Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-06-06
Important Letter OF Postmaster
General hey TO His Southern
Friends on the Potter COnspi-

nential election of 1876 in Louisiana
and Florida, together with the subSe'
quent declarations Of many influential
Democratic politicians and journalists,
evidence that if both Houses Of the 10th
Congress are Democratic the majority
intend to Gust President Hayes and
inaugurate Mr.. Tilden.
The title of President Hayes was
settled irrevocably by the 44th Con-
gress in the act creating the Electoral
Commission under which he was legal
ly declared elected and legally in
augurated. The 18th Congress has no
more right to dispute his election than
he has to question the title of any
victorious contestant to his seat in that
body. The 10th Congress will have no
more right TO ignore him and recognize
his contestant Mr. Hiden) than Mr..
Hayes would have to send file Of
soldiers to the Honse.of Representatives
to unseat Democratic whom he might
consider to have been wrongfully seat
ed or fraudulently elected. The leaders
in this desperate attempt to Mexican
ize our institutions rely confidently
upon Solid South to furnish the bulk
of the Democratic majority in the next
House OF Representatives, the Senate
being already secured. Remembering
the encouragement which the North
ern Democrats in 1S60-61 extended to
the Southern States to secede, and the
manner in which their promises of aid
and comfort were fulfilled, can the
Southern people afford to joint this re-
volutionary movement with GER
tainty that when the inevitable hour
of peril comes they will again be left
unassisted and alone to meet the storm
from the North once more united by
this attempt to revive an issue whose
settlement was forced by public
opinion upon an unwilling Congress.
In the dark days of February, 1877,
when civil war over the disputed
election was imminent and patriots
trembled for the safety of Republican
institutions, the Southern members of
Congress averted danger by compelling
the completion of the electoral count
under the law which both parties in
Congress had enacted, But now the
representatives. from the Southern
States, with but few exceptions, have
Joined movement to subvert the re-
Suits of their former patriotic action,
and to remand the country to that
anarchy from which less than two
years ago it was saved by their efforts.
Grant that in permitting the autonomy
of all the States and in appointing
citizens to Office in the South instead OF
strangers, President Hayes has but
discharged his constitutional duty,
does that excuse the Southern Repre-
santatives for attempting to invalidate
his title which they established, or will
it Justify them in bringing the country
again in danger of civil war in effort
to unseat him and inaugurate Mr..
Tilden? The South must now face the
most mOnstrous crisis in its history
since 1861. To endorse the recent con-
duct of their Representatives is to
admit the truth of the charges that the
people of the South care nothing for
| the welfare of the Union; that they
desire the fall OF the Republic and
would rejoice to see it again involved
in civil war. II their Representatives
have not reflected their sentiments as
l believe to be the case, then the
take carethat in the 46th Congress they
are represented by men who will defeat
the disturhers of the public peace and
prevent MeXicanization of our institu'
tions. To do this they may be com
PEELED to act independent of the Demo
crate party. Recent events have de-
monstrated the inability of the Demo-
cratic members of Congress to resist
the mandates of a caucus and the terms
of the party lash, the one welded and
the other inspired by men who seem
willing to endanger the welfare of the
country and stability of republican in
stitutions for the sake of revenge on
opponents and in hope of dividing the
spoils of victory. If the Democratic
Representative of the South could not
resist the caucus command to pass the
Potter resolution unanended and
without debate, how will they be able
in the 46th Congress to resist asimilar
command to ignore Mr.. Hayes as
President and to recognize Mr.. Tilden?
1t is therefore the duty of the Southern
people to afford crowning evidence OF
!, their renewed devotion to the Union,
in which they enjoy every right ol
citizenship and are subjected to no re-
strictionS not laid upon every citizen,
by sending representatives to the 10th
Congress pledged to resist at all hazards
} the revolutionary schems of the mis-
chief makers who seem to have con-
troll of the House of Representatives OF
the 45th Congress. To this end the
people in every district should meet
publicly and organize and resolve to
support no person for Congress who has
given his aid to this movement, and
who will not pledge himself to sustain
the title of President Hayes during the
term for which he was elected against
all attempts at its overthrow.
i Only in this way can a grave danger
to the Republic be avoided and con-
vincing proof be given that the con-
fidence was not misplaced which Presi-
dent Hayes manifested in the South
when he withdrew the troops from the
State Houses Of South Carolina and
| Louisiana. / have spoken plainly and
earnestly, for feel that should be
unworthy to represent the South in the
Administration were to remain ST.
lent now. Invited to the Cabinet as a
Southern man to see that justice was
done to the South required neither to
apologize for my record nor disown
my political principles. 1t is my duty
to warn the people OF The
South of the danger which
threatens the country. No man need
hope that the schemes of the men who
have engineered the movement to un'
seat President Hayes can be carried
out without bloody civil war. To
avert this danger L confidently rely on
the patriotism and honor Of the people
of my native section.
[Signed d. M. KEY.