Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-02-20

idea il cOntainS-that Is, pictured 10
themselves IN detail the way IN which II
would work IN practice and the results
IL would have. The counting OF the
electoral Vote after the Presidential
election is o lodged by law and
precedent in the two Houses
of Congress, through u procedure
framed 10y themselves. Next ye@r Con-
yress will perform this duty as
There is under the Constitution no APP
peal from its decision In any particular
| case. IL may exclude votes which
some may think ought not to have been
| excluded, and count votes which many
think ought to have been excluded, but
| no mode is provided for altering the
result thus reached. Ii Congress gross
liz and plainly abuses its power It ex-
| poses itself to punishment ut the polls
at the next election, but to no other
| punishment. The theory on which the
/ American Government rests rs that tins
| punishment ill I've, ON the whole, tound
/ sufficient even where members ot Con-
grrSS arr "a BsJS~ grossly wanting IN
| CONSCIENTIOUS patriotism, hut that at all
| events il must IN all cases he tried thor
| oughly before any other measures are
49,
reSortcd to.
Now, what General Grants support
ers prupuSo is, IN fact, that IN ease he
| one ui the candidates shuuid not De
| satisfied with the decision ot Congress,
he should count the vote himself, ait
hitting such a. he thought entitled to
admission and rejecting all others, and
| that II the result thus reached satisfied
| him he wa elected, he should take pos
| session OF the White House with an
| armed force. aud should set the major
| ity i'm both Houses oi Congress at deli
| ance. and begun the discharge ul cXCCu-
| tive functions. There are probably not
many OF them who like 10 scr the
| plan set down IN this way III
| black and white beforehand, but
| there is no denying the corrcct-
ness Of this disruption OF Il. THIS Is
what is meant, and the only thing
that can lo meant, 10y choosing u
| military man Tor the Presidency because
IL elected i'm his own opiulonl he Will
see that he gets the place. In PLAIN
English. it means r~ITuiUhOH. Ii means
the introduction into the Government
| of the practice OF having each candidate
I NNlNN NAA AAAN Wv "a ASAA ~ N'N
/ and then iight in order tn assert them.
Ii c that We have reached u stage
in our politics in which s~iratcgIcaI skill
aud military courage are our BEST
I qualifications for our Chief officer, rs
/ they were Tor the Kings ut the hunS,
l SIf nT;s s%h ts$=%np;eeSassSds ,@,encral Grant
were 10 declare that he was not satisfied
with the Congressional count, that lac
| had been elected, and then, with the and
| ri Ills armed followers, 10 install himself
/ IN the White House, and the majority
| in Congress were either sufficiently
| oyrrawrd by tho force ~ his disposal or
sufficiently appalled, by the prospect ot
civil war, tu submit and accept HIM as
the President. The moral pressure on
them to 10 So, especially from the mon
eyed interest Of the country, would
probably bc very powerful They would
remain, however, in Il very C~Nasperatrd
state Ut mind. ThcircunstiturntS, COM
prlsing a numerical majority, CT ut least
hall. Ol the American people, would
feel that they had been the victims ut a
monstrauS outrage. They would resolve
that the same trick should not he played
on them again, aud that their candidate
al the next election should not he a
timid, elderly civilian like MIR. TldrU,
or Mr. seymour, or Mr., Hendricks, but
a military mau also, who would likewise
10 his " counting. and that they
would see that hc mad force enough at
his disposal To make II good against all
cOmerS. The ensuing Presidential can
yasS would then become literally what
IL is now only metaphoulCally, 4 cam
paign.' 10 would consist, IN the mann,
Oi the collection oi arms and ammunl-
tlon, and Of the organization AMI iiScip-
line oi troops, and of State legs
latiou in preparation iur IN arm
ell encounter. These preparations,
too. would bC carried on amidst
the Crumhling Ut the public
credit and the suspension or rapid de-
decline ri every branch ut business. and
the rapid transfer OF timid capital 10
more settled regions. It Is hardly
necessary To say that in a game Ut this
sort the man in possession would have
many and great advantages, lie would
have ON the army and civil service a
hold which actual authority always
gives, and would have the open or
secret support of that large class which
ALWAYS likes Ia be on what seems the
winning side. To these aud 90 the tlmld
generally, IL would become apparent
long before his term expired that II
would be madness 10 nominate any
body else to succeed him, that the
public peace and safety REQUIRED that
hc should stay In power as the only
defense against anarChy, and that, IN TACT
he should use all the means al hiS
disposal 10 secure his reelection
unde' the forms OF Law, somehow
General Grant has been tried As a
civil administrator. and It Is moi dis
puted that his two terms were marked
by great corruption at the seat OF Gov
eminent, hy great violence and diSorier
at the South. and by the loss ot fourteen
States Nv the Republican party. Since
he LETT office Outrages at the South have \
diminished IN number, and industry II
every Kind has improved in that region.
Scandals in the civil service, such rs
Nere revealed almost weekly in hIS day,
have ceased; specie payments have been
restored; the credit OF the Government
has been raised and uSedin lOveylngt the
AlpfINcN w tAN lNNAN NNtNs AN WV Va
emigration toward the country
has again set in, and 81 has the tow oi
bTeign capital towari American invest.
ments. ami industry in all It's branches
has revived. In TACT, peace and order
reign IN every direction; Consequently
General Grant can only De produced rs
a candidate in his capacity Of a fighting |
military man. Nothing else can be
claimed for him. lie can, in short,
only be produced with a view 10 some
sort of violence or ~illegality, IL NAV be
A. Ne have said, that he will not allow
himself to he turned to account in this |
way; hut il he does. those Who have
not reached the conclusion that our pO-
litical system lsa failure will see that
his candidacy imposes on them a duty
such as Americans have never before
been called OF to discharge toward any
man.
80 perpetual motion has been diScO-
vsred again. 1t IS quite = little while
since It's last discovery, and people had
almost fnrcntign fhpra vas spcb atbing /