San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1880-07-31
THE FRAUD OF lsss TO BE
PUNISHED IN 1850.

MaOoe4om6ey 0umsp ~ - su~o'
c~ck Meeslag ~ Rockville Md
Gov. Tilden's declining renomina
ton was great disappointment to me
aud believe 20 the Convention ant
to The people. He would, | think
have been rsnominated and reelected
aud this would have been q vindics
ton Of popular right which woui'
have produced great aud lasting i'm.
preston upon the world. In this ex
preston do but respond to one Of th'
most marked sentiments Of the plat
form adopted at Cincinnati, all Of whicf
as we'll as tho candidates nominated
| cordially endorse. It is now mani
fest that Mr.. Tildeu's action on this 90
casion, like his whole political conduct
through life. was dictated by his de
sire to advance the cause Of public lib
erty 10 utter disregard Of all personal
considerations. He is far from saying
this himself. He studiously avoids
any. boast of disinterestedness, but II
is plain from every paper emanatine
from him that he regards the issue
upon the great fraud to be decided 10
the pending contest, and upon the dc.
cision Of which it depends whether
the people will hereafter be able ia
elect their Chief Magistrate, as the
most momentous ever presented to
the people for decision. In all Of his
public utterances Mr.. Tilden insists
that, while the fraud was erpetrated
upon the people iu his person, it was
no personal wrong to him, aud the
question it presents is one to be con-
sidered without regard to him or any
other person. And, although confident
that the people Of New York and
of the Union would sustain him
if renominated, as he did not
think his candidacy necessary
to enforce that issue as the paramount
issue Of the contest--and as the ADMIN
and other parties to the great
fraud had fostered division in the party
on personal issues with him in order
to escape condemnation and prevent
the vindication Of the right of the
people to elect their Chi.f Magistrate
at the ensuing election-he withdrew
fro m the candidacy. ysq 8f{.
lam convinced that Mr.. Tilden's
motive in retiring from the candidacy
was simply to make this great imper
sonal issue palmer aad more effective
Accordingly, the platform adopts it as
the vital issue, 10 the presence ol
which, it says all the other issues are
dwarfed. It is not only thus pro
claimed to be the great, issne of the
contest by Mr.. Tildeniand by the Con
veution. but all the circumstances Of
the era iu which We live Gconspiro tc
proclaim it to. be the paramount issue
of the day.. The great fraud Of 1876
was the elimination Of series OF usur.
patious by the Republican party to
subvert the government of the people.
By the reconstruction measures it had
continued itself in power, under the
forms Of law. for eight years. But in
1876 the tide of popular feeling rose sc
high that it surged over even these
barriers and defeated the Republican
party. Its candidate for the Presi
dency openly admitted his defeat
And it was defeated with the whole
machinery Of the elections in its hands
aud without syllable of complaint al
the time that the hard terms it had
imposed upon its opponents had moi
been rigidIy enforced or observed
But the chairman of their executive
Committee then ordered the returning
officers of three Southern States, jus,
enough to give them one majority iu
the Electoral College. to make false
returns of the votes, obtained an or
der from President Grant, sending an
armed force to the capital Of each oi
those States to superintend and enforce
the execution of this order, and bring
ing a large force also to Washington tc
intimidate Congress into counting the
false returns thus prepared.
1t is idle to discuss questions Of ad-
ministration until the people decide
effectively whether there are to be anJ
more elections.
The Republican party organizaiiou
has decided and now stands upon the
ground that the people have not 'bs
right TO elec, their President, aud nov
presents as q candidate for the Presi'
deoey one Of the men who was con.
spieuous in the proceedings by which
that determination vas reached. The
Denocr.fie p ry now srrsirns thi'
action cg the Repabiic,n organization