The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-02-25
HAYES FAREWELL ADDRESS.


four years aeo upon another person, i seems
proper that ] should address 10 vlu q few
words OF oiIectionate war UiuE It las been
customary heretoLlIe OifiX iur tle great Pres
ldeuts who were conscious Of the love and
NeneTatiou Of the people to take leave Of their
country in tFis solemn form. But inasmuch
As ] can hardly Dc ranked among the Presl-
dents % all and history VIII probably take
note Of me only cs an Intruder iu That illus
tTious line. do not feel myself bound by
those precedeuts.
Ny situation in ths administration of this
Office, to which was not elected. has been
one oi singular cm5eETassmeut lhad borne
arms Tor my country, if not with distinction,
az iC-st Win IEoleraie credit. Hy fellow
cltir-ns Of cl.ys dgEmiuE me an iuuIeuslge
sott ot person, without EUnci5nt force of
character o. eueeuaer enemies, repeatedly
raised me ike @ wooden image. 90 the place
OF Cove moran GtHce il THAT State Of no
power or ilErgCre. But was -ratifed with
ttese apparent te-tiiu uouials of popular favor,
and believing that no man Of real abilities
. could receive tLe nomination at C51e-uuHti.
! was uut surprised when The battle Of TIE
1iianS eudsd fu the choice Cf the uirmv
and it was Wei so. A standard bearer of
hapS fatally. Uy many missiles which passed
. harmless over any head.
Ny defeat was q cruel disappointment ard
The very large majority of ms opponent add
ed greatly % the weight of the blow But
owe myself the Justice ostais TN tlfs. doubt
less the last communication The public will
ever receive FROM me, that I had no Thought
then or resisting OK reversing the popular
VIII. Had ] considered oulv tine uroTuutinrs
OF my own heart ] would have refused Id 6a
party 60 the memorable cu-f-rirt..5- 7y17frl,
was Immediately forled 60 substitute the
candidate rejected EE the people for the cam
dida-e whom they had elected. 50 innocent
was 1 o. the design subsequently executed
that publicly acknowledged my defeat i'm n
candid address from uy own doorstep. and j
confess ] was profoundly Iy shocked when /
I Z u. . ..H H.#.H
j. announcing my election hours attermv de-
leeE Hlt been universally known and con-
coded. But as the plot developed. and only
Iie most agreeable features were crrrruni-
Gated O. ne. while tie dark details Cf crime
and corruption were. carefully hidden the
. 5crlp.eS, which I soon came % rarrrT rg
mere personal Uga--Ue5-es. gradually melted
away and / finally accepted tEe fruits of
conspiracy aud forgery with ecrlr.'srsIrcy and
even pleasure.
I viii not recall the history cf my rr6r--
ton INTO Office. wish. indeed BE- might be
erased from the memory or men. ana would
cheertully return to the conscience fund uf
the Treasury, or make over 90 my iefraufad
competition, oil thGt has been saved OF his
Tour years salary, if that ac5 could restore
me u the state cl innocence iPuflrel while
Yet the harmless Governor of Ohio
sly position after the ASSUMPTION u tie
PRESIDENCY IS before said. was ore aT Dsctl-
ller oe-Icacy and Difficulty j had read al
. tentrciy he powerful letter OF acceptance
. . D. M.. n.
and luas-uUcG as the people had. bF Iarns
majority, expressed their approval of its
contents and i was I'm the occupation uf the
once 10 which Is author had been elected. i
conceived lt 20 be mE duty o. effect some of
tie reforms therein rec8-.a.-uE-G. Bur
found mUsef UuweTiezS Twas NOT q FREQ
agent. The Government was administered
In my name, but / was little more than
passive instrument i'm the uu5crulrICus
hands which rad forced the various links fn
that so-Called chain U1 title O. The office held
Those men were not IeIlruerS: they Lad
not brought me into power TO forward the
measures euuuciated by my late opponent 1t
. was some lime before fully realized nv alb
lect dependence upon the secrecy and fidal-
. ltE ul the numerous agents eurIg-ad in the
Great Fraud and meanwhile 1 was permit
ted 10 smuSe the cUrulrv with certain urorp-
. lSes OF reform, which were. however c1ufi7-
ed 90 the civil service. At Ien-th even this
Irttence grew ridiculous. What I Intended
for reform Mr. Sherman calmly converted
into the simple process Of turning out Lis no.
