St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-07-12
From the White River Junction Observer
The Country's Peril.

From the White River Junction Observer
The Country's Peril.
We are in receipt of letters from sew
eral prominent citizens, but not active
in partisan politics, expressing fears
that the people of Vermont, as well as
of the country generally, do not fully
realize the great peril the country is
soon destined to meet and face. A pre-
vailing idea and one promulgated by
the republican press, is that the inves-
LEGATIONS of the Potter Committee are
to end in ridiculous farce. However
correct this notion, in certain sense,
may be, there is to be far more seri-
GUS side to it, as all of us who live a
sion of Congress-, large majority of
that committee will make their report
to Congress, which will state that they
find it established by the evidence be-
yond doubt that a majority of the votes
cast at the last Presidential election in
the States of Louisiana and Florida
were given for the Tilden electoral
ticket-that by gross frauds of republic
can returning boards, and other repub-
lican officials, this majority was over
come, So as to show majority in favor
of the Hayes electOrs,-that "a partisan
majority of the electoral commission
refused to look behind the returns made
by these dishonest officials, and ex-
anime into these frauds, and so wrong
fully and unlawfnlly declared Hayes
elected. In short, this committee will
report that Tilden was lawfully and
rightfully elected President, and is en-
titled to the office that Hayes was not
lawfully elected, and is usurper. That
such will be substantially the report of
this committee, no one who knows the
men, will doubt, in the smallest de-
gree.
What is to he the consequence? What
the result and outcome of it 1t is
true that a majority of democrats in
the House voted for resolution de-
claring that they did not intend to dis
turb the title of Mr.. Hayes to the Pres
idency. But they as distinctly refused
to say so, at the time of the passage of
the resolution creating the committee.
Why were they induced to subsequent
ly vote as they did ? Simply because
the business and people of the country
were becoming alarmed at the agita-
ton, and the democrats were afraid 1t
would injure their prospects and chances
i'll the ensuing congressional elections.
1t is now settled that the democrats
will have a considerable majority in the
Senate i'll the next Congress. They
now have a majority in the House, and
it does not look hopeful to us that it
it will be any different in the next. If,
then, the democrats have majorities in
both Houses of Congress, and with a
committee report before them, that the
man occupying the Presidential chair,
opposed to them politically, has no
right there whatever, is mere bold
usurper of the place, and obtained it by
the frauds and crimes of his political
friends, some of whom have been re-
warded for their frauds and crimes by
official places-what will he theil action?
Does anybody feel assured they Will
hold themselves bound by having said
they did not intend to assail the Presi-
Dental title That party has often
swallowed larger doses of Inconsistency,
without distressing itself. They can
easily satisfy themselves that the cir
cumstances of the case are essentially
changed. But suppose they do not at
tempt to attack the title of the Presi-
dent by any direct proceedings to GUST
him; they may, and there can be little
doubt that they will endeavOr to drive
him out of office. What is to prevent
the democratic Senate from saying that
he is usurper, and they will not rec
ognize his acts, Oh his appointments If
the democratic House shall choose to
say that the President is Il usurper, and
his whole administration Il usui patton,
and they will make no more apprOpria-
tiOns of money to carry it forward
how is 1t to be helped 1t may he said
that such action would be revolution
AIRY, and that they could not get all
their men to join in it. But whoever
has watched the action of the demo-
cratic party for years, has seen that its
party action and party policy has been
and is dictated and controlled by the
worst elements of the party, the dan
gerOus and revolutionary men. This
was well illustrated in the passage
of the Potter resolution itself. A large
number of the more sensible and mod
crate men of the party opposed it, but
in the end, all but two or three were
whipped into its support. So it will be
again, and if that party shall be able to
secure Il majority in the next House, we
predict more bitter struggle in Con-
gress, and a severer trial of our repub-
lican institutions and government than
we have yet seen. Let the republicans
of the country be warned of the APP
preaching danger, and be prepared to
meet it. Prevent, if possible, the con-
troll of Congress passing wholly into the
hands of the. democratic party. If this
cannot be done, at least let us see to it
that our own men are tried and true,
and have both the ability and the cour-
age to meet and confront difficulties and
danger.