The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1879-04-15


the enormity Of the crime in the ques-
ton, / would proudly and most ear
nestly herald the falsity of the
charge.
Your election. as you well know,
depended OIL your having secured the
electoral vote of South Carolina,
Florida and Louisiana. If those
States, or either of them, voted
against you, you know that you were
not elected. / will spend no time OH
South Carolina, except to say that
the Governor, antagonistic to you, Is
now enjoying the Office to which he
was elected, and | think you are as
well satisfied with the fact that Mr..
Tilden carried South Carolina, as
that Wade Hampton was elected but
with some pretences TO honesty, the
uote was, through the manipulating
influence of hncksters in political
gambling, and the high consideration
Of great political emergencies, given
TO you. Then came Florida, which,
as all men know, voted against you.
II was manacled down to Republican
dictation by combination of COM
biuation Of carpct-bag thieves, bold
and daring enough TO perform any
infamy; but they could not change
the result except by the boldest rob-
berry and the most unblushing per-
Jury, BY robbery, by forgery, by
perjury, the instruments of Republic
can power suppressed the truth, i'm
posed lies upon the people and with
baseness the world has never secn
exualed, they boldly changed the re.
turns and the vote. The men who
did this now assert that 1t was done
with your knowledge, your approba.
ton and your promise OF reward
from your hands. Is this true? |
know, sir, that the question implies
ali insult TO your integrity, and an
impuiation upon your honor but an
integrity that cannot shield itself
from a query, and an honor that is
not proof against a question where
public accusation make inquiry per-
tinent, is too shabby to resent an in
suit or feel the sting OF truth. .
You, at least, know that Florida
did not vote for you. You know,
too, that vote was obtained by theft,
by forgery, and by perjured returns.
You knew this before you were in
augurated! AS for Louisiana, there
is no pretence that she voted for you.
You knew she did not. Your friends
in tho Senate and out of the Senate
have openly declared that Kellogg
received more votes than you re-
ceived, and yet you even recognized
the fact that he was not elected
Theft, forgery, aud perjury were
there again your accomplices. You
accepted their work. Is not the re-
ceiver of stolen goods as base a viii
liam as the thief? Were yeu not the
accomplice before and after the for
gery2 II so, are you any better than
the forger? If you adopt the per-
jury, are you not as guilty as the
perjurer?
But, say your friends, the Con-
occasionally created tribunal declar-
ed you were elected. Did that change
the facts as TO Florida or Louisiana
Aud how do the high officials Of that
high place piece of bombast, called
the Electoral Commission, who voted
to place you where they knew they
could only place you, by sanctioning
theft, forgery and perjury, escape
from the guilt of their own perjured
souls? Is Bladley any better than
Wells, any purer than Anderson, any
freezer from imposing a..iraud upon the
American people, TO cover fraud,
than you are in accepting the def
ance of justice, and usurping an office
to uphold an infany such as disfran-
chises q nation? Why, sir, the more
one hears or feels, or understands
the huge infamy by which you IRE
imposing OH the good faith of the
America people, the more they must
despise the outrage-the kicked-in
spawn of theft, forgery and perjury!
There, sir, are the muniments OF your
titIe--the muniments of a perjurer
guarding the morals of tho nation,
The associate of theft watching its
treasury, confederate with forgers
the trustee Ofits bonds.
You stand at the head of the party
OF great moral ideas. You discard
wine from the White House table.
II is we'll you should do so. As
wine goes down, Truth often comes
up. It would not answer for You to
say hew much you despise your IN
struments and perhaps yourself.
But, sir, there is not boy in the land
who does not despise your title to
the office you fill. Look for a mo-
ment ut the state of things which pre-
ceded the the Electoral Commission.
1t was found that you were defeated
il either South Carolina, Louisiana,
or Florida were against you. Then
what occurredp Visiting statesmen
were sent down to those States to
manipulate the returns. The Chan
lers, Stearns, Noyes, Wallace, Sher-
mans, etc. They went with money
to bribe, and with the command of
arms to force q fraudulent suppress
sion of votes, or TO secure substituted
returns. They went with power TO
promise offices, judgeships. consult
ships, or anything that might be in
your gift, to offer as reward for
perjury, forgery, for thief. McLin
and Dennis had told the story of
the counties distranchiscd, ballot
boxes stuffed with "little jokers' pre-
pared forithe occasions, false returns
substituted for true returns, the State
DISTINGUISHED, the nation detrauded,
the very principle upon which our
governmental power hinges deliber-
ately traflleked of and traded for by
knaves. The visiting statesmen, youI
personal friends, promised McLin Q
judgeship, il he would manipulate
falsely and change tho returns, and
you completed the bargain by APP
pointing him as q judicial officer tc
pay him for changing the votes given
for the Tilden Electors by suppress s
ing them, by changing returns, by
forging returns, 50 that it should ap
pear that your electors had q MAORI
| when you and your friends knew
It was All Infamous lie. The mar
who was goiltyl of this open infam!
you make judge. How, sir, cal
you, after this exposure, dare 10 pre-