The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1880-08-13

Some OF our Republican contempora-
ries seem to be strangely anxious TO get
it understood that during the closing
months ofio76 or the earlier months OF
1877 General Hancock notified one OF
his superior officers that he considered
Mr.. Tilden to have been duty elected
President of the United States, adding,
Of course, that il Congress declared Mr..
Tilden TO have been so elected. and If
Mr. Tilden should take the oath OF
office as President. General Hancock
would obey his orders on and after the
4th Of March. 877. 1t il To be hoped
the Republicans may succeed in prov
ing this, because il they should succeed
in proving it they would greatly
strengthen General Hancock's claims
upon the confidence Of his countryn,en-
General Hancock had in 1877. as he
has in 1880, but two superior officers in
the military serv.ce--General Sherman
and General Sheridan. II he addressed
to anybody such notification as Is
alleged, he must have addressed 1t TO
one Of these officers, and official pro-
priety would doubtless have induced
him to address il to General Sherman
eral Sheridan nor yet General Hancock
himself has confirmed the rumor Of
such notification, it must at present
be regarded rs merely rumor, though
rumor highly creditabie to General
Hancock, and ouch rumor rs would
naturally arise concerning an officer on
whose loyalty and patriotism partisan
passion itself has not vcntured to cast .
doubt.
The assertion that such notification
was made by General Hancock after the
false judgment Of the Electoral Com
mission mad been rendered. or even
after that body had been established. Is
Of course absurd General Hancock Is
neither rioter nor . revolutionist, but
a law-abiding citizen and faithful
soldier. The Electoral Commission
gave to Mr.. Hayes c color of title which
protected every public servant in obey
ing any lawful orders which came from
him, and in which the whole American
people acquiesced rather than run the
risk Of q new civil war. Before the
| Commission was established. and when
the monstrous claim was put forward
that the President of the Senate alone
had the right TO count the votes and
that there was no appeal from his deci-
sion, though every member of Congress
might know that he certified false
hood in every pretended count, il was
among things possible that every public
servant and every private citizen o.
this country might be forced TO choose
for himself whom he would recognize
AZ President. On the one side was this
monstrous claim that casual Senator
who happened to be the presiding OH
Ger Of the Senate in consequence Of thu
death OF the Vice President. had powell
70 nullify the will Of the American PEG
plc. On the other side was the fact, n
clear then as il il now, that the will o
the American people had been cx
pressed in the election Of Mr.
TiIden. II it had come TO |
choice between these alternatives !
would have been the duty oil Genera
Hancock, as a soldier and citi en-. {.
choose his course i'm accordance will
what he believed to he the facts, and Z
take sides with the American peopI
against the group Of desperate politica
gamblers who were trying to defraus
them Of their right to choose their Owl
President. II II seemed to Genera
Hancock that the time for choice ha'
come. 1t was his duty to give. as i
alleged that he gave, q timely notice =
, his military superiors Of the decision .
which he had arrived, and TO war
them that no assistance could be count
ed on from him towards reversing IN
verdict which the people had renderc
at the polls.
, II Il be true that General Hancoc
felt himself moved to give this motto
. and this warning, the fact would ten
, 10 Justify the fear felt nj the time b
such patriotic men MS Senator Bayar
, and Senator Thurman that the Elect
, oral Commission was necessary - say
the country from the alternatives OF "
unresisted seizure Of the Governmer