The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1878-08-02
Force and Fraud.

thusiasm for General Grant, on the crest of
which he may be carried into the Presidency.
This effort at present is confined to Credit
Mobilier statesmen. whisky ring manipula-
tors and decaying politicians, whom the
changed times and the DEGREES of nominating
conventions have left like stranded porporses
along the shore. They fail to appreciate the
fact that the post Of honor is the private sta
ton, and are eager to return to the flush
times that existed under Grant. Nor is
Grant himself unwilling to re.occupy his old
quarters in the White House, if we may judge
from his utterances to newspaper correspond
ents. He sees the lamentable failure of
Hayes's administration to satisfy the hopes
and wishes of the Republican party. His
self esteem is inordinate and his ambition
llimtablc. He would iain essay the task of
restoring his party to their old-time supre-
macy and power. The Republican party in
general through disappointment and disgust
with the man they counted in rs President,
and alarmed at the increasing prospect of
Democratic success, may be willing to take
Grant as their most available candidate in
1880. Fortunately the people of the country
will have voice in the matter, and we can
not believe that they desire return to Grant
ism with all that the word implies. They
can not forget the plundering rings that were
enriched out of, the public treasury during
his administration the gift-taking, bribery,
venality and corruption that made his official
career q reproach to a Christian nation his
willingness to serve his friends, even though
in doing so he tramped the Constitution and
laws under his feet. His elevation to the
Presidency would be the reopening of Pan
dora's box of evils, which would flourish with
increased vigor and luXurance by reason of
partial rest,
Then again, would not the ambition which
leads him to seek third term cause him 10
desire a fourth, a fifth or even an indefinite
number of terms. He would be quite easily
convinced that the hopes of the Republic
were in him alone, and that his continuance
in office was necessary to its salvation
These are not idle fears Coming events cast
their shadows before, and the wise see and
interpret them correctly.
1t must be confessed that between the admin
istrations of Hayes and Grant there is but
little choice. Hayes endeavors to accomplish
by cunning and deceit what Grant did boldly
and in defiance Of public opinion. Were
Grants friends repaid for their gifts and their
devotion TO him? Equally so has Mr. Hayes
rewarded those who rsked penitentiary
stripes to count him into office. Grant es-
sayed civil service reform by instituting COM
petitive examinations for minor public offices.
The project was failure, Grant recognized
the fact and ceased to regard the law
Hays came into office as the pre-eminent
civil service reformer of the age His pro-
fessions were but an idle breath, His con-
slant practice has been to turn out efficient
officers to make room for Returning Board
rogues and their abelters in rascality. He
has been exposed as a fraud and hypocrite
time and again. His own party have turned
the cold shoulder upon him, for they see that
he is anxious to build up party devoted TO
his own personal aggrandzement, even if in
doing so he sinks the Republican party out
Of sight.
Hayes is deserving of no credit for restor
ing civil government to the Southern States.
He did it to secure his own place, and because
Republican leaders saw that the American
people would no longer endure the sight of
armed sodiery invading the halls of legisla-
ton and justice, pollutng the one and defil-
ing the other 1t was recognized that n
change ofpolcy was necc 3sary. The policy
of force had failed Concessions must be
made to popular opinion in the North or the
Republican party was lost. Then came the
era of fraud and Cancellation, through which
the Republicans hoped to raise again in vic
torious triumph their down-f0lien standard
The concessions came too late The Amer
lean people had already condemned Rcpub-
licanism, by el"cting Tilden, The story of
the Electoral Conspiracy is fresh 1t was
the commencement of the era of fraud.
The people clearly foresaw the danger
to which their cherished institutions were
exposed from the unlimited abuse Of power
under Grant and the Republican party
They see, with equal clearncss, that the
Republicans have merely changed their tao
tics, ard have substituted system of bar
gain and sale, with fraudulent President
at its heed, for the rule of force under Grant
To neither Of these alternatives will free
people again willingly submit.
Curran, in brilliant argument before the
British House of Lords, ON question of the
validity of the title of the Lord Mayor of
London, aptly describes similar state of af-
fairs. The American people can as clearly
see and keenly appreciate the condition
he described, as did our fathers, whom lie
was addressing. He said:
There is time when concession comes
too late to restore either public quiet or pub.
lie confidence and when it amounts to moth
ing more than an acknowledgement of inius-
tice when the people must see that it is on
ly the screen behind which oppression changes
her attack from force to fraud, from the bat
terry to the mine. See, then,
how such change comes recommended its
principle injustice; its motive vengeance
no auoPIioh SahCtioncu NY Inc authority Oh u
tyrant or the example of a revolution.
= Are the people to submit tamely to
oppression, or are they to struggle for their
liberties? Have they done anything in their
investigation of fraud so culpablc as can JUS
tify the driving them to so calamitogs ne
cessity; for fatal must that struggle be, in
whatsoever country it shall happen, in which
the liberties of a people can find no safety
but in the efforts of vindictive virtue"
Just fifIy-tive government offices are now
filled by visiting statesmen, returning board
rogues and other men concerned in nulify-
inn tho uninc nf Inniainnn and LNlnr;ln !.