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

DILLAYE TO HAYES.
A Retrospection of the Sue
'cessful" Statesman's
Earlier Days.
A Protect Against the Insult to
the Ballot-Box In the
Presidency Of
Hayes. Ti10 a.
You Owe it to the Nation, and to
Justice to Resign


Justice to Resign
Irish World stan Correspond dence,l 81
Hon. Rutherford B. Hayes, Acting
| President Of the United States,
| Washington, d. G.
| My DEAR SIR: 1t is, sir, in no
Ispirit of partisan or captious fault
finding that | to-day assume my
right, as a citizen, to address you. 1t
is for the higher and better purposes
OF examining the moral and political
position you occupy. Early in our
student lives. when we were together
disciples Of the great and good teach
ers OF jurisprudence from whom the
world has learned SO much, and to
whom mankind is so much indebted,
| knew you as young man Of dill.
ligeni industry in the pursuit of the
PHILOSOPHY OF justice. You were
moral in your habits. You were re-
spectacle in your attainments. Aud
while you displayed no element of
brllliancy In nature or requirements,
you certainly commanded the respect
OF all with whom you came in con-
tact. That you were dogmatic and
fixed In your ideas, even to tenacious
pertinacity, l remember; but you
never intruded your opinions or ideas
upon your associates. Why, sir, i
remember, as well as If it were but
yesterday, when you and your friend
Goddard made your first appearance
at Cambridge, Ohio. There was the
border line. You were full of the
fresh vigor of its wonderful progress.
You were hailed as representative OF
the West. You left Cambridge be-
fore l did, and for years | knew little
Of your progress. Indeed, until the
war made your name national, and
until your gubernatorial fame identi-
fed you with the politics and stales-
manship of the time, had only oc-
casionally caught glimpses of your
progress. l knew 1t was upward aud
onward, and | rejoiced at it. When
your name came to be mentioned
with the possibility of your nomina.
lion for the Chief Magistracy, did
what could to trace out your career.
| found your life concrete respecta-
bility, in which there was neither
petty failing nor great origiualities.
You seemed to stand solidly upon a
kind Of negative platform Of individ-
ualities. Your position was as re.
mote from genius aud as far removed
from the great progresses of human
action as you were from the frivolous
dissipation of the giddy and the idle.
You were respectable. You were
becominyly religious. You had
shown yourself actively patriotic.
You had been good City Attorney,
and you had been q member OF Con-
gress without having connected your
name with any great fraud, or great
act in legislation. AS Governor
you had shown no lack of power to
ill the position, or receive its re-
wards: aud If there was nothing to
poiut to In your career worthy OF
great commentator, there was moth
ing to show you guilty of the vices
OF greatness or of the follies
of genius. You had battled for your
country. You were Republican,
aud favoring circumstances gave you
the nomination OF your party over
men like Conkling, Blaine, and Nor
ton. If they had genius, you had
luck. Ifthey had made themselves
known in every household on the
continent, you had made yourself
known at the hour of nomination at
Cincinnati. Nothing succeeds 80
well as success. You were q sue
cess.
All over the land you were herald
ed as an honest man, as a Christian.
Men believed in your integrity; l
vouched for it even in opposing you !;
for, to u certain extent, l did not op-
pose you. Iwss opposed to the par
ty which nominated you.I i knew 1t
was guilty Of the grossest pandering
to fraud. | knew it lived on Ialse
pretences. knew it conspired with
knaves and confederated with scoun-
drels. | knew that public plunder
aud public SANDER were the nulritive
elements of its strength. But, at the
same time, / knew that great and
| good men had been connected with
It; that it had battled with heroic en-
ergy to overthrow monstrous NOR
al aud political incubus; and l hoped,
in the possible event OF your election,
that you would so far fortily your
self in the austere integrity OF honest
purpose that no cabal Of political vii.
lians could change oriutimidatc your
good intentions. Your letter OF ac-
ceptance satisfied me that, however
honest you might be, your Judgment
was captive to the tyrannies OF the
past that you had studied but one
kind of PHILOSOPHY, power; but one
religion, gold; but one great princi-
pie, appearances. That your life was
hinged OH the successes of wealth,
rather than upon any principle Of hu.
man Justice. That your nature had
no foundation in the political equali-
ties essential to permanent and true
Liberty. In one word, sir, you were
wcll-formed falsely-educated Re-
publican, whose religion could sancti-
| fy any fraud, so that 1t was a success,
and any outrage so that 1t elevated
YOU 10 power. Does this conclusion
do you injustice? Ifit docs, | Iregre'
a conviction facts have forced upon
me, with mathematical logic, which
leaves me, l regret to say, no room
for doubt.
That you may see the force of theii
+ irresistible truth, / recall to you the
history Of facts you know are printed
, as with tho hand Of God on the rec
ords Of the nation.
Fraud Is the fixed emblem OF dis
honesty. Perjury II an attempt Il
|, cheat the Deity, impose on justice
! and Law the foundation for usurpntioH
Q He who suborns witness to lie, fol
. his gain, is a selfish knave; and he
A sir, who organizes fraud, fonnds HI
r position on perjury, aud gathers TN
: fruits of subordination to smother HI
brow with honors he has not won,
: too vilea knavc to breathe the air 0
honest men. id H.. Dg,
Have YOU not been guilty OF eac|