, 1879-08-09
waULD rsERE uAvE sEExACIvIl WAR.

, waELD TuERE HAVE BEEN CIVIL WAR:
The Mines Woodford interview has OBJ
tanned general currency because it ha'
marks of truthfulness. 1t presents new
features Of the great plot against ths
peace and liberties Of the country il
1867, which are in such perfect har'
mony with those previously developed
and accord so thoroughly with the known
character and purposes of the Grant ad.
nlinistration, that most people are inclined
to believe In the substantial accuracy OF
the Mines delineation. To the military
president, who had encouraged and pro-
tected the thaft of the electoral votes al
Louisiana and Florida, and who had gath
cred the army at Washington to oversee
the count of the forgeries, by congress,
the proposition to kidnap and secretly
dislose Of the candidate actually elected
xould Not have been startling one at
all. His secretary Os the interior was
largely instrumental in planning the elee-
toral fraud, and boldly announced Its sue
cess but few hours after the election of
T5lden, when everybody else, including
Hayes himself, acknowledged the fact
Grants secretary of war was Don Cam
eron, a worthy successor of Belknap, who
would stick at nothing to keep possession
of power; and his secretary of the navy
was Secor Robson, who had shown him
self capable of almost any offence, and
had every reason to fear the pursuit of
Justice, the clatter of whose leaden heel
he could easily hear in the approach of a
reform administration. These men had
hesitated at no outrage before, and there
is no reason to suppose that they would
have paused at this one Accordingly,
Mines says that when Woodford was
called to Washington and offered the
Office Of district attorney, the talk was
not about the legal business of the place,
nor his duties under the law, but about
the bombardment of New York city, and
the kidnapping of a wabiding citizen,
who Was obnoxious because he had been
elected president by majority of a quar-
ter of a million of the people Grant
said he did not want lawyer for district
attorney; he wanted a soldier, who would
not consider anything but his orders.
The consultation was all about a military
movement upon New York about seis-
ing Mr.. Tilden and conGniIg him in
secret, and about firing our dwellings
over our heads and shedding our blood in
the streets. Secor Robson was ready
and eager to turn our navy upon us, and
the frontier had been stripped of troops
and a force gathered here sufficient, in
the Judgment of the caIspirators, to in
sure our destruction, Ill case Of any at
tempt. fcweTer lawful and peaceful, to
assert tl.s title of the president chosen by
the people.
In view of this revelation of the secret
purposes of the administration, it may be
proper to consider what might have beea
the result I'D the democratic party III
congress stood fearIessiy for the right.
Suppose there had been no electoral eDilI-
mission s,ri,Ala Snprasa' T'.--------. d.
ard, and the democratic minority of the
senate had remained undismayed and
firm, and the house of representatives had
proceeded to count the votes and to de-
clare Mr.. Tilden elected, IS he vas in
fact, or 70 pronounce the technical failure
of an election by the electoral colleges.
In the former case, Mr.. Tildeu would
have had in addition to his eq',itable title
which it is Gog certain the lstter portion
of the republican party, including the
most distinguished senators, would Eaye
respected and in the latter. he would
have been Immediately chosen by the
house, according to the constitution. Per
haps Grant would have attempted to lre-
vent his Inauguration at Washington.
That was what tie army had been brought
there for. But what could lie have done
A great majority of the people had voted
for Mr. Tilden, and a still greater major
ity were then at his back. Outside the
narrow circle of the conspirators them
selves, few republicans even pretended 10
believe that Hayes was eithar honestly or
legally elected. Grant might have inaug-
urated his puppet, Hayes, at the point of
the bayonet, or "held over,'' as the
phrase went, himself. In either event
Washington would have been in the mill
tary possession of 4 mere usurper, who
would have had for the moment fine
buildings and marble columns to look at,
but neither actual power not revenue.
Surrounded by democratic territory, the
death by starvation of such mockery of
a government would have been only a
question of time.
On the other hand, Mr. Tilden might
have been peacefully inaugurated here,
where George Washington took the oath.
Had Grant attempted any descent upon
New York, either by sea or land, accord
ing to the Woodford programme, the
courts Of the country would soon have
disposed Of him. bad he called congress
to Washington, he might possibly have
been met by snall majority Of tho Sen
ate, ou: by DO house. Had Tilden called
it to New York, he would have been met
by great majority of the house, and
very nearly quorum Of the senate,
which, as matters then stood, could have
been Elled up by appointment from the
states whose senators had deserted t.
join the reasonable usurpatiou. There
certainly would have been no fight The
fraudulent and unsubstantial fabric at
Washington would have instantly crum-
blea to pieces the elected and rightful
president would have been promptly in
stalled in the white house, and We would
have been speared the shame af fraud
first triumphant III American history
The fatal blnnder was the electoral
commission. 1t received the assent OF q
large majority Of those who should have
defended to the end the right Of the
people to choose their own ruler. 1t
instantly divided the democratic PARTY
and rendered all further resistance hope
less For this few leaders were respon-
sible, and for all that has followed. Mr..
Tilden was not one Of them.
THE BoYs Pride IN HIa FATBER.-
"Two men got into fight in front Of
the store to-day" said Dayton man a:
the simmer table "and 7 tell Won II