The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-05-30
The Wicked Plot.


very doubtful whether any high-soundng
of purity and adherence of
fraud will satisfy the public that there was
not at the bottom of the movement sinis-
ter purpose to revolutionize the government.
The same class of men. who shaped the
and precipitated action, without
even the ordinary process of caucus incnba-
ton, in the hope of drawing into the plot
the Southern Democrats, played similar
part in 1860. Then it was that these war;
riors in buckram gave the assurance to the
South, that secession accomplished they
would interpose an army with banners
Haunting, that would arrest all hostile
movements from the North to invade South
ern territory, and that their dead bodies
would be piled up as barriers of Southern
defenee-that before the legions of the
North should pollute Southern soil, New
York and Philadelphia would run with
blood ankle deep, and that whole section
would tremble under the shock of do
nestle conflict. We all know how these as
surances were carried out-that some of the
men who gave utterance to them were the
first to-point the bayonets to our hearts and
the most brutal in their methods Of ''crush.
ing out rebellion" 1t is surprising that
Southern Democrats should SO soon forget
this leaf of history, and ere the wounds of
war have been fairly healed and the desola-
ton OF Southern homes substituted by the
fruits of peace. allow themselves to be
dragged into a conspiracy that has at the
bottom OF it design against the very exis-
tence Of the government. .a
Whatever now may be the avowed purpose
of the Potter resolution, since the rebuke
which has gone up from every portion OF the
Union to the revolutionary programme, there
can be no rational doubt but what the origi-
nal purpose was to assail the title of the
President, and plunge the country into tur-
MOL and anarchy. The revolution was
based upon the action Of the Maryland Leg
islature upon the Blair resolutions, which
alleged that "due effect was not given to
the electoral vote cast by that State on the
9th day of December, 1876, by reason of
fraudulent returns of electoral votes from
the States of Florida and Louisiana" and If
there was an object in this declaration it
must logically have been to q,ve the electo-
raj vote of Maryland due effect in the re-
versal of the decision of the Electoral Tri-
bunal. What other purpose could there
have been? Nothing german to the ques-
ton raised. And this conclusion is forth
fed by the debates on the subject ard the
rulings of Speaker Randall in the premises.
Mr.. Hale and Mr.. Mills directly raised the
issue that the Potter resolution did not pre-
sent question of privilege. Mr.. Hale ''put
it squarely to the Speaker whether this is a
resolution calling for action on the election
of the President, which action must be in
the direction of attacking the legality Of the
title OF the President Of the United States,
to the subversion, it may be, of that title
and the expulsion of the incumbent.
Mr.. Mills (DemocraD, of Texas, raised the
same question. He declared that this Con-
gress has no right to Investigate at all, as
the question had been settled by the last
Congress, which alone had constitutional
jurisdiction sand any attempt Of this Con-
gress to investigate and undo ashat acas done
By the Forty.fourA Congress, declaring Mr.
Hayes President Of the United States, is
nothing short of usurpation Of power not
granted by the CONSTITUTIONS
Mr.. Potter's reply was very guarded. He
said that his opponents agreed that if he
would declare that the purpose of the reso-
luton was to uuscat the President, then the
resolution would be in order; but Il make
no declaration of that kind. I absolutely
and positively refuse to declare any such
purpose" He was very careful, however,
not to deny such purpose. The Speakers
ruling followed. In that ruling, in order to
make it question of prlyilege-and it was
only as question Of privilege that the matter
could be brought before the House in this
way-Mr. Randall had to partly acknowl-
edge that the purpose was to unseat the
President. His ruling says: IA higher priv
ilege than the one here involved, and broadly
and distinctly presented, as to the rigAtful
occupancy of the Chief Executive chair of
the Government, the chair is unable
to conceive"
In the course of the discussion which fol-
lowed this ruling, Mr.. Potter said: "What
can be done after the inquiry is completed,
what ought to be done, should be determ-
ined only after the inquiry has been con-
ducted." He had. therefore, evidently
thought upon something to be done after
the inquiry and to the something after the
inquiry was part of the plot. Further ON
Mr.. Potter said: Whatever, if anything.
may happen to the Presidential title as a re-
salt Of this inquiry does not concern me
noao." These expressions shed a sinister
light upon the business.
But a still more sinister light was shed
upon the affair after the Democratic caucus,
held Tuesday afternoon. There were then
thirty-two Democrats-that was before they
had been whipped in, and it was before they
had been whipped in that Mr.. Potter was so
cautous-several Of them leaders of distinc-
ton, who supported strongly an amendment
offered by Mr.. Young, of Tennessee, to
have Potter's resolution declare squarely
that it was not intended to unseat the Pres
ident. This amendment was in the follow
ing words
s'But it is not intended by these proceed
ings to disturb the present Chief Magistrate
in the occupancy of his office, or to impair
public confidence in the policy he has in
augurated toward the Southern States.o
This amendment, offered by Democrat,
supported by Democrats, in Democratic
caucus, where there were no Republicans to
excite party feeling, was voted down, after
a speech in opposition by Mr.. Potter.
The ruling of the Speaker, which brought
the resolution to the consideration Of the
House and vote upon it, was in consonance
with the construction given to the purpose
it involved, by Messrs. Hale and Mills. He
said in giving his decision whether the reso-
luton involved question of privilege: ga
higher privilege than the one here involved
and broadly directed and presented, as to
the rightful occupancy Of the. Executive
chair of the Government, and the connec-