Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-10-12


the South, but it is only just to take |
his word for it that he honestly be-
lieved in Hayes honesty then; not
we. From the days when we re-
fused to gush with the gushers at
Louisville in the year one of the
present reign we have taken no
stock in him. His professions were
too much In the style of Joseph Sur
face and Mr.. Pecksniff to go down
with us, but we are glad to learn
that Benjamin, of Georgia, has come
to the same opinion, and we here
present some of his structures on the
fraud Of the White House:
Now, my friend, it is the utter and sicken-
ing DISAPPOINTMENT which these hopes have
experienced, and nothing else, which has
forced from me the few words to which you
allude, and which have been falsely con-
strued by Republican papers to express per-
sonal bitterness and hostility on my part
toward Mr.. Hayes.
In my opinion Mr.. Hayes has utterly
failed TO unprecedented has strangely
thrown away-an opportunity to make for
himself name worthy to be enrolled with
that of Washington. because that opportu-
country a benefit quite equal to any con-
ferred by Washington himself
He has failed because he has shown him
self utterly unequal to his opportunity. He
has shown himself unequal in that he has
utterly failed TO realize that the Chief Mag
istTate of a great country has no personal
friends, no personal enemies, and owes no
personal obligations, but is under obligations
only to his country and to that country's
honor, glory, prosperity, Constitution and
laws. He has thrown away his opportunity
to honor himself and even his country by
recognizing an obligation to reward those
who, by frauds most d1SSraceful 10 thelr
country, gave him this opportunity. He has
thrown away the grandest opportunity ever
| given to a man, only that he might give of
| ficeS and rewards to as worthless set OF
| rapScalliOns as ever disgraced humanity.
A man may become President by reason
of crime, and yet himself not be tainted or
| even culpable. Twice in our history have
| men become Presidents by reason of crime.
| Andrew johnson became President by
reason of a wicked and foul assassination.
| Mr.. Hayes became President by reason OF
wicked and foul conspiracy to change, and
/ which did change, the ballots of the people
| after those ballots had been cast Yet each
/ became President through the forms of the
/ Constitution and laws.
How did Mr.. johnson deal with those who
| committed and who were charged with aid
| ing to commit, the crime by which he be-
1 came President? He pursued them for pun
| iShment with such Vigor that, as the world
now believe, an innocent woman was
How has Mr.. Hayes dealt with those who
! committed, and those who were charged
| with aiding to commit the crime by which
| he became President? If you will examine
| the list, from the humblest managers of the
| election precincts in Florida and Louisiana,
| through the visiting statesmen as they an
| now in mOckery called, and up to and
! through the Electoral Commission, and
show me one, black or white, high or low,
! who is known 10 be guilty, or who IS sus-
/ pected of the guilt of this crime, who has not
| received or been offered an office, you will
| relieve TO that extent the pain and mortifi-
f.safin fnH1I
| developments. There was woman charged
| to be among the cOnSpirators in both crimes
In Mr.. JOhnson's case, Mrs. Surratt, pro
/ testing her innocence with an honest
| wOman's tears, and a devoted mothers en-
/ treaties, was chained and Knocked and hung
In Mr.. Hayes'c ease, Agnes jerks, confess
ing her guilt in braZen glDber1Sh never be-
| fore equaled, receives an office of good pay
and little work in the Treasury, and that,
| too, at a time when many ladies of unques-
! toned worth, with hungry children, and
] husbands slain in battle, were rudely turned
| away with the grutf answer mo vacancies"
If instead of fleeing as a criminal, Wilkes
Booth had sought the presence of Andrew
Johnson as one who had rendered the latter
| good service, and Mr.. johnson had enter
| tailed him at the Executive Mansion and
| given him an office, what would the world
| have said? What would you say?
| Letters have been produced before the Pot
| ter Committee, written by Republican MEM
| bers of Congress, which were written to
| Republican friends, and not intended for
publication, which strikingly exhibit the
| superior influence of Kellogg, Packard,
| Wells and Anderson at the Executive Man
/ sion. In other ways we know that almost
| every person connected with the fraud has
/ claimed or exercised special influence or IA
| vOr at the White House. But the contrast
may be stated in one short sentence:
In Mr.. JOhnsOn'S case all the criminals,
real or suspected, were specially marked Tor
/ punishment.
In Mr.. Hayes case all the criminals real
or suspected, were specially marked for re-
1 would really be glad if I coutd find some
excuse, some apology or some palllatlon Tor
the course Mr.. Hayes has pursued in this
matter But, after full consideration, can
find none. 1t is no palliation to say that
assassination was greater crime than
fraud. Both were crimes. If II IS rlgnJ 10
| reward crime at all, then the greatest crimes
should receive the highest rewards. You
cannot produce innocence, much less merit,
by grading crimes. All deserve punishment
and none are entitled to reward TO reward
fraud is a greater crime than to commit II,
for the reward invites many commissions.
! If Andrew Johnson had rewarded Booth the
whole world would have pronounced him a
greater criminal tnan Booth. 1t is difficult
to conceive of greater crime than the deIeat
| by fraud of the popular Will. II there De a
greater crime it is committed by those who
reward the authors of such fraud, tor such
| reward invites the perpetual defeat OF the
popular will, and, therefore, a direct super
vision of the Government, and assumes the
most insidiOus form of treason.
There is a good deal more to this
purpose, but we have given enough.
Anything we could have said would
have been comparatively tame; Mr..
Hill comes to his subject with the
freshness of a new discovery with
us it is nothing new, so let the
reader enjoy the racy paragraphs OF
the Georgia Senator:
There is but one more step between our
| free institutions and destruction. The Gov
eminent has become identified with fraud,
| and is administer ed by the authors OF fraud.
! If the people shall fail to repudiate the fraud
| and its authors, abettOTs and rewarderS, then
we shall bave entered upon that phase OF
| our career when the offices and immense
| patronage of this richest of countries Will
| take the form of gliUteTlng prizes Otfel ed 10
induce the commission of crimes against the
| popular will. AssaSsins will be made heroes,
and the greatest criminals Will become most
| entitled to enjoy the hOnOrS aud live on the
| benefactiOnS of the Government. Beyond
! that the man who talks of the safety and
purity of popular governments Will be a
| lunatic, Your friend, BENZ. H. HILL.
Very true! but if the people are
going to overthrow the Republican
party it will not be on that or any
other issue dependent upon the past.
Blaine has failed to fire the North
ern heart with a new shake of the
bloody shirt, and Mr.. Hill will find
that he can effect very little in the
South by the cry of fraud. If the
Democratic party is to win in the
coming struggle it will be on issues
bearing on the future. Let the dead
past bury its past and look to the
present needs of the country. The
Democratic platform does indeed
need Overhauling and reconsidera-
ton, but the election frauds and the
Electoral Commission and the PAM
pering of the agents of all that
knavery with Office will never be
effective planks in a winning plat
form. The nation is suffering stran-
gulation, and the winning party
will be that which can find the
straining cords and cut them.
| -
THE DOVER COURIER AND TEH e
FLOATEIsEAL CONVENTION.
Tho Cn1IY-iaY, roftIsa- To no no al fiaH =