Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-10-09

New York World.

q New York World.
q General Grant, by his next fs1en,
|, and representative, Senator COnk
I ling, has taken definite command O
the republican campaign of 1850
In all that he forebOre 70 say rs vel
3 as IN all that he said in his speech
: at the Academy of Music last week.
{. Senator C0nkling may be ASSUMED
to represent the true spirit and the
political purposes of tie republican
party which now presses General
Garfield on tho people of this cnun.
try for the presidency OF United
: States. What Interpretation, then,
are we to place on the. utter silence
OF Senator Conkiing as to the, cir
cumstances attending the presiden-
tial election In Louisiana in 1876,
coupled with his recommendation
for the Office of president Of a man
who, as Mr.. Hendricks has Just con-
clusively shown, actively aided in
the consumation of the fraud Of that
year?
The finding of the commission
that Hayes, upon the evidence sub
mitted to it which il saw proper to
consider, was elected president Of
the United States, does not relieve
those from responsiblityw aided
IN withholding proper evidence
from that tribunal, or who directly
sanctioned the use of improper evil
dence in the preparation of the case
which influenced the decision of
thatcommission There Is no great
er offence against society than the
suppression of the truth or the prac-
tice of falsehood in Investigations
which are made under the sanction
or requirement Of the laws of the
land, even where such investiga.
tiOns concern only the smallest right
OF property. Such corruptions are
justly abhorred because they taint
the stream Of justice at its source.
But what can be said of the suppress
sion of the truth or of the use OF the
false testimony in a case which con-
cerned the dearest rights Of whole
people?
Was 1t becoming in a Senator fa-
miliar with the actors in the scenes
OF 1876, who knows accurately. by
report at least, all that took place
then in Louisiana, and who Is per-
tectly well aware that General Gar
field stands charged with complici-
ty in the grave offence which wis
there perpetrated, to content him-
telf with affirming his belief I'm the
competency" of General Garfield
to fulfil the duties of the office OF
president? Does the high office Of
president require no qualification
except intellectual capacity? Why
had Senator Conkling no word to
say in disprOval of the charges made
against General Garfield in connec-
tion with the election in Louisiana
charges apparently proved by exist
ing records and by the open testimO-
ny Of persons who were present in
New Orleans when Garfield was
there, and who We're well informed
as to many of his proceedings
Why had he no word to say in crit
icism OF the candidate who after
acting as the adviser Of the return
ing board I'm Louisiana, and sane
tioning by his presence and by his
silence, ifnot by his cooperation, the
fraud which that board committed,
assumed the functions Of a Judge In
a case thus improperly made up,
and as such judge refused to enter
into any inquiry as to the truth or
falsity of that case?
If the case made up by that re-
turning board was true, Garfield
above all other men knew its truth,
and the result Of such inquiry would
have been a complete vindicatiOn OF
his integrity and judgment. Ifthe
case made up by that returning
hoo ri .,soc folSa fierHaI1 ,ahrxyo All
other men knew that il was false,
and his refusal to enter upon such
inquiry must therefore be accepted
as complete proof Of his participation
in plain fraud OF magnitude suf-
ficient to shock the CIVILIZED world.
But Senator Conkling, discussing
the interests and the future Of his
country, had no word to say CON
cerning this enormous Oifense
against the fundamental conditions
Of its existence. He dilated upon
''the testimony of General Grant :"
he questioned the accuracy OF a cen-
sus made under the supervision Of
a republican officer. With a liberal
hand he showered imputati0ns up
on the loyalty of the democratic
party-upOn the loyalty, that Is, Of
/ majority OF the people OF the Uni
ted Stated--to the constitution and
laws under which they live. He
sought to alarm Northen capitalists
and the people OF the commercial
cities on the seaboard by rhetoric
and reasoning which must have
made thinking men almost doubts
'ul as to the sanity Of the orator. He
invoked sectional prejudice. He
llandered states. He declared In
)ne breath that the supreme court
would be a point of democratic at
iack, and in the next demonstrated
hat time would afford ample Oper-
unity of restoring to that bench the
reputation which 1t enjoyed when
Marshall and Story were among its
lOnOred members. He affected
ear for the safety of the constitu-
ional amendments. He demand
ri that the republican party should
% accorded credit for those prOvi-
iences of God which have made
lur harvests abundant and our ccun-
ry prosperous in spite OF misrule.
Bot he had no word Of reproach for
men who had deirauded a whole
,eople of their constitutional rights
md usurped the functions Of ma
ional government. For all that
appears i'm the Grafton Of this great
eader of the republican party he
lad never so much as heard Of that
rhine. Let him and his party hear
in no uncertain accents tonight