

The SoetA and the Presidential Fraud.
We can easily understand that our es-
teemed contemporary, the Sun, may be
embarrassed in the work of bringing
about thorough, searching and impair
tial in. ast3gation of the frauds which, as
we believe, were committed in Florida
and Louisiana at the time Of the Presi-
dental election in 1876. For our es-
teemed contemporary in November of
that year laid down fully and earnestly
the doctrine, never accepted by the
World, that there is no power which can
60 behind the certificates of q State
given to certain persons as Presidential
electors. And as the Sun neither Ia nor
claims to be a Democratic journal, We
have no reason Of course to expect that
it will do justice 20 tho motives or the
conduct of the great body Of the Demo-
cratic voters of the Union.
But 1t seems TO us, nevertheless, that
even from the point of yiew of such q
republican as Senator Conkling, with
whom we understand the Sun to agree in
his view as to the status and character of
the present Republican administration, It
is very far from just to charge the Demo-
cratic masses of the South, as the Sun
now does, with treason to the country,
and with deliberate desire to destroy
by fraud "the Government which the
Southern armies were unable to over
throw" because the South has shown
itself willing to recognize the admins
tration OF President Hayes as q lawful
authority. Mr.. Charles Francis Adams
who can hardly be thought to be q
sympathizer with those whom the Sun
vehemently denounces as Southern
rebels now yclept Democrats"-- re-
Gently expressed his conviction shst ao
assault ought now to be made upon the
title of President Hayes, and if VIC are
not mistaken q member Of his family has
even gone 60 far as to accept O. Fed.
eral office under the ex;sting administra-
ton. The World has brought out prom
inently before the country the fact that
Senator Conkling has be en in possession.
ever since the Presidential election In
1876, of informaticu which leads him
freely to denounco the President and the
administration as guilty accomplices
eltSer bafore or after the fact in the
frauds through which the HAYES electors
in Florida and Louisiana obtained those
State certificates which the Sun elabo.
rately maintained in November, 1876.
must be accepted as final and conclusive.
But Senator Conkiing is not q Southern
Senator, nor is he o Democrat, If ha
possessed this information In November.
1875, and has failed ever since to bring
an open accusation against the President
and the administration OF the strength
of it, surely it is against him and not
against the Southern rebels" that the
Sun should direct lie wrath. What part
has the South really borne in the history
of the Hayes administration? Certainly
the South did not nominate Mr.. HAYES.
Certainly the South did not elect Mr.
Hayes. Mr.. Hayes vas supported in his
of the detestable administration of Pres
ident Grant, and the South contended
against him not simply to win political
victory, but to secure itself against politi-
cal degradation and from social anarchy.
How solidly it supported the candidacy
of MIR. Tilden we all know. How wisely,
no just and candid American ever should
forget. Taunted, provoked, irritated on
evosy side oy the interruptions emirssa.
ries of an administration of which Sena-
tor Conkling was trusted counsellor,
the people of the South went through q
canvass which for them involved the is.
sues of political life or political death,
without uproar, disturbance or confusion.
When the canvass ended, 1t appeared
that MIR. Iiiden was chosen lawful Pres
ident of the United States by 196 electo-
raj votes out of 369, being clear major
ity of % over his Republican competitor.
Of these 1876 votes the Southern States
cast 13l, the Northern States only IS.
In the East o single phalanx Of three
conterminous States-Connecticut, New
York and New Jersey-stood for. the
constitution and the sovereignty of the
laws with the solid South In the West,
Indiana alone What followed7 Under
the protection of Grants administration,
of which Senator Cenklins wee G trusted trusted
counsellor, the people of two Southern
States, Florida and Louisiana, were de.
liberately robbed of their votes for the
Democratic electors, and the machinery
was SET in motion which resulted in the
Electoral Commission and eventually in
the Inauguration OF Mr.. Hayes. The
Democrats of the South protested against
the outrage peTpetrate1 upon the electo.
raj franchise, in all imaginable forms.
They looked-as had they not right to
look ?-to the leaders of the Northern
OcuiOCIhCy auu 10 LH0 CanuluaLo Wn0m
they, the people Of the South, had elec.
ted, to uphold the threatened sanctity of
the ballot and see justice done. They
looked in vain. Were they to assume
the initiative of civil war foI the asser-
tion of results achieved by their peaceful
ballots? Had they desired disunion
rather than union, strife rather than
peace, then was the time to have shown
it. They did not desire disunion, they
desired union. They did not desire
strife, they desired peace. When North
ern Democrats accepted the decree OF
the Electoral Commission from Senator
Conkling and President Grant against
the earnest but solitary warnings and
protests of the World, the Democrats O.
the South saw the Federal power once
moro conided to Republican admins.
tration; but not by any act of theirs
In their local governments they asserted
without bloodshed that sanctity of the
ballot which Northern Democrats shrank
from asserting in the Federal Govern.
ment. The people Of Florida and oi
Louisiana conld only heip 10 eject mir
Tilden President They could not make
him President If he would not accept
and maintain the title which they had
given him. But the peonla nf Fioridu