The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-02
THE GRAND OLD PARTY.
Some Chapters of History Forgotten
 by MT. Root and Col. Hay.

Some Chapters of History Forgotten
 by MT. Root and Col. Hay.
 Harper's Weekly.
 "Everythirg great done by this coun- Hay in his Jackson speech. has been l done under the auspices of the Republi- can party" MT. Root said in his key note speech at St. Louis: Through the l political organization the moral senti- ment of America finds expression. It l cannot depart from the direction of its tendencies" The Republican party | thus lauded for its incomparable mer- its by two of its most honored and elo- quent sons, has a good deal of history: During the second term of General Grant the impression got around that the incomparable party was saturated with corruption. There were enormous whiskey frauds, some of which were prosecuted with good results, but the bulk of which though known, were not punished. Men very near the President were believed to put their official power and official knowledge to monstrousiY corrupt uses. and this impression was strengthened by the conviction Of one Cabinet officer of high crimes and mis- demeanors. and the retirement of other high officials In disgrace. So many scandals transpired. and so much gossip was there about them, that, though General Grant himself was always be- lieved to be a man of honest purposes the people were brought-were doubt less misled-to the conviction that the Republican administration was rotten to it's core, and a considerable maJor . ity of the voters were induced to cast their votes for a Democrat; to-w't. Samuel Jones Tilden.
 Everybody thought that MT. Tlldeh had been elected. The awful disaster of a Democratic administration was can say to what extent the. grand rec ord which Mir. Hay and MT. Root 50 feelingly expeund would have been cur tailed But it did not befall. lot or night by Senator Bill Chandler of New Hampshire, Paul-Reverlng through tle corridors of the Fifth Avenue Hotel got up out of bed and hurried them Hayes was found to be really entitled to 165 electoral votes. Only twenty more were required to establish him In the White House It was not simple matter to acquire those twenty votes, but the Republican patriots did it. Ono they got in oregon. To that one they had perhaps moral right But the four they got in Florida, the seven from South Carolina, and especially the eight from Louisiana, were not obtain ed without great deal of hard work, the cooperation of many earnest souls, and much violence, doubtless, to the In Louisiana, where 1t was necessary to throw out over 13,oOO Democratic votes, the proceedings were very trying indeed. But .the noble men who had undertaken 10 avert disaster from the country were indefatigably persistent. The vote of parish after parish was thrown out usually on the ground If intimidation supported by such evil dence as was necessary. The patriots were rewarded by success, the humbler ones being further remunera ted in cash, the higher with office of all degrees Of emolum snt and dignity.
 IT.
 And here we come to the case of the devoted colored patriot, Eliza Plnks- ton. She was a woman of very humble station, not well-to- do. not well con, sidered but when 1t was represented to her, as to many others. that her testimony was needed by the Repuo. lican party to prove intimidation Of voters in her parish. she came forward and gave it with such heartineSs and in such quantity as made her name household word throughout the United States She swore that her husband had been taken in the night from his home in Ouachita parish, and had been shot seven times, run through and , through with knives, and variously mu- . tilated; that her child's throat had been cut while in her arms, and that she had been twice shot and subjected to re- peated indgnities of a nature mex . Of young white men whose names she gave. Elizas testimony was a part of the evidence on whicl, the vote Of Ouachita parish was thrown out She was only one of the very many instru- ments that were used for the accom- plshment of a great purpose. But, as sald' the fame of her devotion snraad