The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-13
VOL. XIII NO. 49,.

had any greater rights or powers than
I the other not bec4asS either or botf
Houses together had thbl Eighgit TO select
Arbitrarily or 70 refuse 10 Fecken spy GER
tain electoral vote, but only because Ia
| case Of 50rd Jfde conf ting fetuEns IRON
| o State, each claiming TO fepfesaGs1 iss
electoral voteyi It was Necessity toelsoose
between the returns before the vote Of
| the State could be counted. This. ,was
the Wow at last estanlikhed. For tho
electoral commission 20 ,tscide the dis
puted votes was created by Congress, and
that was the oniy authority ity;5ossessed.
Now, it seemed to me in 1876 that this
was 90 clear, and that Che leading Re.
publican Senators had co generally cuid-
mitted themselves 20 this yiaw In preyiI
Gus discussions, that We ought to stand
upon that ground to declare that we
would abide the action Of Congress.
would accept Whenever the Congress
! found to be elected, and that if the two
Houses ahould fail TO agree as towhich
of the returns from any. State from which
there were bona Jsde duplicate returns
should be received, whereby the; vote Of
the State yvesS Lost, and no election by tie
electors should thus result, we would
then abide, and maintain tho choice of
the House Of Representatives, the body
authorized by the constitution 10 elect
the President where there Is no election
by the electoral, college Instead of dor
Republicans, hewing all the while to Che
line, had got us where wo were ready II
accept the electoral commission. Haya
ing acceptedjt, Of conrse We were bound
TO submit TO its results, but we ought, at
ut IN ho oil - ct,
the tact--that the returnB upon which
The commission pasted were procured '6v
fraud. / admit, that she Presidency 70
not worth o civil war, but i have not be,
lieved there was any danger of sucti q,
war. The generation who charged tit,
the heights of Fredeficksburg and de-,
Tended the works as Retersburg will moi
30 lightly, into another civil STRUGGLE.
We must get years further on before that
will happen. remember after the eleC.Y
lion remafking to General MCDOWELL
That great mine ought to be exploded
by spark, to which he answered, .sYes,
II the train be infammable, but thia time
tho powder Ii wet" He was right
There never was danger of civil War.9
The whole tlsing vng, as Ithink, gsgans.
tic game, in which we held the cards and.
the Republicans bluffed us. Years hence.
when 1t is remembered. that we needed
only one electoral vote and that your sids'
could not geticn without every one Of
the remaining seyenteen; that We had
0n90 e0o eco :::s;c.:. .::.. ,;:s :;.-
torities were around the capital, yours in
New England, the Northwest end the
Pacific coast :, that theamoral senae of
the country was that orr man was eiec-
ted and yours not; that you had nothing
on your side but the control Of an army
OF which 0,000 men could not ba got
together, the privates mostly in sympathy.
with Is, and commanded. by officers edn.
Gated to understand the supremacy of
the civil over the military authority
officers who, excepting the leaders, Grant.
s5AssEzzs As E:s.azziEzss, ;ezsia, 8 hal:sTs
never have been generally. used to resist
The declaration of the House of Rantn-
sentatives, Il am told this will aalp5noahRss'
certainly whenever the secret corfesp0ii.
hence Of the War Department Is re-
vealed,) and that you were laden down
| with the care of the national credit. tho
| first shock TO which would have arrayed
against you all the moneyed institutions
in the country; that Under such condi.
lions, ! sny, your leaders contriyed and
were able to carry through the capture
of all these votes, viii be regarded as one
of the greatest political performances Of
history. admit the success of the Re.
publican leaders. Having lain down
when the law was on. our side and when
We ought to have stood up, it is nos for
us now to stand up 40 long as the law
remains against us. But you will ask
whether If there be no danger to public
order from legal proceedings there mRy;
u9t DO from action by Congress. Nos
no moro than from the action Of the
courts. Congress represents the people
OF the country, but does not mnrch be-
torethem it expresses, but does not an
ticipate their will. Should fraud con-
nectcd with the electoral count apnear, so
gross and paipable that you and all hon.
It, oo'sEress might then take action.
But If 90, what Congress might do. ,hsif,e
the result of the action OF men tof all
parties Of the great body of the S,eopIe.
not of O. party, would be effected QUIETLY
certainly aud without violence or diGtur.,
bance. In saying this do not mean
that expect the investigation TO be
followed BY either legal or CONVERSATIONAL
action. What, II anything should, be-
done because Of the inquiry m,ist slanAs.l.l
upon the results of tho inquiry. But /
do mean that whatever ac.inn, ie env
should follow the Investigation, such acs
ton can neither disturb the order nor
the prosperity of tho country. This cry!
of wolf when there 10 no wolf, this effort
to make it appear that there Is danger to
peace or order from this Investigation. Is
Republican pretense, like ttG t'bio6dy
shirt justification Of carpet.bag Koyesri.
ment; like the public dankerh excuse
advanced for the enforcement OF DuTelita
infamous order and the projection OF the
returning board by bay5aets ike tie tie
cry Get up after the election TO Ereyent
any agitation and TO secure submission.
We must have q very CORY sort al. ;popg-
lar government if Congress cannot even
inquire into frauds in the choicB Of the
executive without aidarrafinu fiIs. Sia-sarAs
and prosperity of the country.
What then, you ask, Is the purpose of
the investigation? / answer, to ascertain
facts, 90 that If frauds be established 4
| repetition of such frauds may be pFaven.
! ted and If not, 90 clear up The ieneral
belief throughout the country .nrt there
were such frauds. It Is true that not
every allegation of wrong Is, 10 be in.
| qnired Into by Congress, but when d IarEJ
majority, of the people believe 5tfAt the
! last residential election syas secured by
| organized fraud, surely an Inquiry 20 iais,
certain tho facts ought to be had. Tho
feeling amongst many Repdbil afts
the election tFas that while NO had been
| cheated IN the retlrsls we had bull SioEess
the negroes as badly, 40 that tbs accounts
| OF wrong Wero about equal. This belief
IN the buitsd6zihg OF The fiegrd was
| based mainly upon Che fact fhAf ss, siavs