San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-09-11

buccaneers who surrounded him soon after
his first election were very formidably rein
forced, and how held him completely In their
power, while all the decencies Of politics
took their fight, and the Government Of the
United States became the spectacle OF
nations. Before the President reached the
middle of his second term all the great
Republican States of the North were lost 10
the party, and at the end Of the term the
Republican majority In the Senate had
dwindled from ffty-four to seventeen, while
in the House the majority of l04 had been
wiped out TO give place TO Democratic ma
jority Of seventy y-seven. During all these
years the Republican party had in its service
both Houses of Congress, the Army and
Navy, the Federal Judiciary, and the un-
hindered employment of the appointing
power vet the Southern States were In 80
fearfully disordered q condition that the
question of remanding them to territorial
rule was seriously debated by prominent
Republican leaders, as it is to-day.
But in the canvass of 1876 the grand old
party" had the unblushing audacity to reas-
sert its demand for reform. With the
whole power of the Government at its
command it had utterly failed in the busi-
ness but its false pretenses had proved
so profitable that it took fresh courage in its
work and displayed genuine enthusiasm
in entering upon new and larger tasks. Its
triumph over its own conscience seemed to
be absolute, and its devotion to evil a
fascination. 1t was in vain to reason with
a party thus devil-bent upen its methods.
It was in vain to argue that party once
thoroughly corrupt has lost the power OF
self-recovery, and that devils do not cast
out devils and could not be trusted If they
were to undertake the business. The
Republicans, it was insisted, were at all
events not SO bad as the Democrats, who
must be kept out of power at any cost and
to the last extremity. The people, however,
had now grown weary of windy promises
and longed for O change of administration.
They really hungered for reform, but they
meant reform in fact-in the concrete-and
not the merely abstract and disembodied
virtue which had so long been the staple OF
the Republican leaders. Tilden and Hen
bricks accordingly received majority OF
the electoral votes, and an overwhelming
majority of the people.
The Republican leaders, however, from
their mount of vision, discovered way OF
escape, and made haste in following it.
They saw that by subsidizing the State ofti-
cials of Louisiana andF Florida, who had In hand
the work of tabulating and counting the
votes of those States, Hays and Wheeler
could be counted in, and Tilden and Hem
bricks counted out 1t was deliberate and
well-planned conspiracy to cheat the people
of the United States out of their right to
choose their highest functionaries, and 1T
worked like O charm. 1t was accomplished
by the bribery, forgery, and perjury of the
scoundrels who had been hired to play their
part by the recognized leaders of Republi-
canism, who we'll knew that Tilden and
Hendricks had carried the States referred to,
and were duly elected; while every one OF
these officials was subsequently rewarded
by lucrative positions under the administra-
ton which had been helped into power by
his crimes. 1t is needless to 60 into details,
but such is the record of the party which
was then bowling for reform, and for "a
free ballot and fair count" The sense OF
Justice however still burns in the hearts of
the people, and it is some consolation to
know that every passing year foreshadows.
with renewed clearness and certainty, the
damnation of history which awaits the party
leaders who betrayed their country for the
sake of power and plunder.
The Hayes administration, OF course,
made its first appearance tricked in the
robes of reform. For little while, it
seemed to have a spasm OF virtue, u not
saintliness. In some of its features sporadic
symptoms of reform continued for some
time to reveal themselves, and there was q
show of decency and a pompous modesty
in parading it which beguiled good many
honest people. The President himself,
early in his term, fell Completely into the
same s$"e Of men who had
hands OF the nns of General
made the two admln,s..-....
Grant such stain upon republican inotitu-
tions In word, the work of reform had
30 completely miscarried under this ad-
ministration that when the Republican
National Convention of 1880 met in Chicago,
1t made no allusion to it in the first draft of
it's platform, and only mustered the courage
to incorporate an unmeaning resolution on
the subject on motion of o Massachusetts
delegate. The campaign was vigorously
prosecuted on both sides, but the patronage
of the Government, which under Republi-
can rule had become an organized machine
for interfering with the freedom of elections,
placed the Democrats at q great disadvan-
tage The Star-route thieves were then In
their glory, and furnished very large sup
plies for campaign purposes Money in
elections" had never before been SO plenti-
fully and potently employed. Dorsey, who
then occupied position similar to that Of
Elkins in the present canvass, was as active
and sleepless in his work as he was thorough
ly corrupt. He sent sufficient money TO
Indiana to turn that State over to the
and after the election @ great
dinner was given him in New York, at
which leading merchants, lawyers, journal
lists. political magnates literary men, and
doctors of divinity united in doing him
honor as 'the Napoleon who had carried
and in side-splitting laughter at the
humiliation of the Democrats. All this is
worth remembering as an illustration Of the
progress and triumph of reform within the
party" II also eXemplifies the blessedness
1f 80 free ballot" / remember the time
when the word election meant choice, and
implied freedom Of the will. A vote was
understood as the honest expression Of the
wishes of the voter. II was believed that
'epublican institutions rest upon the peoples
viii, and that If the ballot is q counterfeit,
be Government becomes q huge imPosture
md an organic lie. had read in one Of
-ord Macauley's letters 10 his constituents
that the man who surTeDders his vote 10
aresses or importunities forgets his duty -
much As IL he sold il for bank note" The
people had been taught that false vote. /
Ike the crime Of regicide IN . monarchy. u
he murder Of the sovereign and that still
,reater guilt attaches 10 the rich rAscAl Who /
,uys the vote Of the poor man. Who may
Ell it under the pressure Of vAnt, ,or. perhaps. |
o relieve the pangs Of hunger And jet The
hief priests and rulers Of lAtter-dAy Repubh- .
anism bold 9 jubilee IN bonor q the polifi- I
al reprobase Who. - Secretary of the
sepublican National Commits. snothsrsd
he voice of great COrDuongealfh With The
1onsy committed 70 his charge for The pur-
lose- q the campaign