The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1881-04-15

Il u as much a historical fact that
Mr.. Hayes WAS defeated for the Presi-
dency In 1876 us that General NC Iellan
was defeated Ia 1861. or Nh. Seymour
in 1868. 81 Mr.. Greeley IN 1877. and
there Is no more reason why the defeat
OF Hayes should now BE- disputed. cx-
cept By persons who We're engaged IN
the conspiracy 70 inaugurate him IN
spite Of IL. than why any other historical
fact should be disputed. Indeed. there
would be no particular reason for now
referring 20 the fact OF his defeat
1t the polls had net that fact
exercised q controlling influence
upon Mr.. Hayess whole Ad-
m~inistration. The temper Of the Dem
ocratic party during the winter Of 1876
~ made ii necessary for him to give
assurances 10 is leaders that the local
self-goycrnment Of the South should be
secured. These pledges he faithfully
kept during his term, and II Is the
keeping Of them that has made him =
= moderate " instead OF a "staiwart
Republican. Mr.. Ha, 8 is moderate
enough BY nature; no man Is more SO.
But by reason Of his very moderation
he would have fallen into the hands Of
the ~stalwarts. and been as clay therein,
il he had not been bound By pledges
which he could neither retract nor dis
regard. II he had been elected by the
people he would not have found il
necessary TO make those pledges, and
there is no reason TO suppose that he
would have. made them except from
necessity. In the little speech which
he made on the night after the election
Of 1876. and in winch he acknowledged
his defeat, he observed that il was not
for himself but for the black man that
his heart was heavy. The only Repub-
lican method al that time OF sympa-
thizing with the black man was TO stay
him with local Offices and TO comfort
him with troops. and Mr.. Hayes re-
marks were Justly construed Is an as
surance that he would have continued 70
apply these consultations to the black
man ~ the cost Of the white If he had
been elected. Yet the fiji 81 thing which
he actually did when he became Presi-
dent was TO withdraw the troops from
the South. 1t Is quite true that Il
would have been difficult for General
Grant himself 10 have kept the troops
there much longer than they were re-
tanned. The temper Of the country. ~
the election Of Tilden had shown, was
decidedly opposed TO treating the South
as any longer in a condition n tutelage,
and . Democratic Congress, elected also
in consequence Of that temper. would
have made it impossible for Hayes TO
continue the Southern policy Of Grant.
even il he had not found il necessary TO
pledge himself not TO continue It. I'm
d~oubtedly il was 9 polite thing for him
TO withdraw the troops when he did.
and undoubtedly the withdrawal Vas
the only public service Of any great
moment which Mr.. Hayes has rendered
the country. But the black man, for
whom Mr.. Hayes heart bled in Novem-
Der. 1876. has been in precisely the
same position since March 4. 1877, with
the trifing exception Of Whitaker,
which he would have occupied had MIR
Tilden instead Of Mr.. Hayes been in
augurated at that date.
The chief public service which Mr..
HAYES has rendered was thus forced
upon him BY the manner in which he
became President. The chief scandals
OF his Administration indeed the only
scandals for which he himself can be
held responsible-were forced upon
him by the same cause. The canvass
ers in Louisiana and Florida who count
ed for HAYES votes that were cast for
Tilden received Offices which have
usually been rescr we'd as rewards for
political services. The !" visiting states
mem who encouraged them to mis-
count the votes and 70 certify untruths
were rewarded in the same manner.
The appointment Of these men to Office
was q virtual confession Of the fraud
that was perpetrated on the people Of
the country. Il is absurd 10 suppose
that d count Of votes conducted on
arithmetical principles entities the voter
70 anything Ut the hands Of the person
whom the count shows TO have been
elected To . public Office. Reward
ing the counters, some Of whom
were highly disreputable, was
I confession that their count
had been conducted on principles other
than arithmetical. This was unpleasant
in itself, and especially unpleasant be-
cause Il gave evil-mindcd persons oc-
casion plausibly 70 liken the President
Of the United States TO . criminal d.
viding with his pals that they might
not turn States evidence against him.
hut this unpleasantness. which MIR.
Hayes himself doubtless felt keenly,
was forced upon him By the necessities
Of his situation. and except for these his
Administration was not in any respect
scandalous. The contrast between his
utterances and his actions upon the
subject or Civil service reform has
J given occasion for some stalwarts and
for some Democrats 70 jeer at him; but
BY people Of q n~on-partisan turn Of
} mind tits thought 70 b. evidence rather
u an amiable weakness. Mr.. Hayes