The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1879-07-31
[Harper's Weekly. !
CAPTAIN RObadiI.
The St. Louis Post-Democrat is a

The st. Louis Post-Democrat is
Democratic paper, which says:
eff the Republicans mean to fnaugurate Cen
eral Grant as they inaugurated Mr.. Hayes, the
ask new question and exact new qualifica-
ton.
"The old one was, will he be elected?
inaugurated?
who, radically, unlike Mr.: Tilden, is neither
without nor afraid of blood.
"He must be man who will attend 10 his
own Inauguration, il elected even though blood
should be shed.
''lS Mr.. Tilden that man?"
This is not American talk. In this
country where we live under GOV
ernment Of laws, and where every
wrong, however great, is remediable
by law, we do not enter upon elections
boasting Of comparative fears of
blood. The man who talks in this
vein is, in the fullest and worst sense,
either foreigner by birth and tradi-
ton Or a foreigner in intelligence.
He knows neither America nor Amer
leans. A political reverse in this
country is not followed by insurrect-
ion and barricades. Even gross polit-
lcal wrongs are not avenged by revo-
luton, as the people of New York
showed when Tweed cheated them out
of the rightful result of the election
in 1869.
This Missouri Bobadil says that the
Democratic candidate must attend to
his own Inauguration, if elected" :"
He propably will. But if he should
undertake to attend to his own inau-
guration because he declared himself
to be elected, he would be in great
trouble. Democratic Swashbucklers
accuse their last candidate, Mr.. Tilden,
of showing the white feather in re-
fusing to take the office to which he
was elected. Indeed. and was his
word or their word to attest his cleo
tion? That would be more Mexican
than Mexico. The people of the Uni
ted States have declared in the Con-
stitution how the election Of a Presi-
| dent is to be ascertained 1t is left
to the Congress Of the United States.
That, and that only, is the authority
to ascertain who is elected; and if any
candidate, Democratic or Republican,
should declare himself to be elected by
popular majority or by any other
method, and endeavor to ''attend to
his own Inauguration he would find
that there are a great many more peo-
ple'' than Republicans or Democrats.
We are not quite so ''low down" as
| Captain Bobadil may suppose.
The most remarkable political event
in our history after the Declaration of
independence and the emancipation of
the slaves, was the Congressional set
tlement of the disputed election of
1876. 1t was an event unprecedented
in the history of republics, and it was
the most triumphant vindication of
popular government. 1t is unimpOr-
tant to consider what expectations and
purposes there may have been on
either side. The great fact is that
Congress devised apeaceful settlement
and adhered to it, declaring who Vas
elected President, and attending" to
his Inauguration. If Mr.. Tilden
wished to prevent the settlement, OF
to interfere with it, he is less patri-
otic and very much unwiser man
than his friends allege. But if, with
out any declaration by Congress, OF
| Will Ullc VI UiIC 1IOltoC vi
Representatives alone, he had assumed
his election, and attempted to attend
to his own Inauguration, he, and Mr.
Watterson's hundred thousand
would have ascertained very speedily
whether the people Of the United
States value their government or not
Mr.. Tilden's conduct had all the as
pect and effect of patriotism and his
party friends do him no service, and
prove their own folly when they de-
ride it as cowardice. There is great
virtue in an if. A President may, as
Captain Bobadil says, attend to his
own Inauguration IF elected" ." But
it is not he, it is Congress, that will
determine for him whether he is
elected.