Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-03-31
A SuppositItIous Address.

SuDpOSluClOuS ADDRESS,
FELLow-CTTIzENs: About to lay
down the great trust which your suf-
frages conferred four years ago upon
another person, II seems proper that |
should addresssto you few words OF
affectionate warning 1t has been Gus
tomary heretofore only for the great
Presidents, who were conscious OF the
love and yeneration of the people, to
take leave of their country in this sol
emn form. But, inasmuch ash can
hardly be ranked among the Presidents
at all. and history will probably take
note of me only as an intruder in that
illustrious line, l do not feel myself
bound by those presidents.
NV situation in the administration of
this office, to which was not elected,
has been one of singular embarrass-
lment had borne arms for my coun-
try, if not with distinction, at least with
moderate credit. My fellow-citizens of
Ohio. deeming me an inoffensive sort of
person, without sufficient force of char
acter to engender enemies, repeatedly
raised me, Ikea wooden image, to the
place Of Governor-an. office in that
State OF no power and influence. But I
was gratitied with these apparent testi-
monials of public favor, and. believing
that no man of real abilities could re-
aceive the nomination at Cincinnati.
was not surprised when the battle of
the Titans ended in the choice of the
p:gmy. And it was well so. A stand
ard-bearer oflarger stature would have
been struck, perhaps fatally, by many
missiles which passed harmless over my
head.
My defeat was cruel disappoint-
ment, and the very large majority of
my opponent added greatly to the
weight OF the blow But l owe myself
the justice to state, in this, doubtless,
the last Communication the public will
ever receive from me- that had no
thought then of resisting or reversing
the popular will. Had / consulted only
the promptings of my own heart 1
would have refused to be a party to the
memorable conspiracy which was i'm
mediately formed to substitute the can
didate rejected by the people for the
candidate whom they had elected So
innocent wasI of the design subsequently
executed that publicly acknowledged
my defeat in a candid address from my
own doorstep. and confess that was
profoundly shocked when | saw Mr..
Chambers celebrated dispatch 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 communicated 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 l finally accepted the fruits
of conspiracy and forgery with compla-
cency and even pleasure. -
will not recall the history of my in
duction into Office. I wish. indeed, it
might be erased from the memory of
men, and Iwould cheerfully return to
the conscience fund of the Treasury. or
make over to my defrauded competitor,
all that had been saved of his four
years salary, if that act could restore
me to the state of innocence enjoyed
while yet the harmless Governor of Ohio.
My position after the assumption of
the Presidency, as before said, was one
of peculiar delicacy and difficulty. 1
had read attentively the powerful letter
of acceptance by the great statesman
nominated at st. Louis, and inasmuch
as the people had, by large majority,
expressed their approval of its contents,
and was in the occupation of the Of
fee to which its author had been elect
ed, conceived it to be my duty to effect
some OF the reforms therein recon-
mended. But / found myself powerless;
| was not free agent. The Govern
ment was administered in my name,
but [ was little more than passive
instrument in the INSCRIPTIONS hands
WHICH = had forged the various
links in that so-called chain of I'll
tic to the office / held. Those men
wee not reformers; they had not
brought me into power to forward the
measures enunciated by my late OPP
ponent 1t was some time before l
fully realized my cabject dependence
upon the secrecy and fidelity of the
numerous agents employed in the great
FRAUD and meanwhile L was permitted
to .amuSe the country with certain
promises of reform. which were, how
ever, confined to the Civil Service. At
length even this pretense grew ridicu-
ious. What l had intended for reform
MR. Sherman calmly converted into. the
simple process of turning out his polit-
ical enemies and putting i'll his friends,
and Mr.. Sherman, as | was early made
to understand, was enc Of my masters.
| loathed in my heart the leprous
criminals who had conceived and exc
cuied the daring frauds in Louisiana
aud Florida. But no sooner had / taken
the oath of office than l ascertained
that my nearest friends and sponsors
had promised them not merely protec-
ton, but high promotion and other re-
wards. and I was compelled to execute
those promises under penalty OF COM
plete discovery in every shocking detail
of the, stupendouss crime of which /
seem to be enjoying the fruits. 1t is
needless to pursue the narrative. 1t is
enough to say that, except one GAIA
nave, who was paid in cash, they we're
all = visiting Statesmen, Returning
Board knaves. forgers, thieves. secret
negotiators and counsel before the
Electoral Commission--pension upon
your treasury, The last of these nomi-
nations, that of the notorious Stanley
Matthews, fer Associate Justice of the
Supreme Court, is even now pending in
the Senate.
But there was a still more grievous
humiliation to be endured. When 1
realized my defeat on the day after the