Year: 1877

then duly and properly certified, they
cannot lawfully be changed by any off
Ger authorized to canvass them and an
nounce the result,


{, That while clear in the conviction
that Samuel J Tilden and Thomas A,
Hendricks have received not only large
majority the popular vote but majority
of the electoral vote, and are therefore
elected President and Vice President,
we yet declare that any decision made
by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives will be chez fully acquiesced in by
the whole people, and that any attempt
to inaugurate President simply upon
the proclamation ofthe president Of the
Senate will be an act of usurpation that
will be resisted by the people TO the last
extremity, even should that extremity be
an appeal to arms. ,..


a. That the impudent and unfounded
charge that those who protest against the
exercise OF illegal and arbitrary power
desire to foment strife and incite civil
war, is made by conspirators to withdraw
the public mind from their own evil de-
sign to Illustrate the sovereign will of the
people as expressed through the ballot
box on the 9TH of November last.


s. That we denounce the action Of
President Grant in following the example
of the military chieftains of Mexico, in
interfering by armed force in the elec.
tons Of the people, in preventing the
lawful organization of state legislatures,
and in massing troops at Washington,
with the apparent purpose of preventing
the free action Of Congress respecting
the presidential election. 1t evinces a
purpose to render the military lndepen
dent of, and superior to, the civil power
and calls for outspoken condemnation
by every friend Of Republican govern
ment.


6. That the inauguration as president
Of candidate rejected by the people and
counted in by fraud, is revolution, and
if acquiesced in, fatal to republican gov
ernment, l..


?. That the National Democratic com.
mittee be requested to call National
Democratic convention to meet at Wash
ington city, February IL, 1877.


GENERAL THOMAS EWING.


was then called out and received with
wild cheering. He said:


RwING'S SPEECH.


FELLOW CITIzENS;-The people of the
United States chose president on the
9TH of November last. Rich and poor.
white and black, learned and simple,
chose him by the equal ballot. All that
remains to be done is to complete the
process Of ascertaining their decision.
The powers Of the canvassing and re-
turning boards of precinct, parish and
state are fixed by law. If anyof those
boards acted wrongfully, he question
whether the wrong can be righted is a
judicial question, to be decided by the
proper tribunals and not by popular dec
laration. Where tribunal acts unjustly
but within the scope Of its authority, and
the law or usage gives no appeal, &C
quiescence is the duty of every citizen.
The law may be amended to prevent a
recurrence Of the wrong; but resistance,
in violation Of the law, were a medicine
far worse than the disease. 1t would
make precedent on strong provocation
and would substitute decision by tumult
for the orderly methods essential to the
preservation oflibertY.


But on the other hand, if the wrong
may be righted under the law it should
be set right at any cost. Our elective
chief magistracy is only better than a
monarchy if the means given by the law
be used to give effect to the will of the
people. But if fraud, which may be law
fully corrected, or more usurpation and
force be suffered through cowardice to
defeat the choice of the people the sue
cessful precedent will be followed by bad
mer and ere long the presidency will
become mere prize for the biggest bully
as in Mexico or cloak of Imperialism
as in France under the third Napoleon.


In Louisiana four men have assumed
to reverse the decision OF the people.
They brought to their duties national
reputation + rascsIity. They disgraced
themselves and defrauded the people of
Louisiana in 1874, as shown by the re-
port of a Republican congressional COM
mitteey Their leader, Wells, was bran
ded by Sheridan as a scoundrel, and
shown by Charles Foster to be purjurer.
They usurped power to count the vote
for electors, which the law Of Louisiana
never conferred on them; they de6ed the
law OF the state and the law Of fair play,
in refusing to fill vacancy in their board
with Democrat {; they rejected returns
which their partisan canvassers in the
parishes forwarded without objection,
when the law forbade them to reject
a return not accompanied by such objec
tons made on the spot; they tacitly APP
proved the act Of the clerk in forging re-
turns; they concocted the monstrous and
horrible Plnkston lie to darken counsel
with passion, and connived at the arrest
and gagging of men charged with muir
der, who fastened to New Orleans to
show their innocence; and finally they
sneaked into corner aud secretly threw
out II 900 Democratic votes, giving no
reason; specifying no poll or parish re.
iected, but audaciously substituting their
will for the will Of the people of Louisi-
ana AlhNN.'
Their o.conspirators-a very few auda-
cious men who, unfortunately for their
country, are in positions Of power at
Washington--now seek to consummate
their villany by causing the president Of
the senate to usurp the powers of the
houses of congress and declare the re.
suit of the election; while the army and
navy are being alrayed to silence all OPP
position by the last argument Of kings,


On twenty two differ ent occasions in
the history of our government the senate
and house of representatives have as
sembled in joint convention to count the
votes for president and vice president Of
the United States. AT Washington's first
election the president OF the senate coun.
ted the votes; but only in pursuance ot
an order OF the senate and the assent ot
the house. At every election since the