The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-05-29
Ght 99ailg Argns.
ROCK ISLAND, .......... ILLINOIS
Concluded from second maze. !


as long as the law remains against US. But
you will ask whether il there be no dan
ger to public order from legal proceedings,
there may not be from the action, No. No
more than from the action of the courts,
Should the fraud connected with the cleo
toral court appear so gross and palpable
that you and all honorable men should
unite in denouncing it, Congress might
then take action, but if so, what congress
might do, being the result of the action of
men of all parties and Of the great body
OF the people not of party, would be effect.
ed gently, certainly and without violence or
disturbance. In saying this do not mean
that either legal or congressional action.
What, if anything. should be done because
of the injury, must depend on the matter
OF the injury, but do mean that whatever
action, if any, should follow the investi-
cation, such action can neither disturb
the order nor prosperity of the country.
The cry of wolf, when there is no wolf: the
effort to make it appear that there is dan
gerto peace or order from ADMINISTRATION, %
a republican pretense like the bloody. shirt
justification of carpet-bag government; like
toe public danger excuse advanced for the
enforcement of Duelrs Infamous orders
and the protection of the returning board
by bayouets; like the cry set up after 1.-THE
election to prevent any agitation and to
secure submission. What, then, you ask,
is the purpose Of the investigation?
| answer. to ascertain the facts. SO that if
frauds be established repetition of such
| frauds may be prevented, and if not, to
| clear up the general belief throughout the
country that there were such frauds. The
feeling among many republicans after the
election was that while we had been
cheated in the returns, we had buldcz-
ed the ne groes as badly, so that the ac-
| counts of wrong were about
| equal. The belief in the
bulldoziug of the negro was based main
~ upon the fact that 10 certain districts
10 the South which usually gave Repub-
lican vote there was not returned
that gear a single Republican vote,
Now, the people Of the north have
never understood that the condition
of things was fraudulently prepared by
the Republicans, They ought to under
| stand that, and beyond that they ought
to understand that there never was any
thing so dangerous to free government as
Returning Board to throw out votes of
one. side and keep 10 the vote of the other
| without cause, to Invent pretext for such
| wrongs. to accept after continued protest
manufactured objection as color for
their actions, to permit figures to be
forged, frauds to be perfected and gen.
orally every means by which the will of
the people way be frustrated and the
popular voice stifed. We believe that it
was by such proceedings that we were
cheated out of the election. Unless these
proceedings be exposed the outrage will
be repeated. Whatever may result from
the proposed investigation, you may be
sure that nothing can result that will dis
turb either your stocks or balances 1t
will come, not, perhaps, in your time or
mine, but come at last from refusing to
inquire into frauds, to confront evil. To
shut your eyes to it supinely is to jeopar-
die and not to preserve the future peace,
safety and prosperity of the country.