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

ELECTORAL suicide. Ene substituted
returns substituted you IN the place
of an honest man in the Presidential
office. 1t was a proud achievement
to disgrace civil liberty. 1t was a
grand moral principle to overthrow
all moral principles. With Matthew 6
as your emissaay to bargain with
Anderson, with Sherman as your
Treasurer to give him written assur-
unce of honor, if lie would dishonor
the ballot; these, sir, are your muni-
memts OF title. With the judicial
Bradley tc give judicial sanction 10
your manipulated title; with Mat
thews, the trading bargainer and cor
respondent with Anderson to honor
the Senate; with Sherman confeder-
ating with Mrs. jerks to guard The
Treasury; with McLin to tell the
story, and with all the smaller in
struments OF theft, of perjured affida-
wits, and forged returns to occupy
the Offices they earned as a reward
for their follenies, your sense of NOR
al ideas is supplied with abundant
food for cOntemplative mind.
Let me ask you, sir, do you believe
that you were elected by the Inajori-
ity of electoral voters-eleoted by
the people? TO suppose you thought
SO is an imputation upon your intel
ligence, and upon your judgment.
Upon your intelligence, for there is
not an intelligent, honest man in the
United States who entertains con-
clusion SO Numerically opposed 10
the truth. Florida voted against you
and all the floods OF fraud cannot
wash out the fact. Louisiana, by
5000 votes, defeated you. You have
admitted the fact in admitting the
defeat of Kellogg, or you have been
guilty of a cowardice as Infamous in
the Code of Honor among thieves as
ever disgraced a traitorous desertion
Of an accomplice in crime. Figures,
facts-your own perjured tools-ad-
nit it. The records show it; the
world knows 1t. 1t is equally an i'm
puta,ion, sir, upon your Judgment TO
doubt the fact that you recognized
from the first that you were not
elected. For If you had teen hon
estly elected to the Presidential chair !;
If you possessed the characteristics
that belong to that exalted position (;
If you believe in the high standard
Of qualifications for office You so
pointed Illuminated in your letter of
acceptance, in opposition to the doc
trine that ito the voters belong til e
spoils," when you said that you
should be governed by the old rule,
the true rule, that honesty, capacity
and fidelity constitute the only real
qualifications for office, and tina.
there is no other claim, would you
have appointed McLin? Would yon
have made a judge OF thief, and set
n forger and ballot-stuffer to preside
over courts Of justice2 Or would
you have permitted yourself to be
dogged and barked at by every viii
liam connected with the Florida and
Louisian perjuries and frauds till
you had provided rs you did provide
by public Office and public pay the
whole pack of scoundrels who con-
cocted the thefts, were guilty of the
peUuries, and Derpetuated The for
geries by which you are to-day i'm
posed upon the America people as
their Chief Magistrate2 No, sir!
You would have spurned their ap-
pea.s. You would have spurned
their vile contamination, and you
would have kicked them from your
way as political lepers. Did you
sir, select those men for ''their homes
ty" and for "thcir capacity ?" or "for
their services TO party leaders ?" in
one word, for their services in max
ing you what you are, fraudulent
occupant of All honorable public
trust? t"t $50
You have seen quite too much of
the American people, and you are too
familiar with the moral justice with
which they abhOr any attempt 10
overthrow their liberties or to under
mine their Constitution, not to know
that when they become logically cer-
tain that you are in the Presidential
chair by virtue Of frauds you aided
in connecting, by perjuries you have
rewarded, by forgeries you have paid
for by public offices, and by the aid
of visiting statemen, whose expenses
you paid, and whose bargains you
have recognized and honored, that
they will forever despise you MS a
cheat, shun you as a knave, and de-
nounce you as the fraudulent assas-
sin Of that law ofthe ballot the Revo.
luton created, and the nation estab-
lished; that law liberty chose as it's
palladium, and the Constitution
made the cornerstone of its edifice.
That law you have desecrated, that
honor you have disgraccd, that libcr-
ty you have trampled upon, and that
Constitution you have violated.
But, say your friends, The Con-
grcssional Commission awarded you
the office under law the exigencies
of the times demanded, and II is un-
just to charge you with accepting a
position you were nominated 10 fill,
and which that exalted tribunal
award to you. And | am ready to
concede that, If you took no part in
the proceedings in Florida or in Lou.
isiana, you would have been justified,
perhaps, in accepting the position
And yet, man of integrity enough,
and possessing honor enough 10 bt
President of the United States, would
spurn to flll the place TO which an
other had been honestly elected. But
sir, you do not need to be told thai
that Commission was the outgrowtl
OF those frauds-the fungus from
which they sprang. The Anderson
and McLins made possible the visit
iting statesmen, the visiting states
men made possible the Congressiona
Commission, and the Devil hiinsel
made possible the decision, which il
throwing around you the mantle o
Presidential duties, has at the sam
time covered you with all the pcrjur
ed insolence aud forged power cloak
cd beneath its disgraceful debauch
cry. 1t is easy to comprehend tn,
influences which captivated the Gu
pidity of Anderson and awakened
the judicial aspirations Of McLin, bu
human nature revolts when 1t see
the judicial fame and long-hon
ored robes of the Supreme Court o
the United States dragged IN the pet
| ty thefs and forgerics and peI1urel