The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1881-02-18


TANNED AND THE FAILURE or HIS ADMIN
IsTRATIoN EXPLAINED.
The N. Y. Sun is anxions that Mr., Haye
should initiate George Washington by pre-
senting farewell address to his country
men. Thereupon 1t has gone to specula
ting on what the address should contain
and II evolves the following:
FELLOW CITIZENS About to lay down III
gre & trust which your SURFACES conferred fou
that should address to you few words Of affec
tonate warning 1t has been customary hereto
fore only for the great Presidents, who wer'
conscious Of the great love and yeneratioI
this solemn FORM But inasmuch as can hardl,
be ranked among the Presidents at all, and history
will probably take note OF me only as an Intruder
Ia that ilustri0us line, do not feel myself bount
by those precedents.
MY situation In the administration Of this office
to which was not elected, has been one OF sineu.
lar embarrassment. l had borne arms for my
country, IL not with distinction, at least with mod
crate credit. My fellow citizens of Ohio, deemng
me an lnoffensive sort OF person, without sufcent
force OF character to cngender enemies, repeated
ly raised me, like wooden image, to the place OF
Governor AN office In that State OF no power or
influence. But was gratined with these appar-
ent testimonials of popular favor, ana believing
that no man of real abilities could receive the
nomination at Cincinnati, was not surprised
when the battle Of the fitans ended in the choice
of the pigmy. And 1t was well SO. "A standard
bearer OF larger stature would have been struck,
perhaps fatally, by many missiles which passed
harmless over my head.
Ny defeat was cruel disappointment. and the
very large majority OF my opponent added greatly
to the weight Of the blow. But owe myself the
Justice to state, in this, doubtless, the last COM
muncation the public will ever receive from me,
that had no thought then Of resisting or revers-
ing the popular will. Had l consulted only the
promptngs Of my own heart would have refused
to be party to the memorable conspiracy which
was Immediately formed to substitute the candl-
date rejected by the people for the candidate whom
they had elected. SO innocent was of the design
subsequently executed that | publicly acknowl-
edged my defeat in candid address from my
own doorstep, and confess l was proIounuiy
despatch boldly announcing my election hours
after my defeat had been universally known
and conceded. But, as the plot developed, and
only the most agreeable features were communi..
Gated to me, while the dark details OF crime and
corruption were carefully hidden the scruples,
which soon came to regard as mere personal
weaknesses, gradually melted away, and finally
accepted the fruits OF conspiracy and forgery with
will not recall the history of my induction into
ONCE. / wish, Indeed, 1t might be erased from
the memory OF men, and would cheerfully return
to the conscience fund of the Treasury, or make
over to my defrauded competitor all that has
could restore me to the state of innocence en-
joyed while yet the harmless Governor of Ohio
My position after the assumption of the Pres-
dency, as before said was one of peculiar delicacy
and dlfficulty. had read attentively the power
full letter of acceptance by the great statesman
nominated at st. Louis, and inasmuch as the peo>
pie had. By large majority, expressed their ap-
proval of its contents, and was In the occupation
Of the once to which its author had been elected
conceived it to be my duty to effect some of the
reforms therein recommended. But found my
self powerless; | was not free agent. The
Government was administered in my name, but /
was little more than passive instrument in the
hands which had forged the various
links in that sO-caled chain of title to the office |
held. Those men were not reformers; they had
not brought me into power to forward the meas.
lres enunclated by my late opponent II was
,ome time before fully realized my abject de-
oendence upon the secrecy and fidelity of the nu
nervous agents employed In the Great Fraud, and
was permitted to amu.e the country
with cer'a promi. of reform which were, how
ever, confined to the civil service. AT length even
his pretence grew ridiculous. What intended
or reform Mr.. sherman calmly converted into the
mple process of turn g out his political enemies
md putting in his friends, as was early made to
understand, was one of my masters.
loathed in my hear the leprous criminals who |
lad conceived and executed the daring frauds In |
louisiana and Florida. But no sooner had ] taken |
he oath of ONCE than ascertained that my near
.st friends and sponsors had promised them not |
merely protection, but high promotion and other |
ewards, and was compelled to execute those
very shocking detail of the stupendous crime of |
which seemed to be enjoying the fruits 1t is |
needless to puruse the narrative II Is enough to
ay that, except one Cazenave, who was paid in
ash, they were all-vsitng statesmen, Return
ng hoard Knaves, forgers, thieves, secret nego-
iators and counsel before the Electoral Commits
hose nominations that Of the notorious Stanley
Matthews, for Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court is even now pending in the Senate.
But there WAS q still more grievous humiliation
O be endured. When realized my defeat on the
lay after the election, declared truly that the
harpest pang l then felt arose from my appre-
tension concerning the fate OF the colored Re-
in the contested Southern States. |
low learned that in order to secure the compile
ion of the fraudulent count, my friends had
pledged me to abandon these c0ored Republicans
laimed them, on precisely the same grounds as
ar. Tiden might have claimed the S'residency. |
lad no resource hut to comply. This step, how
yer, was only less fatal to me than would have
cen refusal 1t lost mel will not say the re-
pect, for to that had no claim-but the support
I the earnest Republicans, who declared that If
was elected, so were Packard and Chamberlain.
was soon plain that they, too regarded me as a
raud in new sense.
This detection left me practically without par
7, and sought to supply the deficiency by an al
ance with the Southern Democracy. outlined
magnificent and dazzling scheme Of internal
improvements to be carried out in the South at
,e general expense, and l blew, with all the
pa 2. sa
!ould trust Fraud; and but one solitary Wing
alexander H. stephens Having lost 81 my ye o ,S
arty 1t was evident to them that my power to
xecute was less than my inclination to promise,
nd they prudently declined coalition which on
1y side was based on nothing more substantial
han the few Offices which had not already been
Under these circumstances it will be seen that
ne total failure of my Fraudulent Administration
as foregone conclusion, and long since dis
overed that must content myself with drawing
ne salary of the Presidency in advance, and
oarding what could be saved from it by rigid
economy and sordid atfectaton of temperance.
his with scrrupulous provision for few per-
,nal friends, such as my family physician and
~ son Webb, at the public expense, has been my
MY solace under the sad humiliations Of these
ter months Of my residence in the White House. ,
onscous that all parties, and even men of no
iry looked forward with grateful sense OF re-
ef to the period Of my departure for OHIO, have
1t that some explanation was due to myself and
the public of the difficulties which inevitably
lviron Fraudulent President. lad / been
)nesty elected, could, no doubt, have done
UGH for the reformation of the public abuses
,inted out with such emphasis by Mr.. Tllden,
Id mildly all aided TO by Mr.. Carl schurz in my
yn letter OF acceptance. But was the slave of
,litcal creators; the paralysis Of the original
aud pervaded my entire administration.
If, in what is here Written nv countrymen
all find anything to extenuate my failngs, or
ythins to soften the judgment which must fol-
" me into history, the object of this, my fare
ell address to the swindled people of the United
ates, will have been accomplished.
RUTHERFORD B. HAYES