Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1880-04-06

and wavering members, whose feelings were
propagated far aud wide and that the staupch
members of the party-like the Christian of
Bunyan, who, when ascending hill on his
journey met two returning Pilgrims which
unnerved him far more than Apollyon with
his flaming sword-were more alarmed by the
cowardice of these faltering members than
by the fear of their enemies. So far as he
was concerned, hezwas not discouraged. A
party, which less than four yerrs ago had
polled popular majority of more than $780,
600, would poll it again, and with that
record, why should any shrink or waver
Let all the armies of rings, Office .holdors
and Republicans be met with stern resist.
ance at the polls. This brought him to the
consideration of the Federal election laws.
under which in spite of. and in the teeth Of
our constitution, and the we'll remembered
prohibition of Magma Charta, and notwith
standing the murmurings of the people, the
bayonet might under existing statutes be
paraded at the polls. AS far back as Runny-
meade, the English people had declared that
the tramp of no armed host should be heard
within one mile of the booth or voting place,
but the election law now in existence, all
though there was no such thing as a voting
place of the U. s.. (tha. belonging psrticu.
larly to the States.) the army surrounded the
polls under n.tional authority throughout
the Southern States
We have had fifteen Presidents, and
under no administration until the Inaugural,
ton of Grant has the bayonet surrounded
the ballot although Joseph Chapline may
have tried it at Shepherdstown. Andrew
johnson did not dare attempt it Under the
Alien and Sedition laws only IL men were
prosecuted-some of those editors at that
time-whiIe under our present Infamous sys-
tenn GOO voters in New York alope are dis
franchised. Gagged and prevented from voting
In one day. And to efface these laws from
the statute books is another duty of the
Democratic party. AS they stand. they are
the engine of oppression. and that imperiaI-
ism which we much dread may, we'll in
the spirit of Napoleon exclaim, 1.-THE Empire
is Peace" .
FRAUD AND FORCE.
That q great fraud was perpetratcd upon the
the American people in 1876, and the electo>
raj college subverted and dishonnred by un>
clean hands, is now the verdict of the world
Had the will of the people as expressed at the
polls been understood, Samuel J TiIden. our
leader in that erentful campaign, would now
be the actual, as he is the elected, President
of tho United States, in place of the present
incumbent, of whom he would say nothing,
save that he had rewarded the perpetrators
of this bold outrage. The voters in our
Southern States disfranchiscd for the SIMS,
ter purposes of professional Office holders, and
the helpless States reopled with African
freedmen with the rights of citizens, and
with scalawags, carpet, bssgers, pimps and
harlets, and backed BY the concentrated
power of Federal bayonets, it is no wonder
that they SHOULD reward their masters by
handing over to them the electoral colleges
That such was the case is admitted by the
press OF the Republican party itself, and as.
certained beyond controversy by Congress,
sioual Investigation. BY a conspiracy similar
to this the present hierarchy OF nfi ce. hold.
ers might maintain their possession indefi-
nitely, and nullify every attempt Of the
people to change their administration. lie
agreed with Mr.. Tiden in regarding THE
| issue created by the sub7crsion of the elcc>
tion Of 1876 as the most transcendent in our
| history" In the annals of no free people had
such gross and patent fraud upon their
| rights been successfully committed And
that this, the crime of the centuries. should
not be repeated. and if attempted, branded
with the infamy it deserves, is the mission
of the Democrats throughout the Union
Let it be rcbuked at the polls. Our fathers
with their prophetic wisdom had foresoen the
be exposed from professional Office -hnlders,
! aud had embodied in the Virginia Bill of
Rights the adDoniton to which we should
now give an attentive ear: at was written
aforetime, and written for our learning:"
That the legislative and executive pow.
ers of the State should be separate and dis.
tinct from the judiciary, aud that the mem
bers of the two first may be restrained from
hv fael nd -, ~,
burdens of the people, they should at fixed
periods be reduced to private station return
into that body from which they were origi>
| naily taken, and the vacancies be supplied
by frequent. certain and regular elections,
IN which all or any part of the former mem
bers to be again eligible or ineligible ns the
law shall direct" In the spirit of this fun
damental principle, we should say to the
present hierarchy of office holders, step down
and out, return to your station among the
people, We have no longer any use for your
services. That rotation in Office is one of
the cardinal doctrines of the Democratic
party, is shown by its record in the past. and
by strict adherence to it alone can we hone
to receive the blessings of a free and rcpre>
sentative government to our people.
THE RACE QUESTION.
Among the political problems of the age
are the future of the African, Chinese and
Indian. To only one of these has the Re-
publican party bestowed its particular atten i,
ton, it being the only one they can Use for
political capital. The African freedman is
their special ward. but their attentions re-
mind one of "Christan," who. when on his
way to the Holy City, saw TWO men who afar
OF were pleasant to behold, but when they
came near he found them hideous 10 the ex,
treme. So the Republicans love the African,
but they love him afar off. and among their
political schemes by which the poor darkey
was the sufferer is the infamous kansas
exodus" He recalled to recollection an
of q Ill IL. ]