The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-31
He Says he will Fight for the Fraud,

II DAVID VI. KEY Of Tennessee had enter
ed Mr. HAYEs's Fraudulent Cabinet under
circumstances honorable to himself, he
would be, in his present position an object
for no harsher sentiment than pity. II he
had worked for the election of HAYES and
accepted Office in the honest belief that
HAYES was legally President, his historical
appeal to the Southern people to submit TO
Fraud would be an evidence Of a weak intel
lect and silly imaginings, and nothing worse.
But his own utterances, both before and
after he took Office stand In the way OF any
such charitable Interpretation. His words
can be reconciled with his conduct by only
one theory, and that is that his moral sense
had been so far obscured by actual pecuni-
airy need that convictions, conscience, soul,
honor and everything else weighed less in
his estimation than the prospect OF $1,000 a
year, the wages Of disgrace and shame.
What Mr. KEY now calls 1.-THE alleged
frauds In Louisiana aud Florida" were very
plain in his mind when he rose in the Senate
in December, 1875, 10 demand that the legally
elected President should be inaugurated.
His apprchensions at that date were not ex-
cited by any Mexican outlook. He saw and
said that the peril 10 the country was in the
prospect Of Fraud triumphing over the will
of the people. His talk was not Of blood and
files Of soldiers and civil strife; It was Of
violated ballots and forged returns and de-
fance of law 10y secret conspirators. Stand
ing face to face with JOHN SHERMAN, who
had just returned from New Orleans, KEY
| spoke as follows:
"when the voice Of the majority fails to have force
and expression under LEGAL authority when 1t Is or shan
be suppressed by power subi,rluee other means
It Is or wall Ice time that our graNe.tiears should be OK
cited and strongest apprehe nsons aroused IN REGARD to
the safety OF our liberties and the perpetuy OF republ
can Institutions
If the OF the majority shall he stuffed and
garded. the proud boast OF republican installations Will be
gone aud the nod faction beck of the tyrant will
take the place OF the people voice.
But even in that event, KEY anticipated
no violence from the swindled people. II
HAYES was counted in, in defiance OF law
and TO the peril Of the nations stability as
republic he thought that the stiiied ma
jorty would have recourse only TO peaceful
means Of redress. The reasons for this faith
he clearly explained:
81 am allrmist am not afraid Of civil war do
not believe that il is at hand In threatened
event The lessons u our late struggle too fresh its
cvcnts recent OF carnage aud death too
vl,iiy impressed its agonies distress and LOSES too
apparent amt well remembered 10 permit another and
| similar contest
Speaking for the Southern Democrats,
whose votes had elected TILDEN, and whose
right Of suffrage was about to be stolen from
them by the HAYES conspirators, he secuted
the possibility Of civil war:
If our voice be disregarded our valid elections Sc,
aside We may complain, may invoke peaceful rene
dies, but we cannot will not resort TO violent measures
ItWcre madness m Us 10 Httempttt'
After urging the Senate to be calm, con-
siderate, and, az far as possible, dispassion-
ate in dealing with the matter KEY pro-
ceeded to show that ii was not in the power
Of any Electoral Commission to give a title
not derived from the votes of the people
Let US remember" he said, THAT in an
election which, by law belongs To the peo-
pie, the will Of the majority is sovereign
and conclusive. There is no rerising pore,
or bjb,o,m 10 which are maU appeal from lis
decision pHhOW riOldtiOn Of essential prin-
ciples which md, rlie and sustain otr Gorcrn-
mtnt' Then Mr.. KEY went on TO show that
Louisiana's vote belonged TO TuDEN, and
concluded his speech with n polite express
sion Of confidence that neither Mr.. HAYES
nor Mr.. WHEELER desired an Office to which
he had not been elected.
Within three months after the delivery Of
this speech KEY had accepted place in the
Fraudulent Cabinet. As late as the time OF
his confirmation by the Senate, KEY pro-
claimed his own dishonor by assuring Sen
ntor MORGAN of Alabama that he still he
lieved that TuDEN was honestly elected
by the sale Of his convictions and to the
disgust Of all his selt-respccing party ASSOC
GATES this Democrat who had denounced
the electoral conspiracy and demanded a