. Itlcl enemies and putting in AIS friends
and Nj sherman Es / was early made %
understand, was one of niv masters.
! loaibci in uy heart the lerr1us criminals
who l@t conceived and executed the daring
frauds IN Louisiana and Florida. But no
sooner had taken the cath OF O-E-e than I
. aSc-ilalnsa Lii2t ny El--Hst friends and
sponsors had promised them not merely lHra-
tectl0ui but high Fr.ml-5Cl ard other re-
wares ana was compelled 90 execute those
promises, under penalty If conn. etc df-.-ov-
cry IN every shocking detail Ui tua S.Uutn1-
Gus crime OF which 1 seemed o. be enflvfnn
the Iruits- It Is needless 30 pursue iHa ra--
rdtIye- II is enough tl say That. fEcert enc
JtE-HITe, Wno was paid s. cash. tltF were
all-NIsltiuE statesmen. E-t1rUiuu Board
krGFcs, -oIEers. thieves. secret uaE8tiatars.
llf1 counsel before tie Electoral tlcu. mission
-Ilr--auao uFDn your T. a=L-r. Ta- -rst
of those nominations. that Oi the notorious
Stanley Matthews, laT Associate Justice OF
the supreme Court, IS even E5W pending in
She Senate.
But there was stil more elferau= huuf,-
L1tton 10 be cuuulel. WHEN realized iuF
defeat on the day after tle election. Il de-
GLAZED truly tiat thc shaTpe5t pau- tlen
teit arose from my apprehension concerning
tle tate OF the cl'oIed EanahIta-us fr the
contested Southern States 4 now Ielrnef
ln6t Il order 90 secure tie CCHa-etiun of tie
fraudulent count my friends bad pledged
me 90 abandon Those cn'1red Republicans.
and % hand over those States % lle Demo-
Gratis VINO claimed them. gl precisely the
same e louhAs as -ir. Ai.ael might have
GAINED the Presidency. I bad I0 resources
but 10 comply THIS step, l8wever. was
only less latal to me than v8uIH have been n
Iei uslI II lest me- v-i.l not sax the re-
spect for 10 that I had mo elaiu-but the
support ol lle edrnesl Republicans, who de-
ciaTed that if / vas elected, so were Packard
and Chamberlain. Ir WAS soon plain that
. they too regarded me as Fraud I'm new
sense
+ This detection LETT me practically without
+ party, and thought - surpIvIiIe lefci-,i-
L cy by au alliance with tire Southern Demue-
/ racy. / outlined mB-uiEc--t and dazzling
/ scheme Of internal iur-. .rculer.- TO De car-
. NED cur IN the South at the general expense
. and I bieTs with al tle breath that was in
me, the trump Ci resurrection over the tomb
Of the old Wing PARTY. But nobody ~nrlf
trlst Fraud g and hUt one solitary N biz
emerged at my blast. In i,i2 person of tho
( late Alexander II. STEPHENS. Having lost
( my own party, it vas evident Co them that
. my power to execute was less than my ineii-
nation TO promise, and they rrudeutlr de-
F elined coalition which ON ms SIDE vlS based
I on nothing more substantial than the few OF
fees which had not already been distributed.
Under these circumstance &c viii be seen
that the total failure Of my fraudulent Ad-
yHlnistlton was q f0re-lue conclusion and
] long since discovered shat 4 must content
myself with drawing { De salary ct tile Pres-
dency ip advance. and boarding e. hat could
5e saved from Do by rigid economy and q sor-
did ameCt1tion CT tenn crEnce- This. with q
scrupulous provision Tor q few personal
friends, such as nay family physician and my
son Webb, at the public expense, has been
I my 0nlv soiace under the sad hGui.illi9Ds Of
these later months az MY residence ln the
White Hoase. Conscious shat all parties,
and even men of no party, looked 1orWarc
with z grateful sense OF relief 20 the period
Of my fral departure FOR Oaio. 1 have felt
that some explanation was due 90 myself and
10 the public of the difficulties which inevi-
tally environ a fraudulent President Had
I been honestly elected, / could, no doubt
have done much for the reformation OF the
public abuses pointed out with such cmpha-
sis BY Mr.. Tilden, and mildly alluded 20 by
Mr Carl SchurZ in my own letter Of accept
{ ance- But 1 was the slave of nay politlClt
creators; the paralysis Of the original fraud
pervaded MY entire administration
/ iii, I'm what is here written, my country men