The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-08-30
Threshing the Old Straw.

In the Tom Hendricks Indiana plat
form, recently adopted at Indianapolis,
allusion was made to "the frauds and
periuries of 1876, by which the will of the
people was set aside, and a usurper
placed in the Presidential Office" This
is the sore-headed growl of Mr.. Hem
dIjeks, who was on the ticket with Mr.
Tildcn that year, and he came so near
beag elected Vice-President of the
Unted States that he continues to de-
lude himself with the idea that he
onlt missed the goal of his ambition by
fraihl ard perjury.
1t .sn't often that Mr.. Hendricks gets
good Opportunity TO officially air his
old disappointment in public, but being
made Chairman of the Committee on
Resolutions in the State Convention the
other day, he Incorporated his sadness
in tie Platform. At this late day. the
sad eirain of lost opportunity sounds
little out of place in State Conven-
ton, especially when the melancholy
I Overture is performed by one of the
most interested parties. The ssusurper''
alluded to is ex-President Hayes, and mo-
body knows better than Mr.. Hendricks
sthas there has never been President of
ithe United State, from George Washing
cOIl W SHcSlcT a. dIbuuI, WuO 4c1o LQ6
Office of Chief Magistrate by so firm and
honest tenure as Rutherford B. Hayes-
What are the facts? The result of the
presidential election in 1876 was very
close. 1t was so nearly q tie that both
parties claimed a majority of the Elect
oral votes. The election was in dispute,
and in the chaotic condition of several
of the Southern States, notably Louisiana,
Florida and south Carolina, both parties
claimed that they had the majority.
What was to be done? The excite
ment was intense, and unless something
was done civil war seemed imminent.
The Democrats had the majority in the
+ House of Representatives, the tribunal
that is to select the President in, case
there is no choice by the people, and in
this respect they had the advantage
But the Republicans had a stern, patri-
otic and courageous soldier IN the White
House, who was not only President of
the United States, but Commander-in-
Chief of the Army and Navy. He was
nue to be trided with, and everybody
htsw it. His bravery and patriotism
welae the Nation guaranty of peace and
good, order.
+ Coagress saw that a crisis was at hand,
and prepared for it. The Democrats. to
their be it said, were as sensible
-an4 patriotic as the Republicans, and
bah united in adopting that grand
motto of the old commander: "Let Us
have peace" A law was passed by
Congress authorizing an Electoral Com
mission to decide upon the merits Of the
eontending candidates Eminent men
of both political parties composed it.
The law could never have been passed
without the support of the Democrats in
Congress. They solemnly agreed to
submit disputed matter to the decision
of competent arbitrators and abide the
result. The decision of that tribunal
was against them, and the result was
that Mr.. Hayes was declared to have
been honestly elected President of the
United States. Mr.. Hayes not only had
a majority of the votes in the ElectoraH
College, which is all the title that any
OF his predecessors in Office ever had,
but he had in addition the decision Of
the special court authorized by an act
Of Congress and signed by the President
to settle the controversy.
That is the kind of 'susurper'' Presi-
dent Hayes was, and nobody better un-
derstands the utterly fraudulent nature
Of the Democratic cry of fraud than
Thomas A. Hendricks does.-Chicago
journal.