Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-03-25
CFrom tho New York SUM-
Grants Part i'm the Great
Fraud.

BtNiuR tuo Vic"S VI Ocu. 0IauI III TeBuru
to public affairs, past and present, as gath.
cred from conversations with him aud his
party on tho trip from Havana to Vera
Cruz, is interesting in many respects, but
especially 80 10 reference to his part iu
consuwmatiug the great fraud. That
portion of tho letter deserves attention
because it relates to an event of the gravest
character, the full history Of which has yet
to be writteo. The letter says:
"When, at tho last election, the commits.
sion declared Mr.. Hayes President, Gen.
Grant took decided steps to have him ioau-
gusated. His preparations were complete
to use military foroo in case tho Democrats
attempted to enforce the claims of Mr..
Tilden; that gentleman, the reoactrant
Democratic Senators and Mr. Randull
would have been immediately arrested aud
imprisoned in Washington, and any State
governments that objected would havo
boon seized by the military
This statement is true in tho main, but
it does not contain tho whole truth by any
means. The military prcI arAtions IRE
made to hinge upon the action of "thc
commission which declared Mr.. Hayes
President" when in fact they wero organ
or even conceived.
Tho conspiracy to steal tho Presidency
dates from tho hour whom Zach Chandler
sent out his false and infamous despatch:
"Hayes has 1876 votes anG is elected" He
knew, and all the world knew, and Hayes
himself made the admission in speech to
his defeated friends at Columbus, that Mr..
'Tiden had been faivly, legally aud peaceu-
bly, elected by majority Of million of
white and colored voters and by a majority
iu the Electoral Colleges.
Ic overthrow the popular will was the
aim of the consprators. and Chandler's
telegram was the key-noto to the most mon
strous orimo in American history. Upon
that foundation alone tho fraud was built
up, after the election was over, and the
result had been recorded. What followed
was mado to fit the necessity of the case.
The device of tho visiting statesmen origi-
mated with John Sherman. Their purpose,
to "see fair count" was illustrated by the
fact that they were oil chosen from one
Mr.. Tilden of his rights.
The soondolous corruption at New Or
leans, and tho bargains with the returning
Boards of Louisiana, South Corol;ua and
Florida have passed into history. The
cipher te!eGranis have revealed tt,ut the
returns of these three States were nude
wholly dependent on the action of Wells
and Anderson, because all were necessary
to complete the iniquity, and they all we're
to stand or to fall together. Hence the
extraordinary efforts of John Sherman
and the means employed by him to make
that pivotal point secure ut any cost. How
we'll he succeeded is known, and the prices
he paid 10 public patronage are proven by
the official records of all tho departments at
Washington, and of the principal Custom
Houses and Post Offices and internal rove
nue. offices all over tho country, where
the thieves, forgers, porjurers and chief
conspirators are living in luxury at the public
expense.
1t was never intended by the conspira-
tors at uny time or under any CIRCUMSTANCES
to allow Mr.. Tilden to be inaugurated as
President, or for the Republicans to give
up power, except at the cost Of civil war.
The troops were collected at Washington
to confront Congress Some Of them were
brought from the remote frontiers. They
were placed on war footing directly under
the command Of Gen. Sherman, who was as
deep in the conspiracy ns his brother, John
Sherman, was known to be. 1t was
family affair, so far as they We concerned
Outside of their personal iutcrest, it was
an affair of the Republican party, seeking
by desperation to hold the Government,
tho Treasury, and the Offices, and to keep
their dangerous secrets of corruption and
thievery from being revealed by change
of administration. With Tilden in the
White House, exposure and ruin were
inevitable, even if othor departments had
been fired, as tho navy was, three several
times in as many weeks. They could not
destroy oil tho records of long years Of
plunder.
If the Electoral Commission could by
any possibility bave decided for Ti'dcn, it
would not have helped him 10 the least, so
far ns tho conspirators were concerned In
that event, the Senate would have delayed
the count until the last hour of tho 3D. of
March had been tolled, and then, there
being no election, President pro tenpore
would havo stepped into the White House
on the morning of tho 4th, protected by
Grants bayonets. Aud there was another
contingency, by which Grant was to hold
over, Mexican fashion, and to perpetuato
his Presidency.
This is not tho time nor the place to
discuss Mr.. Tiden's prt 10 this chapter of
evcntful history. But it may be said that
ho relied with too much trust upon expected
aid from Mr.. Gopkling, Gen Butler and
Mr.. Drcxcl, and other influential Republi-
cans, who wore high in the oon6d moe Of
Gon Gron+ ond /, tho oouno;lo nf tba Ro