The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-02-13
The 99ailg Argns,
ROCK ISLAND. ...........1LLrNors
Concluded from second mace !

me President of the United States. to the
four and one-quarter millions of citizens
who gave me their suffrages | owed a dutv
and a service and every honorable sacrifice,
out not surrender ct one jot or title of
my sense OF right or any personal self
respect. whatever the disappointment to
those who voted for me, whatever the
pubic consequences of suffering from
suoverslon OF the electoral system, by which
alone true self-government can be carried
Oh; oy whatever casuistry a different
course might be advocated or defended. |
was resolved that If there was to be an
auction OF the Chief Magistracy Of nv
country L would not be among the bidders.
(ApDlause.) was determined in such an
event, or apprehension of such an event
that L would meet such a degraded con-
ditlon OF public affairs, not by sharing in it
IN any degree, not by acquiescence, not by
federation, but by an unqualified, perpetual
protest, appealing to the people to reassert,
re-establlsh their great rights, the greatest
OF their rights, the right without which all
others were worthless-their right to cleo,
tive self government.
Question by Mr.. Hiscock You have
SAID that II you had entertained any idea
OF influencing these boards venalIy or by We
nal CONSIDERATIONS, the last person in the
world that you would have chosen for thar
mission would have been Colonel Pelton,
| Now, L ask you to bear that answer in
your mind, and then, if you can, state wis.
after you learned of his visit TO Baltimore.
you did not deem 1t proper, and perhaps
your duty, to call the attention Of Mr.. Ed
1 Nd Cc IL
| them distinguished and very able meL- o
the fact that they must take charge of th 8
matter, and Mr.. PeltOn must be left our
Of the correspondence, and that they mu
give it their personal attention, lest you
and the Democratic party should be en-
barrassed, perhaps scandalized, by the ac-
ton of Colonel Pelton? A. Ia the first
place L supposed these gentlemen were
giving their personal attention to all these
matters; these gentlemen had tie real
power and Pelton did not; they were able
to supervise him. MIR. Cooper, 10 particu-
lar, had charge of the money, without
which PeltOn could not involve tbem to the
extent of cent; in the next place, Mr.
Cooper was the gentleman from whom |
derived the inform alton solely and exclu-
about the Baltimore affair: 10 the third
place, regarded the Baltimore thing as
very foolish and very wrong, but sill as a
very lnchoate transaction; DOW, the civil
law does not recognize purposes until they
body themselves in action; the church
distinguishes these purposes merely as
simple faults; Pelton had not, so far as |
knew, done anything except receive prop
osition from set of Republicans to sell
their state; the proposition died Of born
ing; it did not strike me as though there
was any possibility Of its succeeding or
any similar transaction, without meaning
to excuse PeltOn in the least; at that time
the atmosphere was full of rumors of the
venallty and frauds of these returning
boards in the disputed states, and of their
offers. (Here Mr. Tlden in an outburst of
pent up feeling brought down his fist upon
the table
BEFORE GOD AND MY COUNTRY
Before God aud my country believe the
votes and certificates of Florida and Loui-
siaua were bought, and that the PreSiden-
cy was controlled by their purchase; Pei
ton seeing that state of things committed a
fault, an error-committed a wrong; he
adopted the idea it was unsuitable to fight
fire with fire; he adopted that idea when
he saw the Presidency being taken away
from the man who had been elected By the
people according to the law, and, 10 fact,
thought it was legitimate to defeat that
crime by the means be took; he was en-
tirely uniusiGable; | adopted an entirely
different system; scorDed to defend my
righteous title by such means as were en-
ployed to acquire teloUious possession
PeltOn did not come uD to that standard
he may be tried, convicted, condemned
/ public opinion may punish him at the
= same time, even though that fault must be
: judged of according to the facts Of the
D time and according to what was being dor
: and wha; was done; his act was inchoate
! on the other side the act that was dont
J, was complete aud consummated one t.
! give up the possession of the Presidency O
the United States to man who was no
elected, and the representatives, the cham
pions of that condition of things, were tn,
men whose consciepces were troubled Will
the inchoate wrong | spoke Of
= Now, the danger of tolerating wrong Of
either side is its tendency to grow On
man does thing because another MAJ
daes it. By reaction and reaction abuse
. and wrongs grow until they become com
" mou practice. That was one of the reason
- that impeiIcd me TO put my foot upon i:
very approach or anything OF that kind.
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